serial storage architecture (IBM) (SSA)
Serial Storage Architecture (SSA) is a high- performance serial interface for connectingmass storage devices such as jukeboxes and disk arrays to servers, workstations, or mainframe computers. Serial Storage Architecture is based on the SCSI interface, but has a much higher data throughput than the standard SCSI interface. This is around 80 MB/s.
Up to 128 devices can be connected via the SSA interface. SSA connects on a point-to-point basis and provides two write and two read channels. The accumulation of these four channels, each with a data rate of 20 MB/s, results in a cumulative data transfer rate of 80 MB/s.
The SSA interface can be used to bridge distances of up to 20 m using TP cable with an impedance of 150 ohms, and up to 700 m using optical fiber. The connector used by the SSA interface is space-saving and has only 9 contacts; in addition, SSA is self-configuring.