A

Introduction to SAS

In this chapter...
Terminology Used in This Chapter.......................................................................................53
What is SAS?........................................................................................................................... 53
How Do SAS Devices Communicate?................................................................................... 53
What’s a Phy?..........................................................................................................................54
What’s a SAS Port?..................................................................................................................54
What’s a SAS Address?............................................................................................................55
What’s a SAS Connector?.......................................................................................................55
What do SAS Cables Look Like?............................................................................................ 55
How are Disk Drives Identified in SAS?................................................................................ 55
What are the SAS Connection Options?............................................................................... 55
How is SAS Different from Parallel SCSI?.............................................................................57
This section provides a basic overview of the main features of SAS, introduces some common
SAS terms, and explains how SAS differs from parallel SCSI.
Note: For technical articles and tutorials about SAS, refer to the SCSI Trade Association
(STATM) Web site at
www.scsita.org
.