Maxtor D540X-4G manual Breaking the 137GB Storage Barrier

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Breaking the 137GB Storage Barrier

#￿￿￿￿5QNXKPIAs described￿VJG￿￿￿￿￿earlier,)KICD[VGthe issue￿causing%CRCEKV[the ￿137$CTTKGT-gigabyte barrier is the 28-bit addressing method of the original ATA specification. A change to expand this method was required to provide more address bits for the interface, allowing significant growth for many years to come. A critical issue in expanding the addressing capability was maintaining compatibility with the existing installed base of products.

A new ATA standard, ATA/ATAPI-6, has been in the works for some time, and the latest draft of this standard resolves this issue by increasing the maximum number of bits used for addressing from 28 to 48. This solution increases the maximum capacity of an ATA device to 144 petabytes while maintaining compatibility with current ATA products.

#￿￿￿￿*QYThe￿KU48￿VJG-bit￿'ZVGPUKQPAddress feature￿+ORNGOGPVGF!set provides a method to address devices with capacities up to approximately 144 petabytes by increasing the number of bits used to specify logical block addresses (LBAs) from 28 to 48. The feature set also provides a method to increase the number of sectors that can be transferred by a single command from 256 to 65,536 by increasing the number of bits specifying sector count to 16 bits.

New commands specific to this feature set have been defined so that devices can implement the new feature set in addition to previously defined commands. Devices implementing the 48-bit Address feature set commands will also implement commands that use 28-bit addressing in order to maintain interoperability with older system components. In addition, 8-bit and 48-bit commands may be intermixed.

The 48-bit Address feature set operates in LBA addressing only. Support of the 48-bit Address feature set is indicated in the IDENTIFY DEVICE response data. In a device implementing the 48-bit Address feature set, the registers used for addressing are, in fact, a two-byte deep FIFO. Each time one of these registers is written, the new content written is placed into the “most recently written” location and the previous content of the register is moved to “previous content” location. A host may read the “previous content” of the registers by first setting a bit in the Device Control register to 1 and then reading the desired register.

#￿￿￿￿9JCVThe￿&Qchallenge￿VJG￿&TKXGUto drive￿0GGFmanufacturers￿VQ￿/GGVis to￿VJGdevelop￿5RGE!and￿implement new interface chips on drives that can accept and decode the new 48-bit addressing scheme. Many functions of decoding the commands sent to and from the drive are automated in the silicon of the drive interface ASIC, and this is where drive manufacturers must update their designs. Maxtor is the leader in development efforts and is the first to deliver a product with the capacity and drive technology to deliver greater than 137 gigabytes of capacity.

9JCVEffort￿'NUGis required￿KU￿+PXQNXGF!from OS￿vendors to increase storage device addressing up to 48 bits or more. This increase will be a significant challenge for many OS vendors that have 32-bit code models. Adapting to 48-bit commands will be easy, but most vendors will stop filling data at the 32-bit boundary and pad the upper 16 bits with zeros, leaving that space empty.

Maxtor D540X-4G

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Contents CZVT2TQFWEV&/CPWCN /CTEJ20# Page Corporate Headquarters March 5,2002 Page 6CDNGQH%QPVGPVU1-1 Table of Contents KUVQHKIWTGU2-6 Maxtor D540X-4G Megabyte&GUETKRVKQP 5KIPCNSignal%QPXGPVKQPUnames are shown in all uppercase type Introduction Page 4G160J8 317,632 320,173,056 163.9GB LBA Product Description Smart 1PCBA Jumper Location and Configuration Master/Slave,7/24%10+74#6+10 Product Description Appendix /1&.A Prml Sdram Kiwtg 2100 /# 5JQEMCPF8KDTCVKQP 3W750 DPPMCPEG4CVG Maxtor D540X-4G Institute and maintain Educate and inform Kiwtg Kiwtg Antistatic bag Handling and Installation Maxtor D540X-4G 6CDNG Cvwtg 0QVG Maxtor D540X-4G Service and Support Maxtor D540X-4G DOS Breaking the 137GB Storage Barrier Little more than 30 pages of text Breaking the 137GB Storage Barrier Breaking the 137GB Storage Barrier Maxtor D540X-4G G-1 Glossary FCI Acronym for flux changes per inch. See also BPI Glossary Maxtor D540X-4G G-5 Glossary Maxtor D540X-4G G-7 Glossary Maxtor D540X-4G G-9 Glossary

D540X-4G specifications

The Maxtor D540X-4G, introduced in the early 2000s, is a notable hard disk drive that carved a niche in the consumer and business storage market. It is part of the D540X series, known for its reliability and substantial storage capacity for its time, boasting an impressive 4GB of storage.

One of the standout features of the D540X-4G is its advanced ATA/100 interface, allowing for a high data transfer rate of up to 100 MB/s. This was a significant leap forward in performance, enabling faster access to data and improved system responsiveness. Unlike older interfaces, the ATA/100 significantly reduced bottlenecks, making it an ideal choice for users who required efficient data management.

The D540X-4G was built on a 5400 RPM spindle speed. While this wasn't as fast as some higher-end drives available at the time, it provided a balance between speed and thermal efficiency. The combination of its rotational speed and data density allowed for a commendable average seek time, which translated into quicker file access for everyday applications, such as word processing and spreadsheet management.

Another commendable attribute of the D540X-4G is its acoustic management technology, which ensured that the drive operated quietly, minimizing distraction in office environments or home setups. This was particularly beneficial for users who needed to maintain a serene working atmosphere.

In terms of durability, the D540X-4G featured a robust design with built-in shock protection. This characteristic offered an additional layer of safety for data integrity, especially vital in portable systems where exposure to movement is frequent. Maxtor also placed a focus on providing error-correction capabilities, which further enhanced data reliability.

The D540X-4G utilized a halogen-free design in its manufacturing process, reflecting an early commitment to environmental considerations, which would become increasingly important in the years to follow.

Overall, the Maxtor D540X-4G hard drive highlighted the advancements in storage technology of the time, combining ample capacity, improved speed, and reliability in a user-friendly package. It appealed to a broad spectrum of users, from everyday home computing to small business applications, making it a valuable player in the computing landscape during its era.
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