LSI takes advantage of PCiE 3.0 with 12 Gbps DataBolt

With the performance potential of the newest generation of the PCiE bus becoming standard in datacenter servers, LSI Corp has int5roduced their DataBolt Bandwidth Optimizer technology for server attached storage solutions.

The DataBolt technology is simple and straightforward; the silicon allows for the buffering of multiple lower performance drives through a single 12Gbps connection. This basic premise allows for the use of both the existing 3 Gbps and 6Gbps SAS drives currently one the market while taking advantage of the greater throughput that the PCiE 3.0 bus can support.

LSI plans to introduce a complete line of products using this new technology that can take advantage of the higher throughput. This includes new cabling and a new Mini SAS HD connector that will allow customers to use active and passive copper, as well as optical connectivity. LSI expects this higher density cabling, in conjunction with their controllers and extenders, to allow cutting edge adopters to find new ways to deploy this high-performance storage.

The DatBolt technology will be implemented across the full line of LSI SAS products, from RAID-on-chip designs to host bus adapters, to their widely deployed MegaRAID controller line. LSI feels that, along with the ability to fully utilize the bandwidth potential of a PCiE 3.o host adapter,  the backwards compatibility of the 12 Gbps with existing SAS standards will be the key to its success, especially for storage providers looking to off some measure of future-proofing to their existing storage environment.