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Appendix C: Software Installation
C-1
Appendix C
Installing Software Drivers and the Windows
Operating System
C-1 Introduction to the Adaptec Embedded Serial ATA RAID
Controller Driver
Serial ATA (SATA)
Serial ATA(SATA) is a physical storage interface. It uses a single cable with a mini-
mum of four wires to create a point-to-point connection between devices. It is a serial
link which supports SATA Transfer rates from 150Mbps. Because the serial cables
used in SATA are thinner than the traditional cables used in Parallel ATA(PATA),
SATA systems have better airfl ow and can be installed in smaller chassis than
Parallel ATA. In addition, the cables used in PATA can only extend to 40cm long,
while Serial ATA cables can extend up to one meter. Overall, Serial ATA provides
better functionality than Parallel ATA.
Introduction to the Intel 6300ESB I/O Controller Hub
Located in the South Bridge of the Intel E7520 Chipset, the 6300ESB I/O Controller
Hub provides the I/O subsystem with access to the rest of the system. It supports
2-channel Ultra ATA/100 Bus Master IDE controller (PATA) and two Serial ATA
(SATA) Host Controllers, which support up to two Serial ATA ports and up to two
RAID drives. The 6300ESB I/O Controller Hub supports the following Parallel ATA
(PATA) and Serial (SATA) device confi gurations:
ATA Operate Mode
You can select from the following two modes: Combined Mode and Enhanced
Mode.