High density RAID subsystem with highly integrated controller

摘要

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for a mass storage subsystem such as a RAID array. The invention includes a housing which defines first and second cavities with the first cavity housing an array controller such as a RAID controller. The second cavity houses a plurality of substantially conventional IDE drives conforming to the 3.5'' form factor. The array is configured to maximize cooling of the array controller and the drives within the extremely small space defined by the housing.