ADAPTEC
RAID 31605 SAS/SATA Controller: $995
www.adaptec.com

PORT COUNT, HARDWARE ACCELERATION, INTERFACE, AND RAID support are all important considerations when guiding clients into the right storage controller. But what about software compatibility from one card to the next? What happens when a customer decides to upgrade a server with four SATA drives and now wants 12 SAS disks? If the replacement card you’re installing doesn’t use the same stack, be ready to start fresh with a new array.

Adaptec’s new Unified Serial PCI Express controllers set themselves apart by universally supporting SAS and SATA across the entire family. Regardless of whether you upgrade from a low port count card or add an adapter with external connectivity, sticking with the Unified Serial lineup maintains compatibility.

The RAID 31605 is Adaptec’s top-of-the-line Universal Serial offering, complete with 16 ports, 256MB of memory, and hardware RAID support for 0, 1, 1E, 5, 5EE, 6, 10, 50, 60, and JBOD modes. Priced under $1,000, it’s perfect for SMBs looking for lots of storage.

GIGABYTE
GA-3CCWV Dual Opteron Motherboard: $279
www.gigabyte.us

AMD IS CLOSE TO UNVEILING ITS next-generation server processor, code-named Barcelona. Although the quad-core CPU is set to utilize a familiar Socket F interface, chipset vendors Broadcom and NVIDIA are both expected to have some new core logic to show off at the same time. That means new platforms to qualify as the hardware makes it way into the channel.

In the meantime, dual-core Opteron 2000-series chips still offer tremendous value, especially in 2P configurations. Gigabyte’s GA-3CCWV accommodates a pair of Opterons, up to 32GB of registered DDR2-533 memory, and a PCI Express x16 card, should you require high-end graphics. Dual Gigabit Ethernet controllers, software RAID across six SATA 3 Gbps ports, and plenty of PCIe/PCI-X/PCI expansion keep the board flexible enough to adopt either a server or workstation role.

LEVELONE
CamCon IP Network Camera FCS-3000: $520
global.level1.com

LEVELONE’S CAMCOM IP NETWORK Camera is a shining example of physical security made easy. The FCS-3000 camera is IP-based, meaning it communicates over a standard Ethernet network. LevelOne protects the camera in what it calls a vandal-proof dome, which is both water and impact resistant and thus equally suited to indoor/outdoor installations.

The camera itself features a 1/3” CCD sensor able to capture in color at a resolution of 704x480 in sufficient light. In low or no light conditions, built-in IR LEDs capture monochrome shots, compressed using either MJPEG or MPEG-4 for the most efficient streaming video possible. Your customer can save even more disk space by enabling motion detection, recording only when the camera picks up movement.

Software included with the FCS-3000 facilitates monitoring of up to 32 channels simultaneously—that’s audio and video from the FCS-3000 and 15 other cameras.

TRIPP LITE
SU6000RT4U SmartOnline 6kVa UPS: $4,525
www.tripplite.com

MISSION CRITICAL SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS REQUIRE HARDWARE designed for the job. When your customer’s business cannot afford downtime, reliable power protection is an absolute necessity. Tripp Lite’s SU6000RT4U SmartOnline Hot-Swappable Module UPS System really steps up to answer that call.

The platform employs an online, double-conversation architecture known for its redundant protection against power failure. Rated at 6kVa, the 4U box is able to output 4,200W fully loaded. Of course, you’ll need to connect the supply to a pair of NEMA L6-30R outlets, but with a little bit of pre-sales planning there shouldn’t be any infrastructure worries. Tripp Lite estimates the SU6000RT4U will last nine minutes under full load and provide 24 minutes of power at half. You can expand the unit’s battery life with an optional 3U add-on.

PROMISE
VTrak M200i RAID Storage: $4,199
www.promise.com

THE VTRAK M200I RAID ENCLOSURE IS THE PRODUCT OF ONE STORAGE specialist’s effort to combine its powerful controllers and scalable platform within the budget of an SMB. Promise takes aim at the value play by leaning heavily on eight SATA hard drives in a 2U chassis. Each of the drives is hot-swappable and configurable into RAID 0, 1, 1E, 5, 10, and 50 arrays.

By adding dual Gigabit Ethernet ports to the back of the VTrak M200i, Promise also guides the system into the role of affordable IP SAN. Connecting those ports to a pair of application servers gives you a perfect opportunity to advocate the benefits of centralizing user data and backup information on one machine.

Despite its value proposition, Promise builds plenty of performance into its M200i. Full hardware-based TCP offload, 256MB of predictive data cache, and 350 MBps of sustainable data throughput keep the SAN cruising along.