Adaptec, Inc. today introduced a Ultra320 SCSI solution with 64-bit computing support.
The Adaptec Ultra320 SCSI solution combines support for 64-bit operating systems and Adaptec’s Ultra320-ready Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) driver. Adaptec said the driver connects Ultra320 SCSI ASICs and host bus adapters to systems with 64-bit processors to give system OEMs and motherboard makers a jump start in designing Ultra320 SCSI products in preparation for next year’s introduction of the native EFI driver model.
“A complete Ultra320 SCSI solution and a 64-bit architecture are a powerful combination for the next generation of high-end computing, and Adaptec’s EFI driver and 64-bit operating system support provide that vital foundation,” said Lee Caswell, vice president and general manager of Adaptec’s Storage Solutions Group. “Adaptec has yet again demonstrated its leadership in establishing new storage-access benchmarks for the industry.”
Future 64-bit computing requires EFI as the standard boot mechanism. Today’s 32-bit systems use BIOS for hardware initialization, boot operations and configuration utilities such as Adaptec’s SCSISelect that must reside in the Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM). EFI allows these capabilities to reside not only in the EEPROM but in a hard disk, floppy drive or CD ROM, enabling the EFI driver to be loaded from any of the devices and eliminating the need to flash a new BIOS onto the motherboard.
