The SAS6160 and SAS6161 switches extend the capabilities of the serial-attached SCSI computer bus by allowing multiple servers to connect to one or more independent external storage systems.

The components of the SAS616x series, which are offered to original equipment manufacturers, are designed as a low-cost, easy-to-use shared storage options for rack-mounted server and storage installations in cloud computing, data centers and small and medium-sized business environments.

Both of the latest switches enable storage resources to be shared across multiple hosts to help maximize use of storage resources, eliminate islands of storage, and simplify management, backup, and upgrades, according to LSI.

The SAS616x series are based on LSI silicon, firmware, and software. The latest models feature a rack-mountable 16-port, 1U profile in half-width and full-width form factors for easier installation with rack-mounted servers, LSI said. The switches are fully compatible with existing SAS infrastructures.

Both models feature 24 Gb/s SAS connections on 16 x4 SAS lanes for an aggregated bandwidth of 384 Gb/s. Each model supports SAS and SATA connectivity to more than 1,000 devices, enabling customers to take advantage of larger SAS topologies and tiered storage products.

In addition, SAS616x switches offer SAS domain management, including port configuration, zoning, firmware management, diagnostics and viewing of the SAS topology. Applications that need high availability can be supported by using two switches with redundant data paths.

LSI plans to make the SAS6160 and SAS6161 switches, unveiled Tuesday, available to OEMs in the second half of the year.