Second generation of storage-specific processors

SteelVine storage processors facilitate drive cascading for hot-plug expansion, dual eSATA Gen2m and USB 2.0 host interfaces, automatic drive locking, single button backup and RAID features.

Silicon Image has announced availability of its second generation SteelVine storage processors, the SiI5723, SiI5734, SiI5744 and SiI5733.

Several companies demonstrated new products integrating the functions of the second generation of SteelVine processors at CeBIT.

The second generation SteelVine processors offer advanced storage capabilities, including drive cascading for hot-plug capacity expansion, dual eSATA Gen2m and USB 2.0 host interfaces, automatic drive locking and single button backup, RAID 0, RAID 1 and two multi-RAID modes, SAFE33 and SAFE50, without requiring any software, drivers or special user knowledge.

"The second generation SteelVine storage processors add exciting new capabilities at an extremely attractive price point", says Conrad Maxwell, Silicon Image's Senior Product Line Manager for SteelVine products.

Key features of the second generation SteelVine processors include eSATA- based capacity expansion that allows users to add capacity as their needs grow by simply adding more drives.

eSATA-based and hot-pluggable, capacity expansion allows additional hard-disk enclosures to be cascaded in "daisy chain" fashion to increase the size of an existing disk.

Using currently available drives, customers can add up to 3Tbyte of storage to a single system.

eSATA's 3Gbit/s interface ensures speedy access to all drives in a cascaded array.

Customers with legacy USB ports can also take advantage of this family of storage processors.

When users upgrade their systems to benefit from the full power of a 3Gbit/s SATA host link, they gain up to six times the performance increase using the same storage processor.

Drive locking helps protect users' critical personal or office data by allowing them to password protect all drives.

Once locked, a drive's data is protected from access until it is unlocked by a user-supplied password.

Single-button backup is supported through third-party applications for simple and automatic data backup.

The new SteelVine processors also have the signature hardware-based multi-RAID solution that addresses both data security and capacity expansion with as few as two external drives.

The two multi-RAID modes - SAFE33 and SAFE50 - divide external drives into multiple volumes: one Safe and one Big.

The new multi-RAID modes present a more efficient way for users to keep critical data safe and increase drive capacity at the same time.

The SiI5723 processor is designed specifically for consumer electronics devices, digital video recorders (DVRs) and PC motherboards.

This SteelVine Storage Processor has a 3Gbit/s SATA host interface and two eSATA capable device ports.

The SiI5734 processor, with its combination of eSATA and USB 2.0 host interfaces, is suitable for single-drive external enclosures and external backup drives.

This SteelVine Storage Processor has two eSATA device ports, one eSATA host port and one USB 2.0 host port.

The SiI5744 processor, designed for digital home and small-office storage appliances, delivers additional power through advanced RAID functions, including RAID 0, 1, and new modes SAFE 33 and SAFE 50 at a competitive cost.

This SteelVine Storage Processor connects a USB 2.0 or an eSATA host port to two eSATA device ports.

Features of the SiI5744 include advanced RAID modes, drive locking and single-button backup.

Extensive software developer kits are available from Silicon Image to simplify product differentiation.

The SiI5733 processor is aimed at HDTV, DVR, set-top box and PC motherboard manufacturers, giving them cost-effective storage that is simple, scalable, reliable and secure.

This SteelVine Storage Processor has a 3Gbit/s SATA host interface and two eSATA capable device ports.

The SiI5733 is the first storage processor on the market to offer content security through automatic drive locking, making drive security simple and requiring no effort by the user.

The SiI5733 addresses the risk of data theft from a stolen or lost drive by locking the drive to the host (HDTV, DVR, set-top box or PC) automatically.

All SteelVine storage processor SATA ports operate at 3Gbit/s and comply with the eSATA Gen2m portions of the SATA 2.5 specifications, making them suitable for use with the current crop of high performance SATA Gen II drives.

Software development kits are available from Silicon Image allowing OEMs to create custom branded products using these new storage processors.

The next-generation SteelVine processors are generally available now with volume pricing at less than US $5.00.

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