Servers, workstations, RAID subsystems, Internet technologies, as well as CAD/CAM, multimedia, video, digital broadcasting, and groupware applications all require a more advanced interface to handle increasing increased data-transfer needs. The Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) interface satisfies these needs by increasing bus bandwidths, allowing greater configuration flexibility, backward compatibility, and faster transfer rates.

How would users benefit from having an Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) disk drive in their computer systems?
Not so long ago, servers, RAID subsystems, CAD/CAM, and groupware applications were simply buzzwords. Today, these new digital technologies require increased speed, storage capacity, and reliability for critical data applications. By doubling previous SCSI standards for bus data rates and bandwidths, the Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) interface provides a much needed upgrade for high-end computer users.

Ultra2 SCSI advantages

The Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) provides four major advantages:

• Increased bus data rates
• Increased device connectivity
• Increased design flexibility
• Backward compatibility with Ultra SCSI

Increased device connectivity
Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) allows more drives and devices to be connected to a user's system. Because Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) provides higher bus data rates, it is capable of connecting to higher-quality peripherals. Since the Internet and other server applications require large volumes of data to be transferred and stored, systems need larger and faster hard drives. Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) can connect up to 15 peripherals without creating a bottleneck. Therefore, not only can a user connect more devices, but the speed and reliability of the information also increases.

Increased design flexibility
Providing extended cable lengths of up to 12 meters and transfer rates up to 80 MB/sec, Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) is a more flexible design than previous SCSI interfaces.

Greater compatibility
The Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) interface provides for 15-year backward compatibility with older SCSI controller cards, enabling users to upgrade to new drives. This backward compatibility makes the Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) upgrade low risk and allows peripherals to be added without requiring new controller cards.

Summary

Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) interface technology provides supporting data transfer rates up to 80 MB/sec, greater connectivity of devices, and greater design flexibility. The 15-year backward compatibility of the Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) interface helps minimize upgrade risks and costs. Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) offers a faster, more reliable, disk drive interface satisfying the quality and performance standards of server hard disk drive product line.

The development of the SCSI standard

	SCSI	Ultra SCSI Differential	Wide Ultra SCSI	Wide Ultra SCSI Differential	Ultra2 SCSI (LVD)	Wide Ultra2 SCSI (LVD)
Data transfer rates max. Bus speed (MB/sec)	20	20	40	40	40	80
Data Bus width (bits)	8	8	16	16	8	16
Max cable length	1.5-3	25	1.5-3	25	12	12
Max device support	8-4	8	8-4	16	8	16

There is an inverse relationship in all SCSI interfaces between the number of peripherals and the amount of cable length needed for support, i.e., the more peripherals connected, the less cable length required and vice/versa.

Note: Without the presence of an Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) controller, the Ultra2 SCSI (LVD) behaves as a standard SCSI or Ultra SCSI device, limiting its performance benefits.