Sonnet Fusion RAID Expander offers 7 PCIe slots

Sonnet Technologies on Thursday debuted the Fusion RAID Expander, which provides a simple solution for connecting up to seven Sonnet Fusion SATA RAID desktop or rackmount storage systems to a single computer for faster performance as well as access to up to 56 terabytes (TB) of protected storage. The Fusion RAID Expander extends a computer's PCI Express (PCIe) bus outside of the box and provides seven slots for installing PCIe cards. The Sonnet expansion system delivers plug-and-play installation and is transparent to the computer's operating system for zero-configuration use.

"Sonnet is committed to delivering storage solutions with uncompromising performance and reliability. We are excited to offer a product that gives our customers the capability to add additional storage capacity and performance as their business grows," said Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies. "Fusion RAID Expander's robust construction, easy configuration, and plug-and-play installation make it simple."

The primary advantage of connecting more than one storage system to a computer is the ability to scale the capacity and increase the performance. Sonnet says that two 8TB Fusion D800RAID storage systems connected to the Fusion RAID Expander (with their drives configured as protected RAID 5 volumes and combined as one 16TB logical unit) offer sustained transfers of 645MB/sec (write) and 670MB/sec (read).

The Fusion RAID Expander houses seven full-length (x4) PCIe slots in a quiet 4U enclosure with its own power supply, and connects to the host computer through the included half-height host bus adapter card, which occupies a single (x8) PCIe slot. This expansion system provides the space and slots necessary to attach up to seven Sonnet Fusion SATA RAID desktop or rackmount storage systems, each of which includes its own RAID controller card.

The chassis utilizes two quiet fans to cool the 400 watt power supply and card slot area. It supports most PCIe cards, (including full-length, full-height form factor cards) so users can add FireWire, USB, video capture, audio, and other interfaces as well.

Sonnet's Fusion RAID Expander (FUS-EXP7), which weighs 25lbs, will be available in early June 2008 for $4,000; it comes with a 2-year warranty.