TABLE OF CONTENTS Job 1 for Serial ATA is to be a compelling replacement for parallel ATA. For a newcomer product to replace an incumbent product, the newcomer can t just be equal or just a little bit better. Any successful newcomer must be substantially better in every meaningful category. This chapter provides a comparison of the various factors that affect the adoption.
Just like any other product, disk drives are designed with specific, differentiating features to make them more appealing than other products on the market. Generally, industry specifications do not dictate specific product features such as spin speed, mean-time-between failure (MTBF), and drive capacity. However, industry specifications define the interface data rates, the signaling protocols, and the cable characteristics. Because standards define how products interoperate with one another, standards often impose limits on basic product performance and capabilities. Examples of how industry standards can limit other drive features include: address space limits addressable capacity, cable/ connector standards limit hot-plug capabilities, and protocol standards limit data integrity confirmation.
This chapter first looks at PC/laptop comparisons between parallel ATA and Serial ATA. Next, it examines servers or storage appliances in a comparison between SCSI/Fibre Channel and Serial ATA. Table 3.2 compares all the speeds and feeds of parallel ATA, Serial ATA, SCSI, and Fibre Channel.
It s important to understand the origins of ATA twenty years ago. And it s important to see the future of Serial ATA. As you review Table 3.1, note the passing of time in comparison to the arrival rate of...
