Predictably Prim

5:45 PM -- While the rest of the storage world joins the SAS (serial attached SCSI) party, EMC and NetApp hang back, righteously reserved, referencing lack of maturity, inappropriate risk, and other challenges. (See SAS Wave Breaks Big.)

Puh-leez!

The forked-tongued message here is that neither EMC nor NetApp are ready to roll out SAS, for a variety of reasons -- reasons that may have as much to do with their own businesses as with any perceived "challenges" of SAS.

NetApp, for instance, was originally said to be working on a SAS product with OEM Dot Hill, but those plans seem to be on hold. While the reason isn't clear, the message that NetApp is, in the words of a spokesman, "waiting for additional maturity in SAS silicon infrastructure" hints that the vendor hasn't found parts it likes well enough to use in a SAS lineup.

Likewise, EMC's reticence could mean Hopkinton isn't quite prepared to support SAS in a big way. Adjustments must be made, after all -- new hardware built, component deals done. And with LSI the backer of competitive solutions like those of IBM, the right moves must be made to maintain market position.We're hearing that both EMC and NetApp will support SAS, but do so cautiously, in low-end products at first. That makes sense, given the stake both vendors have in existing hardware. More to come.

Mary Jander, Site Editor, Byte and Switch