SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 8, 2016) - Validating the versatility, reliability and scalability that Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) has as a storage interface for enterprise-class storage, the SCSI Trade Association (STA) today announced the successful completion of its 17th SAS Plugfest, the fifth for 12Gb/s SAS. The event was held May 23-26, 2016, at the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL). Thirteen companies, including both STA members and non-members, participated.

"At this Plugfest, drive support for new SAS features generated excitement and enabled unique testing during large build configurations," said Michael Koffman, Host Interface Support, Western Digital Corporation and co-chairperson of the SAS Plugfest Technical Committee. "We anticipate the next Plugfest for the SAS community will be the first for 24Gb/s SAS, demonstrating that the technology continues to evolve and improve performance."

SAS Plugfests have consistently provided a verification method to preserve existing storage investments, deliver a favorable end-user experience, demonstrate interoperability and support both forward and backward compatibility.

The 17^th SAS Plugfest was highlighted by the following activities:

• Tests focused on new 12Gb/s SAS features including wide port (MultiLink SAS^™), persistent connections, Pin3 power-down, host interface power management (partial and slumber) and power capability (request/grant)
• Persistent connections tested with several targets over several "Large Build" configurations demonstrated guaranteed bandwidth even when SAS fabric was saturated with traffic
• Interoperability testing of a SAS topology implementing zoning with multiple initiators, switches, and targets
• Extensive compatibility testing of hosts with solid state drives (SSD) and hard disk drives (HDD)
• Verification of the interoperability of a system of multiple SAS end devices connected through multiple SAS expanders
• Interoperability testing of a small SAS system using various interconnects, such as active or passive cables, and backplanes
• Physical level testing of 12Gb/s SAS technology

"12Gb/s SAS transfer rates, bandwidth aggregation, SAS fabrics, active connections, and multi-function connectors allow data center architects to create sustainable storage solutions that scale well into next-generation 24Gb/s SAS designs and beyond," said Rick Kutcipal, president of the SCSI Trade Association and part of Product Planning and Architecture at Broadcom Limited. "As demonstrated in the result of this Plugfest, the flexibility of SAS is unparalleled and continues to evolve through innovation."

The following companies attended the May, 2016 Plugfest:

Amphenol Corporation
Astek Corporation
Broadcom Ltd.
Connpro Industries Inc.
Keysight Technologies Inc.*
Molex LLC HPC
SANBlaze Technology, Inc.*
Seagate Technology PLC
SanDisk Corporation
SerialTek*
Teledyne LeCroy Corporation
Tektronix Inc.*
Western Digital Corporation

* Non STA members

Please visit http://www.scsita.org/sas-plugfest-program.html for future Plugfest updates.

About STA

The SCSI Trade Association was established in 1996 to provide a focal point for members to communicate the benefits of SCSI to the industry. STA promotes the understanding and use of Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) technology and influences the evolution of SCSI standards to meet future industry needs. The Association has a ten-member Board of Directors, which oversees the Marketing Communications and Technology Committees and all STA activities. For more information, please visit the STA website at http://www.scsita.org, send an email to info@scsita.org or call the STA office at (415) 561-6273.