Host adapter Part 2
RAID Recovery - Host adapter
Fiber Channel
There are two types of WWN: a node WWN (WWNN) and a port WWN (WWNP). A node WWN is shared by all ports on an HBA, where as a port WWN is unique to each port.
Some of the Fiber Channel HBA manufacturers include Brocade Communications Systems, Emulex, QLogic, LSI, and Agilent Technologies.
SAS and SATA host adapters
The parallel-attached SCSI (PAS) devices are now replaced by serial-attached SCSI (SAS) devices. SAS has replaced the Ultra320, the highest performing PAS available till date. SATA also offers similar connectivity options for HBA in that they can be created using a single connector to connect both both SAS and SATA devices.
Leading SAS/SATA HBA manufacturers include Promise Technologies, Adaptec, HP, QLogic, LSI and ATTO Technology.
eSATA (external Serial ATA)
External Serial ATA devices are becoming popular in the consumer computing market, but many SATA compatible motherboards and disk controllers do not have eSATA ports. However, adapters that connect eSATA devices to ports on an internal SATA bus are available.
InfiniBand host adapter
InfiniBand interface cards are popularly known as host channel adapter (HCA). InfiniBand is a point-to-point serial link that connects processors with high-speed peripherals such as storage disks. HCAs provide a computer with port connection to other InfiniBand devices.
Summary: A host adapter is an interface card that connects a host to a storage area network. There are different types of host adapters; most of them are used to connect SCSI, Fiber Channel and eSATA devices.
