STA

Author: Chris Cicchetti, Marketing Director, SAS/SATA Analyzers and Testers,
Finisar

The new SAS-2 and SATA Gen-3 system protocols bring 6Gb/s link speeds to a wide range of applications, including storage units, disk drives, optical and tape drives, and protocol host bus adapters (HBAs). Carrying such high-signal signals several meters over copper cables, however, tests the limits of signaling technology, making signal integrity a significantly more important design concern for equipment designers and network engineers than it was at 3Gb/s. For example, a test setup that was already at the performance edge for 3Gb/s will cause undesirable and misleading failures at 6Gb/s as tolerances drop to the point where test equipment can adversely affect signal integrity. Apart from strictly adhering to each standard's specifications, the key behind successful SAS/SATA product development and network debugging will be an understanding of the tighter tolerances at 6Gb/s and the steps that developers can take to minimize the impact of test equipment on a device-under-test (DUT).

PMC-Sierra was interviewed by a System Integrator about Serial Attached SCSI's Cable and Connector Features and Uses

Author: Rachelle Trent, Product Marketing Manager
PMC-Sierra
All Figures are courtesy of Molex

The challenges that System Integrators (SIs) encounter when learning how to handle new technologies, new components and especially how to make everything work together, requires research and experience. It helps them acquire the knowledge they need if they have a series of demonstrations of cables and connectors and their uses. The purpose of this article is to provide a mini-demo through the use of illustrations that are clear and easy to understand.