Seagate ST3146707LW SAS and SATA: Multiple Benefits of Unified Storage (334K, - Page 3

SAS and SATA: Multiple Benefits of Unified Storage Server Server Server Server Advantage: Dynamic by Design Typically, more established enterprises already have extensive transactional (online) storage application needs, which they've historically addressed with parallel SCSI hard drives. SAS wisely leverages the proven strengths of its parallel predecessor (rock-solid reliability, mature SCSI command set) while offering dramatic improvements in speed, scalability and compatibility. Not surprisingly, storage managers welcomed the many benefits of SAS drives over legacy parallel SCSI drives, and are transitioning to SAS drives for online applications. As an added benefit, SAS enables these companies to eliminate their existing SATA infrastructures (used for bulk storage) and standardize on SAS infrastructure for both SAS and SATA drives. P-SCSI Drive RAID P-SCSI Drive P-SCSI RAID Drive P-SCSI Drive RAID SATA Drive SATA Drive RAID SATA Drive SATA Drive Server Server Expander JBOD SAS Drive SAS Drive SAS Drive SAS Drive SAS Drive SATA Drive SATA Drive SATA Drive SATA Drive SATA Drive Figure 3. SAS drives can be deployed for performanceintensive applications in place of parallel SCSI, while being housed in a common cabinet with SATA drives used for capacity-intensive duties. For many firms, the optimal blend of performance-optimized storage and capacityoptimized storage is not fixed but dynamic, changing as business needs continually evolve. SAS is particularly appropriate for such environments, entailing only a simple plug/unplug process to seamlessly fine-tune the mix of SAS and SATA drives as application needs dictate. Beyond the obvious efficiency of specifying the optimal hard drive for a given application, standardizing on the SAS platform significantly reduces the cost and complexity of the storage infrastructure by minimizing the number of individual components that must be qualified, purchased, inventoried and maintained. Such component rationalization also results in a smaller storage footprint and places fewer demands on support resources and staff. SAS Compatibility Feature SAS backplanes, HBAs and expanders compatible with SATA Benefits Connectivity for multiple device types lowers TCO, gives flexibility to specify best drive for intended use: SAS for transactional/online performance and reliability, SATA for bulk storage and backup/restore duties SAS can connect over 16,000 SAS and/or Delivers vastly greater scalability than SATA devices in a single domain parallel SCSI; also enables far greater scalability than SATA infrastructure SAS platform can accommodate both SAS and SATA devices Standardization on one platform reduces number of components to qualify and inventory Going Green With SAS (Part 1) But the advantages of SAS storage don't end there. As noted above, an effective storage infrastructure must be able to dynamically adapt as needs change. It's no secret that the enterprise is increasingly concerned with cutting space and power use in its data centers. For many forward-thinking enterprises, the answer can be found in the latest generation of space- and energy-efficient enterprise hard drives: small form factor (SFF) 2.5-inch 15K-RPM drives. SFF drives are leading the green revolution towards high-I/O-density storage solutions that facilitate rapid and cost-effective data center rationalization. SFF 2.5-inch 15K-RPM drives are 70 percent smaller than conventional 3.5-inch 15K-RPM drives, enabling them to use 30 percent less power and run cooler, all while delivering 10 percent faster performance. SAS is an ideal complement to SFF 2.5-inch 15K-RPM drives, with its enormous scalability easily accommodating the greater drive counts found in high-density storage solutions. Furthermore, SAS helps maximize IOPS/U (input output per second/unit), a metric that factors in both a storage device's performance and its space requirements. SAS combines superior throughput with compact cabling