SAS replaces FC and SATA drives… NOT!
Posted in General, Storage Interconnects & RAID, Advisor - Joe Disher by Joe DisherI’ve heard many questions lately about SAS (Serial Attached SCSI). Simple questions like, “What’s SAS?” or, “Why should I consider SAS?” This information can be found with simple web searches. Adaptec has a good section on the website dedicated to the education of SAS and will answer these questions easily and the SCSI Trade association has tons of technical details on SAS.
Then there’s the question, “Will SAS replace FC or SATA?” This is the question I want to tackle today.
In my opinion SAS is simply the replacement for parallel SCSI. Parallel SCSI, even with U320, was getting long in the tooth. It’s been a long time coming and now SAS is finally here to save SCSI. If you look at the drive technologies available without SAS you have SATA, parallel SCSI, and Fibre Channel. Nobody argued whether or not SATA was to replace parallel ATA. That transition is moving ahead at full speed. There was some talk about SATA replacing SCSI, but that whole idea has been trumped by SAS.
Today FC meets the needs of high performance and high reliability. When configured end-to-end, FC is the most costly but has the best performance and reliability.
SATA now has the scalability it lacked with parallel ATA, has huge capacities, but lacks the performance and reliability of SCSI or FC.
Enter SAS – with scalability that parallel SCSI never had and the same cost advantage that SCSI currently has over FC, SAS I think successfully holds off SATA moving up and fills the gap of a cost effective, high performance and highly reliable disk technology below FC.
They each have their advantages and disadvantages. You’ll even hear me arguing in the halls that SAS has the potential to really hurt FC in the distant future (see previous blog) – but for now consider SAS your parallel SCSI replacement. If it were me and I was considering buying “old school” parallel SCSI in any form – I wouldn’t – I’d buy SAS.
Blog ya later!
Joe
November 1st, 2005 at 2:08 pm
I saw your website and and I read every word I love you
CJ
November 2nd, 2005 at 8:09 am
So… after seeing this comment I thought I’d fill in the gaps a touch for the readers. This is my amazing daughter reading and commenting on my Storage blog while she’s suppose to be working in school. Apparently she swiped one of the few remaining “Joe Disher Storage Advisor Rookie Cards” off of my desk before going to school. (First available at SNW Fall 2005 - For your very own Joe Disher Rookie Card send check or money order now while supplies last!)
Although I was flattered that she read the whole thing and clearly loves what I wrote - it’s not really relevant for the rest of us storage geeks. Not to worry, she’s only 12 and is still easily distracted - so don’t expect any further blogs from folks professing their love for me and my writing!
Blog ya later!
Joe