This message is from the T13 list server.
On Fri, 13 Dec 2002 21:26:27 -0800, Edwin J. Pole II wrote: >This message is from the T13 list server. > >I encourage all to READ the SATA spec. The same data/commands that are >transmitted on the PATA interface are transmitted on the SATA interface. >There is no such thing as a bridge chip that "supports the packet command >set". It is not necessary. It comes automagically. In fact, you can connect >two (properly designed) bridge chips so that you get a PATA-SATA-PATA >translation and not see any difference. Very interesting... No difference at all? Of course there must be some timing difference. I hear there are attempts to do this very thing (PATA-SATA-PATA) today but they don't work very well. But then the phase "properly designed" is key here. And/or is it possible that some of these bridge chips don't support ATAPI devices because most ATAPI devices don't follow the ATA/ATAPI standards (some don't even follow SFF-8020!)? >USB is fine for outside the box attachments. SATA is for inside the box, SW >COMPATIBLE operation. There is no "secret agenda". There is no conspiracy to >foist anything on an unsuspecting public. SATA is just a good faith attempt >to make things better. If there is no secret agenda then why form a secret society to create SATA? Why not allow full public participation? Never mind... I know why. While SATA (is that SATA-1?) may become part of some future ATA/ATAPI-x standard, what is this interface that the secret socity is still working on? Sure sounds like yet another attempt to "replace SCSI" from a bunch of people that, for various reasons, have reason(s) to not like T10, SCSI, or FC. But I have a more technical question... Will it be possible for the SATA serial interface to keep up with future data transfer rates? We all know how well serial interfaces scale up to faster data rates - we have some wonderful examples: USB/USB-2, 1394, and others. These examples show that they don't scale up - the serial interface either is redesigned to go faster (USB/USB-2) or it just doesn't work (1394). What happens when ATA/ATAPI/SATA devices need data transfer rates of 1000MByte/second? That translates to a serial interface data rate of about 10Gbit. How compatible will such devices be with current SATA implementations. More important, will today's SATA device be able to work on the future faster SATA interface? OK, of course I'm trying to stir up trouble. Yea, PATA will never go any faster than the current 100Mbyte rate - PATA is dead. Yea, today SATA can probably go a little faster than that. But is SATA just another "dead end" serial interface thing designed by a secret society only to promote the greedy needs of a few companies? When will the next secret society that will define the SATA replacement get started? Hale *** Hale Landis *** www.ata-atapi.com ***
