While the current generation of SATA is not quite as fast as the I/O available with SCSI storage, the price delta continues to make it a very attractive alternative. Serial ATA is primarily aimed at 4 markets; Desktop PCs, Workstations, Sub-entry Level Servers, and Entry Level Servers. With the importance of data in today's world, it's not uncommon to see even simple desktop systems being ordered with software or hardware RAID controllers (if not already built into the motherboard), and with an additional hard drive to either protect the users data or to enhance transfer rates by utilizing a striping configuration of their drives. Serial ATA has helped to make this a much simpler and more cost effective solution to almost every user.

Benefits of Serial ATA and Serial ATA RAID

With all of the demanding applications that customers are using their PCs for these days (Streaming Video, Audio, Video Production, Database Management), performance is something that must be at the top of the list for anyone looking to purchase storage devices. With Serial ATA you know exactly what you are getting. All of the current Serial ATA devices available today run at a resounding 1.5 Gigabits/sec., this is faster than any currently available parallel IDE device available today and and probably any created in the future.

SATA drives are also easier to configure than their counterparts, the Parallel ATA Drives (PATA). Serial ATA drives have no jumpers. No more "Master, Slave, or Cable Select" tinkering to be done on the inside of your system while gripping your needle nose pliers swearing that you set it right before you installed it into the chassis.

Serial ATA works on a Point-to-Point Connection scheme which eliminates having more than one drive on each cable. Each device has a separate connection path between the host and the device which allows the transmission of data in parallel. A very important side benefit to this technology is Command optimization. Commands for the SATA device can be stacked up for immediate execution without having to wait for responses on a shared I/O bus, thus allowing quicker response times and higher overall performance.   

Many customers have began to shift their entry level servers into using SATA drives to replace the more costly SCSI units that they have been stuck using up until now. The cost benefit of SATA is dramatic when looked at against the total solution cost of using SCSI devices, but negligible when comparing them to PATA drives. Cost-conscious small business users have been jumping at the chance to replace their costly SCSI arrays with low cost, high performance SATA arrays. With SATA drives already available in the 250GB + range, having Terabyte storage in rack mount chassis is not hard to imagine.

SATA drives are hot-swappable which both increases reliability and minimizes downtime of your servers in the event of a failure. Extended cable lengths (more then double the length available with Parallel ATA), and also thinner, more flexible cables, help to add to the attractiveness of using these drives in mass-storage configurations. In addition to increased airflow due to smaller cables inside of your chassis, SATA hard drives are also low voltage devices, which helps to keep temperatures down when crowded together in your rack.

Review

In a quick and easy to see fashion, here are several great reasons for you to be looking into SATA for your storage and RAID needs:

• Cost - Negligible cost increase over Parallel ATA, huge delta when compared to SCSI
• Hot-Swappable - Perfect for critical RAID arrays in important servers
• Performance - High Speed Point-to-Point Architecture, separate connections for each drive
• Command optimization -  Queued commands for immediate execution, no waiting
• Low-Voltage - Less heat, longer life, less power drain on your server
• Simplified Connections -  No more jumpers to worry about
• Improved Cabling - Thinner, longer cables block less airflow and allow better drive placement in your systems

ASI SATA RAID Products