LSI Announces MegaRAID 9266 Dual-Core 6Gb/s SAS/SATA RAID Controller – CeBIT 2012 Update

During CeBIT 2012, LSI has announced that they have expanded their line of MegaRAID controllers to include the new 9266 models. With 2 models accepting either 1 or 2 mini-SAS connectors, the 9266-4i and the 9266-8i, and an external model, the 9285CV-8e, there are a number of upgrade possibilities for users.

One of the key changes in the design is that these low profile form-factor controllers now have the mini-SAS connectors located to the rear of the PCB, which can be beneficial in some product deployments.

Utilizing the wildly popular LSI2208 Dual Core ROC, these cards are very similar to their 9265 predecessors. These controllers are designed and optimized with SSDs in mind, and can leverage several key technologies that LSI has developed for Solid State deployments.

• Supports MegaRAID Fast Path software, providing high-performance I/O acceleration for solid state drives (SSDs) connected to a MegaRAID controller. The advanced software option unlocks the full performance benefits of hybrid or SSD arrays, delivering up to 465,000 RAID 5 random IOPS for applications requiring high transactional throughput like e-commerce and data warehousing workloads.
• Supports MegaRAID CacheCade Pro 2.0 read/write SSD caching software that dramatically accelerates application I/O performance for hard disk drive (HDD)-based arrays by intelligently caching frequently accessed data to SSDs. MegaRAID controllers featuring CacheCade Pro 2.0 software deliver up to 13X more transactions per second and an 82 percent cost savings compared to HDD-only arrays.
• Supports MegaRAID CacheVault technology, providing flash-based cache data protection from power and server failures by automatically transferring data stored in MegaRAID controller cache to NAND flash memory in the event of a power failure or other system interruption. CacheVault creates a greener, lower total cost cache protection solution by eliminating the need for Lithium-ion battery backup units, and their hardware and maintenance costs.

LSI is certainly continuing down the path of SSD integration into the datacenter, with this new release being one of several key products utilizing these high performance solutions. With the highly anticipated WarpDrive 2 coming, and the purchase of SandForce into the LSI family, stay tuned for more news and product reviews as LSI continues to lead the way for SSD acceleration strategies!