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Serial ATA (SATA) is the next generation of parallel ATA/IDE disk drive interface. SATA disk storage is positioned in the PC and low to mid end server marketplace. Besides increasing the data transfer rate to 1.5 Gb/second, SATA provides less bulky cables. Less bulky cables allows for better air flow and a computer that stays cooler. SATA disk drives, when used along with a SATA multiplier IC, allows more than one drive per SATA channel that overcome the ATA/IDE limit. SATA JBOD drive enclosures can now provide much more disk storage for a server by increasing the number of drives allowed.
Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) is the next generation of parallel SCSI. The same thing for SATA also goes for SAS. A higher data transfer rate of 3.0 Gb/second and less bulky cables again provides a computer that stays cooler. SAS disk storage is positioned at the high end enterprise server marketplace. SAS has twice the transfer rate as that of SATA and is full duplex, where SATA is half duplex. Full duplex allows multiple SAS hosts to be accessing a SAS disk drive at the same time. SAS has an advantage of connecting SAS edge or fanout expanders to increase performance and to increase the number of disk drives in SAS JBOD enclosures. SAS edge expanders are typically used to connect many SAS drives inside a SAS JBOD enclosure. Where as, SAS fanout expanders are used to connect many SAS hosts and many SAS JBOD’s together. SAS JBOD enclosures can also accept lower cost SATA disk drives but, SATA JBOD enclosures cannot accept SAS disk drives. See the SATA, SAS and SCSI JBOD enclosures and SAS expanders at the Rancho Technology booth number 339.
John A. Fobel is vice president of Rancho Technology, Inc. Rancho Cucamonga , CA.