Chantal Systems
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Predecessor | BusTek, Inc. |
| Founded | 1988 in Santa Clara, California, U.S. |
| Founder | Jesse Chen, Peter H. Harvey |
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Fate | Acquired by Mylex Corporation |
| Headquarters | Santa Clara , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Jesse Chen, Peter H. Harvey |
| Products | SCSI device controller chips and expansion cards, RAID controllers, cache controller cards |
Number of employees | 140 (1995) |
BusLogic, Inc.—initially known as BusTek, Inc.—was a U.S.-based computer firm active from 1988 until 1996 that specialized in producing SCSI device controller chips and expansion cards. It emerged as a prominent competitor to Adaptec before being acquired by Mylex Corporation in 1996.
Early Years (1988–1993)
Established in 1988 in Santa Clara, California by Jesse Chen and Peter H. Harvey, former Scientific Micro Systems employees, BusTek began operations with an initial capital of $40,000.[1] The company’s inaugural product was a DMA controller designed for desktop computers, which garnered the attention of NCR Corporation. NCR subsequently contracted BusTek to produce and distribute this chip under the name 86C05 in 1989, supporting various bus architectures such as Micro Channel, NuBus, ISA, and EISA.[2][3]
In September 1990, BusTek introduced the BT-742A, the industry's first bus-mastering SCSI host adapter tailored for EISA systems, built around their proprietary 80C10 ASIC. This innovation helped EISA platforms compete effectively against IBM’s Micro Channel architecture and generated approximately $1 million in revenue by the end of that year.[1] The company followed up with second-generation SCSI-2 Fast and Wide adapters using the 80C20 ASIC in 1991 for PC/AT and EISA systems, boosting revenue to $10 million.[1]
July 1992 saw BusTek’s acquisition of Chantal Systems, a San Diego-based RAID software developer emerging from bankruptcy. Incorporating Chantal’s eight employees expanded BusTek's portfolio into software solutions and prompted a rebranding to BusLogic to signify this broader scope.[4] By the close of 1992, the company’s revenues had doubled to $20 million.[1]
In early 1993, BusLogic launched integrated offerings combining bus-mastering Fast SCSI host adapters compatible with ISA, Micro Channel, or EISA buses alongside Chantal’s Paragon RAID configuration software. These RAID systems gained significant adoption within sectors such as healthcare and academia, supporting up to 800 concurrent users.[5]
By November of that year, BusLogic unveiled its inaugural SCSI RAID controllers: the DA-2788 for EISA and the DA-2988/DA-4988 models for PCI platforms—marking its debut in PCI-based storage controller products.[6][7]
Expansion and Acquisition (1993–1996)
At the end of 1993, with Chantal integrated into its operations, BusLogic employed 95 staff members and achieved $15 million in sales, establishing itself as a leading contender in the SCSI adapter market alongside competitors like Adaptec and Future Domain.[8] The company diversified its product line in January 1994 by releasing the KT series of cache controller cards for IDE hard drives—models KT-510A (ISA), KT-910A (PCI), and KT-410A (VESA Local Bus)—the latter marking BusLogic’s first venture into VLB technology.[9]
June 1994 brought the introduction of MultiMaster technology through bus-mastering Fast SCSI host adapters compatible with ISA, VLB, and EISA buses. MultiMaster consolidated core logic across major desktop buses into a single ASIC chip, minimizing the number of required device drivers and simplifying compatibility by focusing exclusively on operating system support.[10]
By late 1994, BusLogic ranked as the second-largest producer of SCSI silicon after Adaptec, offering a portfolio of 25 products. Its headquarters occupied 36,000 square feet with a workforce of 130 employees including 50 engineers. The company maintained offices throughout the United States—in locations such as Boston, Minneapolis, and Washington, D.C.—as well as internationally in Taipei, Hong Kong, Paris, and Tokyo.[11]
Despite facing competition from Adaptec’s acquisitions of firms like Future Domain and Trantor Systems, BusLogic reported $24 million in sales during 1995 with employee numbers peaking at 140.[12] The company planned to expand its European presence by opening offices in Germany and the United Kingdom while targeting entry into the Fibre Channel market—a high-speed storage area network protocol—with product launches anticipated in 1996.[13]
Prior to releasing Fibre Channel products, BusLogic was acquired by Mylex Corporation, known for RAID controllers and LAN management software. Announced in December 1995 as a stock-for-stock transaction valuing BusLogic at about $55 million,[14] the deal was completed in January 1996 with additional stock options granted to shareholders that increased the total purchase price beyond $67.9 million.[15] Mylex retained BusLogic’s Santa Clara manufacturing facility for RAID product production.[16]
Post-acquisition developments (from 1996 onward)
Following the sale of BusLogic to Mylex, co-founder Harvey went on to establish Creative Design Solutions, a company focused on network-attached storage servers and local area network (LAN) products.
The acquisition initially propelled Mylex's revenue from approximately $100 million in mid-1995 to $173 million by mid-1996. Despite this growth, Mylex's stock value experienced a significant drop in July 1996 after major clients began either developing their own RAID controllers internally or collaborating with competitor Adaptec. After enduring an extended period of declining sales, Mylex announced workforce reductions and the shutdown of the former BusLogic manufacturing site in July 1997.
Importantly, as of 2023, BusLogic's device drivers continue to play a critical role in Oracle Corporation's VirtualBox, serving as the sole mechanism for emulating SCSI devices within virtual machine environments.
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- ↑ Francis, Bob; Schroeder, Erica
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- ↑ Staff writer
- ↑ Mohr, James; Corporate Technology Information Services
- ↑ Staff writer; Costlow, Terry
- ↑ Staff writer
- ↑ Hachman, Mark; Staff writer
- ↑ Hamblen