Which SCSI variant supports data transfer speeds of up to 24 Gbps?

The correct answer is Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), which is a point-to-point serial protocol that replaces the older parallel SCSI bus. One of the key advancements with SAS technology is its capability to support significantly higher data transfer speeds than traditional SCSI interfaces. SAS can achieve speeds of up to 24 Gbps, making it ideal for environments that require high-performance storage solutions.

Unlike older SCSI variants, which primarily relied on parallel connections and were limited in their throughput, SAS leverages a serial connection that allows for increased bandwidth and more efficient data transfer. This is particularly important for modern data centers and enterprise environments where large amounts of data need to be processed quickly and reliably.

In contrast, Wide SCSI and Narrow SCSI refer to the width of the data bus—wide versions can transfer more data at once, while narrow versions have a more limited capacity, but neither offers speeds close to what SAS provides. Fast SCSI, while an improvement over earlier SCSI standards, also does not reach the performance metrics that SAS achieves. Thus, SAS stands out as the SCSI variant that supports the highest data transfer speeds, making it the correct choice.