Adaptec is at least 9 months to a year behind Mylex. The Adaptec solution
looks alot like the eXtremeRAID product. However Mylex has been shipping 64 bit StrongARM product since Q2, 1998. Additionally, Adaptec has been
only marginally successful in RAID. They don't understand the nuances of RAID technology, which has been Mylex's core capability.
Finally ,Mylex is in growth markets. Adaptec does not have the breath of RAID products that Mylex has. Mylex has low end
hardware assist (accelRAID) products and the Storage Area NetWork (Fibre Channel).
There is upside with ADPT. It looks like Ultra 2 SCSI demand is strong and Adaptec is regaining lost ground from LSI and Qlogic. Additionally, there are rumors that Adaptec may sell fibre channel
components using its HUGE marketing capability.
My two cents on why I hold both stocks.
Dougerdad
Adaptec Makes 64-Bit RAID a Reality; Industry's First True 64-Bit RAID Controller
Sets New Standards for Performance, Capacity, and Manageability
BusinessWire, Monday, January 04, 1999 at 08:07
MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 1999--Adaptec, Inc.
(NASDAQ:ADPT) today announced the availability of the first 64-bit
RAID solution that enables customers to fully exploit the I/O
bandwidth of the industry's newest 64-bit PCI server systems.
Adaptec's new 64-bit, PCI-to-Ultra2 low voltage differential RAID
controller (AAC-364) will be available to OEMs in January, 1999.
Designed for departmental and enterprise class servers, the
AAC-364 literally doubles the I/O bandwidth of conventional 32-bit
controllers. With its onboard Intel StrongARM 233MHz microprocessor,
internal 64-bit data path, and four 64-bit Ultra2 SCSI channels, the
AAC-364 delivers the power and I/O bandwidth to drive up to 60 disk
drives at sustained rates of 200 MBs per second.
"The internal RAID market will double in worldwide revenue by
2002," said Robert Gray, research manager at International Data
Corporation. "The high-value spot is those end users looking for
higher performance with simplicity of installation and operation.
Adaptec's AAC-364 RAID controller will have a strong appeal with its
feature and performance robustness and its intuitive software."
Early Adopter -- Dell Computer Corporation
The AAC-364 has been in evaluation with major OEMs, including
early development partner Dell Computer Corporation. Dell's recently
announced PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller 2 (PERC 2) is based on
Adaptec's AAC-364 RAID controller design.
"As a high performance 64-bit RAID controller, the PERC 2
represents a fundamental component in the server performance
equation," said Bob Van Steenberg, vice president of enterprise
servers for Dell. "PERC 2 is the perfect complement to Dell's
PowerEdge servers and PowerVault Storage products, providing the
storage capacity and I/O throughput that customers expect from
enterprise-class systems."
Best-in-Class Performance
"Adaptec's AAC-364 RAID controller sets a new standard for
host-based RAID solutions," said Rich Napolitano, general manager of
Adaptec's Server Storage Solutions group in Nashua, N.H. "The AAC-364
is a powerful RAID storage subsystem that provides a complete 64-bit
data path from the host server through to storage. It is a true 64-bit
I/O solution from end to end."
The AAC-364 delivers the best performance and highest I/O
throughput of any PCI RAID solution on the market today. The AAC-364
can achieve sustained data throughput rates of 200 MBs per second and
28,000 IOPS. In addition, the AAC-364's design significantly reduces
I/O latency and host server CPU utilization for I/O processing. This
combination of high throughput, low latency, and reduced host CPU
utilization makes the AAC-364 ideal for transaction processing
applications where TPC-C performance is the fundamental benchmark.
Unrivaled Storage Capacity
With 4 Ultra2 LVD SCSI channels, Adaptec's AAC-364 controller
delivers 30% more storage capacity than the leading 3-channel products
on the market. Each AAC-364 supports up to 60 drives (15 per channel).
Using the latest high-capacity Ultra2 disk drives, a single AAC-364
can support over one terabyte of storage capacity. The AAC-364
provides access to these 4 channels through a combination of 2
internal and 4 external Ultra2 LVD connectors.
No-Downtime Storage Management
The AAC-364's online storage management tools enable
administrators to manage storage resources without taking systems or
information offline. Using the AAC-364's Flexible Array Storage Tool
(FAST), administrators can perform online capacity expansion (OCE) and
"any-to-any" RAID level migrations without interrupting user access to
data. An easy-to-use management GUI and set of wizards make these
functions simple point-and-click operations. Administrators can use
FAST to manage multiple AAC-364 controllers either locally or
remotely.
About the Product
Hardware Specifications: The AAC-364 is a 64-bit PCI-to-Ultra2
(LVD) SCSI controller that employs an onboard Intel SA110 StrongARM
microprocessor, 64-bit PCI-to-PCI bridge, 64-bit PCI secondary bus,
and onboard memory subsystem. This full-size PCI controller is both
64-bit PCI and 32-bit PCI compatible. The AAC-364 provides 4 64-bit
Ultra2 (LVD) SCSI channels with 2 internal and 4 external connectors.
Each controller can support up to 60 drives (15 drives per channel)
and is Hot-Plug PCI-ready.
The standard product includes a removable, battery-backed, cache
memory daughter card with a standard DIMM socket for easy memory
installation and upgrades. The daughter card supports configurations
of 16, 32, 64, and 128MB of industry-standard ECC-protected EDO memory
with up to 72 hours of battery holdover.
Software Specifications: The AAC-364 supports full RAID 0,1, 0/1,
and 5 array configurations, and includes drivers for Windows NT 4.0
and NetWare 4.11 and 5.0. Software includes the Flexible Array Storage
Tool (FAST), which provides a graphical user interface and wizards for
managing arrays, and a Command Line Interface (CLI) for creating
automated management scripts. The AAC-364 includes support for drive
warm-swap, hot-swap, and hot-spare, drive error tracking (S.M.A.R.T.),
and enclosure environment tracking (SAF-TE).
Pricing and Availability
The AAC-364 will be available to OEMs in January 1999. Single kit
and volume pricing are available to OEMs upon request.
Adaptec is introducing the AAC-364 initially to OEMs and plans to
extend the product's availability to end users through commercial
distribution channels later in 1999.
About Adaptec
Adaptec provides bandwidth management technologies for
organizations building the global information infrastructure. Its
high-performance I/O, connectivity, and network products are
incorporated into the systems and products of major computer and
peripheral manufacturers. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in
Milpitas, Adaptec (NASDAQ:ADPT) employs people worldwide in design,
manufacturing, sales, service and distribution. Adaptec's home page is
adaptec.com.
CONTACT: Adaptec, Inc.
David Szabados, 408/957-2051
szabados@corp.adaptec.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA NEW HAMPSHIRE
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED PRODUCT
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