The SATA storage controller to feature an embedded encryption engine, the OXUF924DSE from Oxford Semiconductor enables external storage manufacturers to provide users with the option of robust data security. By integrating hardware enabled encryption, the controller also ensures that data transfer speeds are maintained, at in excess of 80Mbytes/sec. Bridging between dual SATA disks and USB2.0, FireWire400 and FireWire800 ports, the OXUF924DSE offers real time 128-bit encryption to the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Supporting secure token, software password and biometric (fingerprint) sensor encryption authentication methods. The chip is backed by a software development kit, an evaluation board and a selection of encrypted storage reference designs. Storage methodologies supported by the chip’s dual SATA disk interface include disk striping (RAID0), disk mirroring (RAID1) and disk spanning. In striping and spanning modes up to four disks can be managed, allowing high reliability, high capacity storage solutions to be achieved.
The OXUF924DSE features an embedded FireWire Phy interface and Link layer operating at up to 800Mbits/sec and uses hardware acceleration to achieve industry leading data read and data write performance, irrespective of data block size. The IEEE1394b Phy offers backwards compatibility with the IEEE1394a standard. The chips’ 480Mbits/sec USB2.0 Link and Phy cater for full and high speed USB operating modes and using the mass storage device protocol. The interface is backwards compatible with USB1.1 and is supported by an integral 18Kbyte data cache. ARM7 processor based and integrating 8Kbyte of closely-coupled RAM, a 1Mbyte external flash interface and 10 GPIOs. A 12Mbits/sec embedded UART is provided for firmware code development and debug, and field upgrades are to implement via the FireWire and USB interfaces.
