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Tuesday: June 14, 2011

Editorial Summary:

• American Megatrends (AMI) introduces its new MegaRAC® MG9087 backplane controller
• The MegaRAC MG9087 is a replacement for the MG9083 as a low cost single-chip solution for SAS and SATA backplanes
• The MG9087 can support up to 8 drives per backplane, a total of up to 32 drives in cascaded controllers and provides drive activity, fail/rebuild and locate LEDs for each drive
• Ready to use right out of the box, the MG9087 supports USB, SGPIO, SES-2, IBPI protocols and more - with no firmware or programming required
• The MG9087 is fully RoHS/WEEE compliant with a small TQFP-48 footprint (9 mm x 9mm)
• AMI offers a wide support base for the MG9087, with diagnostics and firmware tools available for Microsoft Windows® 32-bit and 64-bit versions, Linux, UEFI and DOS

NORCROSS, GEORGIA- American Megatrends (AMI), a leader in BIOS and computing innovations, is pleased to introduce the latest addition to its line of backplane controllers: the MegaRAC® MG9087. The MG9087 is a low-cost, ultra-small, single-chip solution for use on SAS and SATA backplanes. Intended as a replacement for the MegaRAC 9083 backplane controller, it can support up to 8 drives per backplane, a total of up to 32 SAS/SATA drives in cascaded controllers and provides drive activity, fail/rebuild and locate LEDs for each drive.

The MegaRAC MG9087 helps optimize backplane layout with the latest enclosure management technologies. It can be utilized in a multitude of backplane designs, managing LEDs in a wide variety of configurations, with many pre-configured patterns available directly from AMI. Ready to use right out of the box, the MG9087 supports key protocols including USB, SGPIO specification SFF-8485 and SES-2 for LED management and IBPI specification SFF-8489 - with no firmware or programming required. USB support and register-based access to the BMC is provided through SMBUS.

Highly integrated and space-optimized in a lead-free RoHS/WEEE-compliant design, the chip features an integrated internal oscillator and temperature sensor. Measuring only 9 x 9 mm in a TQFP-48 package, the MegaRAC MG9078 also does not require the usual plethora of components that typically drive backplane costs up, such as an external crystal, Flash memory, Power-On Reset (POR) chip, temperature sensor, regulator, EEPROM, LED Driver, FRU or transceivers. This means significant savings in the design and configuration of a project; in addition, reducing the number of components on the backplane makes for simpler and cleaner designs, improving time to market (TTM). Developers can further improve TTM by utilizing AMI’s 971/972 development boards, also available now directly through AMI.

Finally, a convenient USB 2.0 utility provides status monitoring, diagnostics and firmware upgrade independent of the system BMC controller. Diagnostics and firmware tools are available for Microsoft Windows® 32-bit and 64-bit versions, Linux, UEFI and DOS, giving developers and designers the support they need for effective, cost-saving designs.

American Megatrends President and CEO S. Shankar commented that "because the MegaRAC MG9087 is a true single-chip solution, none of the usual add-on components such as crystal, EEPROM, LED driver, temperature sensor, and the like are needed. This saves manufacturers money and contributes to the robustness and long life of the backplane as there are fewer points of failure. This is just another way that AMI holds the interest of its customers to heart, by always searching for ways to save them money in development and TTM."

To learn more about the new MegaRAC MG9087 SAS/SATA backplane controller, and the full line of backplane controllers and ASIC solutions from American Megatrends, please visitwww.ami.comor contact an AMI Sales Associate at1-800-U-BUY-AMI.

About AMI: Founded in 1985 and known worldwide for AMIBIOS®, American Megatrends Inc. (AMI) supplies state-of-the-art hardware, software, and utilities to today's high-tech manufacturers. AMI's innovative Aptio® solution for UEFI, modular AMIBIOS8, high quality StorTrends® IP Storage Area Networks (IP-SAN), Network Attached Storage (NAS), and Storage Management software solutions, along with MegaRAC® remote server management, KVM over IP, IPMI 2.0 firmware and high-density motherboards continue to garner industry acclaim and awards around the world. In line with the diversity of its technology and product line, AMI is a member of a number of industry associations and standards groups, such as the Unified EFI Forum (UEFI), the Intel® Embedded Alliance and the Trusted Computing Group (TCG). Headquartered in Atlanta, AMI has locations in the U.S., China, Germany, India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan to better serve its customers.

For more information on AMI, its products or services, call 1-800-U-BUY-AMI or visitwww.ami.com.

News Source : American Megatrends Introduces New MegaRAC® MG9087 SAS/SATA Backplane Controller