PMC-Sierra's maxRAID Storage Platform is Industry's First PCIe Solution to Comply with SNIA's SMI-S Version 1.4

Developed by the SNIA, the SMI-S is the global management standard used by server and storage vendors as well as end-users to significantly improve interoperability and simplify storage management. The SNIA Conformance Testing Program (SNIA-CTP) enables storage vendors to demonstrate SMI-S conformance with their commercially shipping products and solutions. CTP is one of two SNIA SMI programs to improve consistent implementations of the specification and interoperability; SMI-lab is the other SNIA program.

PMC-Sierra is demonstrating its commitment to providing interoperable storage management solutions by ensuring that its PCIe RAID solution conforms to the SNIA CTP provider suite for SMI-S version 1.4, said Don Deel, SNIA SMI Chair. SNIA CTP Version 1.4 includes test report enhancements and expanded storage functionality tests to broaden end-users' ease of use for procurement and planning, as well as vendors' SMI-S feature adoption.

PMC-Sierra's new BR5225-80 RAID adapter includes the maxRAID Storage Manager to configure, manage and monitor server RAID storage volumes created with SSDs and HDDs (see Figure 1). The adapter was designed to leverage the full performance potential of SSD storage, and it enables new levels of server performance. The maxRAID Storage Manager was developed for ease of use and storage reliability and consists of pre-boot and application-level graphical user interfaces (GUI), a command line interface and device drivers for Windows and Linux operating system support. The application GUI that runs on Linux or Windows is a true web-based utility. No software installation is required on the management console, which allows IT administrators to manage their server storage efficiently from a standard browser on any console within the company or VPN.

As storage demands grow in the data center, managing data becomes more critical for the operation of the entire company, said Tom Snodgrass, vice president of engineering, PMC-Sierra's Enterprise Storage Division. PMC-Sierra understands the benefits of a standardized method to deploy and manage data storage. By delivering the industry's first PCIe platform to comply with SNIA-CTP 1.4, we're providing our customers with a certified solution they can rely on to be interoperable with their management suites.