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IDE/ATA Access Modes

The most common type of hard disk for PC hardware is the IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) interface, so named because the controller chips that control the disk are integrated into the drive itself rather than on a separate host adapter card (as with SCSI). The official name for this type of interface is ATA, or Advanced Technology Attachment, and ATA and IDE are often used interchangeably. We will discuss both IDE/ATA and SCSI disk systems in this chapter. You'll most likely be using IDE disks. They're inexpensive and ubiquitous, but they come with their share of annoyances and quirks. Paying the extra money for a SCSI disk system means you can avoid many of these troubles. Nonetheless, whether you use IDE or not, it's ...