Vista SP1 Update Makes Intel Turbo Memory Play Nice with SCSI Devices - The hotfix is also available for Vista RTM and Windows Server 2008

According to Microsoft, Intel Turbo Memory, a caching solution associated with Intel Centrino Duo and Intel Centrino Pro processors, fails to play nice with SCSI-class devices via Windows Vista Service Pack 1. The Redmond company informed that it is not only Vista SP1 that prevents nonvolatile (NV) cache commands from being transmitted to SCSI hardware products, but also the RTM editions of the latest Windows client, as well as Windows Server 2008. However, users impacted by issues with Intel Turbo Memory failing to communicate NV cache commands properly to SCSI-class devices can turn to Microsoft for a solution, as long as Vista or Windows Server 2008 are part of the equation.

"Intel Turbo Memory is an integrated nonvolatile caching solution. ITM works together with Microsoft RAID, and it introduces support for caching of a RAID device. This NV caching solution requires that NV cache commands be sent to the RAID device. In Windows Vista, the NV cache commands can be sent only to HDC-class devices. However, many RAID products are Small Computer Standard Interface (SCSI)-class devices. Therefore, the NV cache commands cannot be sent to these devices," Microsoft revealed.

Intel Turbo Memory is essentially designed to monitor and record the behavior of the end user. The solution will then cache the data accessed most frequently and make it directly available to the processor. In this context, Intel indicated that memory intensive applications can gain a speed bump of as much as 100%. However, the solution is also useless in the scenario described by Microsoft. A hotfix is available, set up to resolve the issue, but end users will have to contact the Redmond company in order to access it.

"A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only this problem. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix," Microsoft added.
By: Marius Oiaga, Technology News Editor (http://news.softpedia.com)