1.1About the Serial ATA interface

The Serial ATA interface provides several advantages over the traditional (parallel) ATA interface. The primary advantages include:

•Easy installation and configuration with true plug-and-play connectivity. It is not necessary to set any jump- ers or other configuration options.

•Thinner and more flexible cabling for improved enclosure airflow and ease of installation.

•Scalability to higher performance levels.

In addition, Serial ATA makes the transition from parallel ATA easy by providing legacy software support. Serial ATA was designed to allow you to install a Serial ATA host adapter and Serial ATA disc drive in your current system and expect all of your existing applications to work as normal.

The Serial ATA interface connects each disc drive in a point-to-point configuration with the Serial ATA host adapter. There is no master/slave relationship with Serial ATA devices like there is with parallel ATA. If two drives are attached on one Serial ATA host adapter, the host operating system views the two devices as if they were both “masters” on two separate ports. This essentially means both drives behave as if they are Device 0 (master) devices.

Note. The host adapter may, optionally, emulate a master/slave environment to host software where two devices on separate Serial ATA ports are represented to host software as a Device 0 (master) and Device 1 (slave) accessed at the same set of host bus addresses. A host adapter that emulates a master/slave environment manages two sets of shadow registers. This is not a typical Serial ATA environment.

The Serial ATA host adapter and drive share the function of emulating parallel ATA device behavior to provide backward compatibility with existing host systems and software. The Command and Control Block registers, PIO and DMA data transfers, resets, and interrupts are all emulated.

The Serial ATA host adapter contains a set of registers that shadow the contents of the traditional device regis- ters, referred to as the Shadow Register Block. All Serial ATA devices behave like Device 0 devices. For addi- tional information about how Serial ATA emulates parallel ATA, refer to the “Serial ATA: High Speed Serialized AT Attachment” specification. The specification can be downloaded from www.serialata.org.

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NL35 Series 7200.2 SATA Product Manual, Rev. C

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Seagate ST3500841NS, ST3500641NS manual About the Serial ATA interface
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ST3500641NS, ST3500841NS specifications

The Seagate ST3500841NS and ST3500641NS are robust hard drives specifically designed for enterprise environments, catering to the demanding needs of data centers, server farms, and storage solutions. These drives are part of Seagate's enterprise series and reflect a commitment to reliability, performance, and capacity.

One of the main features of the ST3500841NS and ST3500641NS is their impressive storage capacity. The ST3500841NS offers 500GB of storage, while the ST3500641NS provides a slightly lower capacity at 640GB. Both drives utilize a standard 3.5-inch form factor, making them suitable for a variety of server and storage configurations. They operate at a high spindle speed of 7200 RPM, which contributes to faster data access and overall improved performance compared to traditional 5400 RPM drives.

These drives are designed to sustain high workloads and feature a mean time between failures (MTBF) rating that ensures reliability over extended periods of operation. With their enhanced error correction capabilities, data integrity is maintained even under heavy loads, making these drives ideal for use in critical applications where data loss is not an option.

The integration of technologies such as Native Command Queuing (NCQ) enhances the performance of these drives in multi-user environments. NCQ allows the drive to optimize the order of read and write commands, reducing latency and improving overall throughput. Furthermore, the ST3500841NS and ST3500641NS both feature an SATA interface, supporting speeds of up to 3.0 Gb/s, which is the standard for modern storage solutions.

Another noteworthy characteristic of these drives is their energy efficiency. Despite their robust performance, the ST3500841NS and ST3500641NS are designed to consume less power, thereby reducing operational costs and contributing to a more sustainable data center environment.

In summary, the Seagate ST3500841NS and ST3500641NS are purpose-built for enterprise applications, offering a blend of capacity, performance, and reliability. Their advanced technologies, coupled with impressive MTBF ratings and energy efficiency, make them suitable for critical applications in various high-demand environments. Whether utilized in small server systems or large-scale data centers, these drives provide the robust performance that businesses require in today’s data-driven landscape.
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