Only one RAID controller family can deliver fault tolerant, low cost storage, multi-terabyte
capacity and unparalleled performance and reliability levels — the 3ware 9000 Series
Serial ATA hardware RAID controllers. Combined with the AMCC StorSave Platform and
an advanced RAID management feature set, the 9000 Series RAID controllers, available in
12, 8 and 4-port configurations, are the most compelling solution for high performance
and highest reliability computing.
Benefits
• Over 400 MB per second RAID 5
reads for high performance
computing applications
1
• Single array capacities scale to
over 4.8 TB per controller (64-bit
LBA support)
•
True hardware RAID minimizes
impact to the host CPU, maximizing
your system investment
•
AMCC StorSave Platform for
maximum reliability without
sacrificing performance
• Advanced software and RAID
features make configuring, manag-
ing and expanding RAID systems
a breeze
• Multi-lane connectors combine
four SATA ports into one for
maximum reliability
• Broad operating system support
including Windows, Linux (open
source) and FreeBSD (open source)
• A family of 12, 8 and 4-port
controllers simplifies migration
as capacity requirements grow
S ATA R A I D C o n t r o l l e r s
A P P L I C A T I O N S F O R 3 W A R E C O N T R O L L E R S
Servers
Security/
Surveillance
Video
Editing
Super
Computing
NAS
Video
On-Demand
Disk-to-Disk
Backup
3ware 9000 Series —
The Highest Performing Hardware RAID
3ware’s advanced switched RAID architecture —
StorSwitch
™
unleashes the power of Serial ATA
(SATA), delivering the highest hardware RAID
performance in its class. The 3ware 9500S
hardware RAID controllers deliver in excess of
400 MB per second (MB/sec) sustained RAID 5
reads and over 100 MB/sec RAID 5 sequential
writes with less than 3% CPU utilization
1
.
The StorSwitch architecture can simultaneously
handle commands to and from multiple drives.
No single drive is penalized by another while
executing read or write commands. The on-board
processor ensures the host CPU is managing your
applications —not the RAID controller functions.
The result is superior overall performance
compared to other Serial ATA controllers.
Enterprise-class RAID Features
and Management
The 3ware 9500S hardware RAID controllers
include advanced RAID features for greater data
protection and management. The AMCC StorSave
Platform combines firmware and a Battery Backup
Unit (BBU) that maximizes data protection
without compromising performance. Greater
than 2 TB support allows for very large arrays in
64-bit platforms. An enhanced firmware platform
that allows features such as on-line capacity
expansion (OCE), RAID Migration and enclosure
management protects your RAID storage invest-
ment. 3ware’s remote management software,
3ware Disk Manager 2 (3DM® 2) simplifies storage
configuration and management for Linux and
Windows environments via a Web browser.
Highest Reliability
Hardware RAID provides higher fault tolerance
than software RAID because it protects your data
in the event of an operating system failure.
The 3ware 9500S SATA hardware RAID controllers
support RAID levels 0, 1, 10, 5, 50 and Single Disk
(JBOD).
The innovative AMCC StorSave Platform supplies
power to the cache memory module in the event
of a system power loss — without sacrificing
performance. It includes exclusive features that
utilize a write journaling technique, which
enables not only controller but also drive write
caching to continue in the event of a power
failure. The highest levels of performance are
continuously maintained while guarding against
data loss.
Integrated Solutions
3ware offers a truly innovative SATA cabling solu-
tion for large-scale configurations where space
and airflow are at a premium. The 3ware 9500S
Multi-lane (MI) controllers combine a highly
reliable, locking cable/connector system that
combines four SATA ports into one on the
controller side. Available in 12 or 8-port configu-
rations, the 3ware 9500S-MI controllers increase
reliability, and simplify installation and routing.
Hard
Drive
Hard
Drive
Hard
Drive
Hard
Drive
Up to
1.5 Gb/sec
per port
3ware SATA Hardware
RAID Controller
Advanced
StorSwitch
Architecture
3ware
®
9000 Series
High-Performance Serial ATA Hardware RAID Controllers
