PMC-Sierra Introduces Industrya?s First Multi-Core, Multi-Threaded RAID Platform for x86 Servers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--PMC-Sierra, Inc. (Nasdaq:PMCS) today announcedits maxRAIDa" architecture and the first product in the family, the [ BR5225-80 RAID adapter ] designed for solid state disk (SSD) storage in x86 servers (see [ Figure 1 ]). Based on PMC-Sierraa�s market-leading, multi-core SRC 8x6G RAID-on-Chip (RoC) controller and multi-threaded, performance-optimized RAID stack software, the maxRAID BR5225-80 connects PCI Express� (PCIe�) 2.0 to eight SAS/SATA ports at up to 6Gb/s and targets data- and transaction-intensive applications requiring highest IOPS and throughput. The maxRAID architecture currently delivers 136,000 IOPS in a single RAID controller and can achieve up to 300,000 IOPS, as shown in simulations of PMC-Sierraa�s next-generation 6Gb/s SAS RAID solution. PMC-Sierraa�s RAID platform includes the maxRAID Storage Manager, a web-based graphical application with an intuitive user interface that allows users to manage their server storage efficiently from a standard browser on any console within the company or VPN.

"SSDs are the next standard for fast and efficient server storage, and a new class of RAID adapter is needed to enable the performance potential"

PMC-IBM Joint Development Agreement Delivering Industry-Leading Results

[ PMC-Sierra entered into a joint development agreement (JDA) with IBM ] to collaborate on breakthrough RAID solutions integrating PMC-Sierraa�s industry-leading storage protocol controller family and IBMa�s industry-hardened RAID software. Results from the JDA project enabled PMC-Sierra to be first to market with its maxRAID multi-core, multi-threaded RAID solution optimized for superior SSD storage performance.

aPMC-Sierra and IBM engineering teams worked together to bring to market a high-performance enterprise RAID solution for x86 servers,a said Jan Janick, vice president, Blades and System x Server Development. aThe maxRAID BR5225-80 offers customers of our newly announced eX5 servers the application performance they require in a RAID solution with solid state disks. The PMC solution enables IBM to offer a RAID adapter that takes full advantage of SSD-enabled system performance.a

A New Class of RAID Adapter Optimized for SSDs

Todaya�s RAID adapters are designed for hard disk drives (HDDs), which provide a fraction of the performance of a single SSD. In many cases, multiple enterprise HDDs are ashort strokeda to use a small portion of the overall capacity to gain better performance. This technique reduces disk utilization on each HDD and creates a costly solution to improve performance (see [ Figure 2 ]). PMC-Sierraa�s maxRAID BR5225-80 uses a multi-threaded, multi-core architecture combined with a RAID stack based on IBMa�s industry-proven RAID technology that can leverage the full performance advantages of SSD storage, saving system cost, lowering data center power requirements and maximizing storage capacity utilization.

aSSDs are the next standard for fast and efficient server storage, and a new class of RAID adapter is needed to enable the performance potential,a said Roger Cox, research vice president, Data Center Systems, Gartner. aThe market is ready for a RAID adapter solution that is optimized for solid-state storage, especially in transaction-oriented applications where todaya�s servers have to wait for storage.a

Breakthrough Results with PMC-Sierraa�s maxRAID Architecture

PMC-Sierraa�s maxRAID architecture changes the game for RAID and server storage, producing performance far beyond todaya�s solutions. The architecture combines multiple RAID processing cores and PMC-Sierraa�s RoCstara" interconnect with the multi-threaded maxRAID stack to create an extendible architecture that efficiently scales as more cores and processing power are added to next-generation RAID-on-Chip ICs. PMC-Sierraa�s maxRAID architecture and next-generation RAID-on-Chip controllers will take future RAID 5 random read performance from todaya�s 136K IOPS with the maxRAID BR5225-80 up to up to 300K IOPS on a single controller. A server configuration with four next-generation PMC-Sierra maxRAID adapters each connected to eight SSDs will achieve greater than one million IOPS.

aLeveraging the strength and market success of our 6Gb/s SAS RAID-on-Chip technology, PMC-Sierra continues to deliver industry-leading RAID solutions that provide an advantage to our customers,a said Mark Stibitz, vice president and general manager of PMC-Sierraa�s Enterprise Storage Division. aOur first maxRAID SSD solution is outperforming HDD RAID by a factor of 60 to one, demonstrating the value PMCa�s maxRAID platform can bring to next-generation server and storage system designs.a

PMC-Sierraa�s maxRAID BR5225-80 x8 PCIe 2.0 to eight 6Gb/s SAS RAID adapter features:

maxRAID suite of management utilities
Web-based GUI and command line interface tools
Boot support for BIOS and uEFI systems
RAID-on-Chip controller with RoCStar architecture, which provides simultaneous access to all chip resources, increasing I/O throughput and lowering latency
Three multi-threaded MIPS� processing cores
Hardware RAID 1 and 5
Two x4 internal SFF8087 SAS connectors
x8 PCIe 2.0 (5Gb/s)
1.5 & 3Gb/s SATA and 3 & 6Gb/s SAS support
Easy to use maxRAID Storage Manager management utility
Management utilities conform to current SNIA, SMI-S and DMTF industry standards
Broad support for Windows and Linux
Connect 8 SSD or HDD devices per adapter; up to four adapters in a system
Hot spare support

Availability and Pricing

PMC-Sierraa�s maxRAID BR5225-80 adapter is sampling now to select OEM customers, with a list price of $495. For more information on PMC-Sierraa�s storage products, visit [ www.pmc-sierra.com/storage ], or contact PMC-Sierra at [ sales@pmc-sierra.com ].

About PMC-Sierra

PMC-Sierra^�, the premier Internet infrastructure semiconductor solution provider, offers its customers technical and sales support worldwide through a network of offices in North America, Europe, Israel and Asia. PMC-Sierra provides semiconductor solutions for Enterprise Storage, Wide Area Network Infrastructure, Fiber To The Home, and Laser Printer markets. The Company is publicly traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the PMCS symbol. For more information, visit [ www.pmc-sierra.com ].

Attachments:

Figure 1: PMC-Sierraa�s maxRAID Multi-Core, Multi-Threaded Architecture vs. Single Core
Figure 2: SSD RAID vs. Traditional HDD RAID

For figures visit: [ http://www.pmc-sierra.com/news_room/pdf/maxRAID_figures.pdf ]
For photos visit: [ http://www.pmc-sierra.com/news_room/images/maxRAID_BR5225-80.jpg ]

Resources to Extend your Product Knowledge and Understanding

PMC-Sierra New Products [ www.pmc-sierra.com/products/newProducts.html ]
PMC-Sierra White Papers [ www.pmc-sierra.com/whitepaper ]

� Copyright PMC-Sierra, Inc. 2010. All rights reserved. PMC and PMC-SIERRA are registered trademarks of PMC-Sierra, Inc. in the United States and other countries. PMCS, aEnabling connectivity. Empowering people.a maxRAID and RoCstar are trademarks of PMC-Sierra, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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PMC-Sierra Introduces Industrya?s First Multi-Core, Multi-Threaded RAID Platform for x86 Servers