Seagate ST3120215AS Power-management modes, Active mode, Idle mode, Standby mode, Sleep mode

2.8.4Power-management modes

The drive provides programmable power management to provide greater energy efficiency. In most systems, you can control power management through the system setup program. The drive features the following power-management modes:

Power modes	Heads	Spindle	Buffer
Active	Tracking	Rotating	Enabled
Idle	Tracking	Rotating	Enabled
Standby	Parked	Stopped	Enabled
Sleep	Parked	Stopped	Disabled

•Active mode

The drive is in Active mode during the read/write and seek operations.

• Idle mode

The buffer remains enabled, and the drive accepts all commands and returns to Active mode any time disc access is necessary.

•Standby mode

The drive enters Standby mode when the host sends a Standby Immediate command. If the host has set the standby timer, the drive can also enter Standby mode automatically after the drive has been inactive for a specifiable length of time. The standby timer delay is established using a Standby or Idle command. In Standby mode, the drive buffer is enabled, the heads are parked and the spindle is at rest. The drive accepts all commands and returns to Active mode any time disc access is necessary.

• Sleep mode

The drive enters Sleep mode after receiving a Sleep command from the host. In Sleep mode, the drive buffer is disabled, the heads are parked and the spindle is at rest. The drive leaves Sleep mode after it receives a Hard Reset or Soft Reset from the host. After receiving a reset, the drive exits Sleep mode and enters Standby mode with all current translation parameters intact.

• Idle and Standby timers

Each time the drive performs an Active function (read, write or seek), the standby timer is reinitialized and begins counting down from its specified delay times to zero. If the standby timer reaches zero before any drive activity is required, the drive makes a transition to Standby mode. In both Idle and Standby mode, the drive accepts all commands and returns to Active mode when disc access is necessary.

32 Barracuda 7200.10 Serial ATA Product Manual, Rev. K