Serial ATA (SATA) is the latest technology for the connectivity of storage devices, replacing the older parallel technology. With the increasing demand for faster transfer rates the limitations of parallel archetectureand and its commitment to maintain bakward compatability with older ATA technology, it simply can not evolve to handle this demand.

Comparison Chart

Overcomming major issues with the parallel bus such as crosstalk, ground bounce, ringing and clock skew, required a redesign of the bus. These changes include:

• Electrical Design Considerations
• Embedded Clocking
• 4-wire cable with support for optional shield / drain wires
• 7-pin custom connector
• Tighter Impedance Specifications
• Support for Automatic Impedance Matching
• Differential Pair Routing Constraints
• Low Voltage Differential Signaling
• Point to Point Connections for Dedicated Bandwidth
• Enhanced Reliability, Hot-Swap Support, First Party DMA

Although SATA devices are not backward compatable with IDE devices, the ATA protocol remains virtually unchanged. This means SATA hardware will be software compatable.

With the support of major technology manufactures and designers through The Serial ATA International Orginazation, SATA technology will lead the industry through the next decade and beyond. For a more detailed overview please visit The Serial ATA international Organization's website at: www.sata-io.org/satatechnology.asp.