PMC Accelerates Data Center Services with Second-Generation SSD Caching Solution

PMC, the semiconductor innovator transforming storage, optical and mobile networks, today announced the Adaptec Series 6Q with maxCache 2.0 SSD caching designed to accelerate data center and cloud computing application performance. Using solid state drives (SSDs) to cache frequently accessed data, maxCache 2.0 employs an intelligent, learned-path algorithm to radically improve performance of HDD-based arrays. PMC’s second-generation SSD caching solution, maxCache 2.0, adds support for write caching to expand the application workloads that can benefit from this technology. The Series 6Q with maxCache 2.0 improves quality of service, offers up to 13 times improvement in I/O operations per second (IOPS) and a 13 times reduction in application latency.

The latency reductions delivered with maxCache 2.0 provide a direct end-user benefit for data centers. For example, Shopzilla reports that a five-second speedup results in a 10 percent increase in revenue and a 50 percent decrease in hardware, while large financial institutions are making record profits off of a 0.5-second speed advantage. From another perspective, Amazon cites that every 100 milliseconds in latency can result in a one percent drop in sales.

“Data centers have multi-faceted needs that PMC uniquely addresses through our innovative solutions and ability to work with customers to optimize our products in their environment for their application,” said Jared Peters, vice president and general manager of PMC’s Channel Storage Division. “With the introduction of the Series 6Q, PMC has reinforced its commitment to deliver intelligent solutions that address the distinctive pain points of data centers.”

The Series 6Q with maxCache 2.0 also improves IOPS and allows data centers to perform more transactions with a single server and reduce the overall number of servers required. This reduces capital and operational expenses, including power, cooling and maintenance costs.

“maxCache 2.0 allows enterprise customers to harness the exceptional performance of SSDs and facilitates broader SSD adoption within data centers and other I/O-intensive environments,” said Alex Mei, CMO of OCZ Technology Group. “OCZ’s SSD product portfolio provides features, performance and durability that are truly enterprise-class, and together with PMC’s maxCache 2.0 we deliver an easy-to-deploy, high-performing caching solution that addresses the unique requirements of our data center customers.”

The Series 6Q will ship standard with PMC’s second-generation, patented supercap backup solution, Zero Maintenance Cache Protection, which eliminates the maintenance and environmental costs of lithium ion battery-based solutions. With the elimination of lithium ion batteries and the reduction in power and cooling possible with maxCache 2.0, the Series 6Q is the industry’s “greenest” SSD caching solution.

“As a member of The Green Grid, PMC is embracing our mission and the goal of standardizing more efficient use of resources in data centers,” said Mark Monroe, executive director, The Green Grid. “The Green Grid’s mission is to improve resource efficiency in business computing, which incorporates technology that can reduce energy consumption and lower environmental impact.”

In addition to the Series 6Q with maxCache 2.0, PMC is releasing the Series 6T RAID controllers with recessed top-mounted connectors that enable maximum installation flexibility in dense form-factor servers found in data center applications.

Availability and Pricing
All products are currently available for evaluation by contacting a local Adaptec by PMC representative.

Adaptec Series 6Q with maxCache 2.0 and Zero Maintenance Cache Protection
Adaptec RAID 6805Q: $1055 USD MSRP
Adaptec RAID 6805TQ: $1055 USD MSRP

Adaptec Series 6T with Recessed Top Connectors
Adaptec RAID 6405T: $375 USD MSRP
Adaptec RAID 6805T: $550 USD MSRP

About Adaptec by PMC
Adaptec by PMC storage products protect, accelerate, optimize and condition data. Our software- and hardware-based solutions are delivered through leading channel partners to provide storage connectivity, data protection and networked storage to enterprises, government organizations, medium and small businesses worldwide.