LSI Extends Operating System Support for Family of 3ware RAID Controller Cards Based on 6Gb/s SAS Technology


New software drivers allow white box channel partners to deliver enhanced performance, reliability and scalability benefits to broader customer base

MILPITAS, Calif. - LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) today announced new software drivers for LSITM 3ware® 9750 series RAID controller cards that provide support for Mac® OS X, VMware® ESXTM and ESXTMi 4.0, OpenSolarisTM and FreeBSD®. In addition, the 3ware cards now include embedded Linux® driver support for Linux kernel 2.6.33 and higher, allowing support for many Linux distributions. The extended operating system (OS) support is designed to enable white box channel partners to offer the exceptional performance, usability and reliability of LSI 3ware SATA+SAS controllers to a broader customer base, addressing application environments ranging from virtualization and cloud computing to streaming media and data archiving.

"As the world's leading supplier of host bus RAID solutions, we are providing channel partners serving these broad OS user communities with proven RAID solutions backed by our extensive experience and deep hardware, firmware and validation competencies," said Brent Blanchard, director of worldwide channel sales and marketing, LSI. "The expanded OS support underscores our continued efforts to deliver a comprehensive storage portfolio that is complemented by programs tailored to meet the unique requirements of system integrators and vertical OEMs."

Designed for inside-the-box connectivity, the low-profile 3ware RAID controllers feature the LSISAS2108 6Gb/s SAS RAID-on-Chip (ROC) IC and are available in four- and eight-port configurations. The controllers deliver up to 2.5GB/s in sequential read and 1.7GB/s in sequential write performance, more than doubling the data transfer rates of the previous-generation products. The controllers are designed to easily integrate with existing 3Gb/s SATA and SAS infrastructure, allowing customers to protect current investments while significantly improving read and write performance.

The 3ware 9750 controllers combine 6Gb/s SAS features and performance with the 3ware StreamFusionTM+ firmware to address intensive sequential I/O and multi-stream applications commonly found in Linux and Mac environments. Utilizing the Advanced Content Streaming feature included in StreamFusion+, the controllers optimize writes in multi-stream environments by dividing total bandwidth equally among the various streams, minimizing performance bottlenecks. The controllers also boost the speed of streamed data writes, such as video capture and disk-to-disk backup, through improved caching algorithms.

The VMware ESX and ESXi 4.0 certified support for 3ware 9750 series controllers signifies that the cards have completed the extensive VMware Hardware Certification Program testing criteria. The new drivers enable customers to combine the advanced data protection and high throughput capabilities of LSI 3ware controllers with the cost effectiveness and flexibility enabled by virtualization and cloud computing environments.

LSI 3ware controllers are available through a worldwide network of distributors, integrators and VARs. New and existing customers may download the version 10.1 software drivers for free at www.lsi.com/channel/ChannelDownloads/.

About LSI
LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) is a leading provider of innovative silicon, systems and software technologies that enable products which seamlessly bring people, information and digital content together. The company offers a broad portfolio of capabilities and services including custom and standard product ICs, adapters, systems and software that are trusted by the world's best known brands to power leading solutions in the Storage and Networking markets. More information is available at www.lsi.com.

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