[ The PC Guide | Systems and Components Reference Guide | Hard Disk Drives | Hard Disk Interfaces and Configuration | Integrated Drive Electronics / AT Attachment (IDE/ATA) Interface | Official IDE/ATA Standards and Feature Sets ]
Summary of IDE/ATA Standards
With the creation of several new ATA standards over the last few years, there are now quite a few of them "out there". The table below provides a quick summary of the different official IDE/ATA interfaces, showing their key attributes and features.
Interface |
ANSI Standard Number (includes date) |
PIO Modes Added |
DMA Modes Added |
Ultra DMA Modes Added |
Notable Features or Enhancements Introduced |
ATA-1 |
X3.221-1994 |
0, 1, 2 |
Single word 0, 1, 2; multiword 0 |
-- |
-- |
ATA-2 |
X3.279-1996 |
3, 4 |
Multiword 1, 2 |
-- |
Block transfers, Logical block addressing, Improved identify drive command |
ATA-3 |
X3.298-1997 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Improved reliability, SMART, Drive security |
ATA/ATAPI-4 |
NCITS 317-1998 |
-- |
-- |
0, 1, 2 |
Ultra DMA, 80-conductor IDE cable, CRC |
ATA/ATAPI-5 |
NCITS 340-2000 |
-- |
-- |
3, 4 |
-- |
ATA/ATAPI-6 |
Under Development |
-- |
-- |
5? |
LBA expansion? Acoustic management? Multimedia streaming? |
Note: Since the columns
only show which modes and features were added in a given standard, the table
should be viewed as cumulative. This means that all standards shown include all
the modes and features of all prior standards as well. Standards are also
backward-compatible with drives designed to earlier standards.
Next: Unofficial
IDE/ATA Standards and Marketing Programs
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