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FAQs

Select a topic below to learn more about the SATA-IO:

Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO)
Benefits of using Serial ATA
Desktops, Mobile and Consumer Electronics
Servers and Networked Storage

Serial ATA International Organization:
What is Serial ATA?
Serial ATA (SATA)is an evolutionary replacement for the Parallel ATA physical storage interface. SATA is scalable and allows for enhancements to the computing platform. These include easier integration, faster performance, and more efficient design.

Why was the SATA-IO formed?
The SATA-IO is an independent, non-profit organization developed by leading industry companies to provide the industry with guidance and support for implementing the SATA specification as well as further developing the Serial ATA Interface.

How can my company join the organization?
Obtaining a membership in the SATA-IO is very straight forward and open to all interested companies. To join the SATA-IO, companies should submit a completed Membership Agreement, accompanied by the annual dues payment, to the SATA-IO offices. More information on SATA-IO membership, along with copies of the Bylaws, can be found at Join SATA-IO.

Who are the members of the SATA-IO? Can new companies join?
The SATA-IO promoters group includes Dell Computer Corporation, Hitachi, Intel Corporation, Maxim, Seagate Technology and Western Digital. A complete list of the current members of the SATA-IO can be found here.

Is the SATA Specification available to non-members?
Yes. For more information on obtaining a specification, email admin@sata-io.org

How can I access the eSATA specification?

The eSATA specification is not a 'separate' specification. eSATA material is included in the SATA Revision 2.6 specification. This document is a collection of the SATA technology and its usages within a single document. An explicit overview of eSATA is in section 5.2.6 (SATA Rev 2.6). Section 5.2.6 will guide users to the appropriate requirements sections.  Additionally, section 6.4.1 defines the external single lane interconnect which is eSATA. Please note that section that 6.4 includes other external solutions which would not specifically be eSATA. 

What does it mean if a product carries the SATA-IO logo?
Use of the SATA-IO logo indicates membership in the Serial ATA International Organization and adherence to the Serial ATA specifications and guidelines.

Does SATA II mean SATA 3Gb/s?
No. The term SATA II was the name of the original organization formed to develop the SATA technology specifications. In 2004, the group changed its name to the Serial ATA International Organization, or SATA-IO.

The term SATA II is no longer valid. Unfortunately, some customers have mistaken the SATA II designation as a moniker for the 3Gb/s data transfer rate introduced with SATA-IO’s 2005 release of the SATA Revision 2.5 specification. For an accurate description of SATA capabilities and the official guideline to SATA product naming, please visit the naming guidelines.

What are the licensing requirements and costs of SATA to companies that want to use the technology?
The SATA specifications are available for use by members and non-members alike. However, only members of the SATA-IO will receive the necessary updates and reviews to stay abreast of changes in the specification that will impact product designs. More information about membership can be found here. Information on ordering a specification can be found here.

Benefits of using SATA
What is SATA?
SATA is an evolutionary replacement for the Parallel ATA physical storage interface. SATA is scalable and allows for enhancements to the computing platform. These include easier integration, faster performance, and more efficient design.

How will the industry benefit from adopting SATA?
Adoption of the Serial ATA specification provides low cost storage for the industry, improved speed and bandwidth, and serves as an evolutionary replacement for the Parallel ATA interface. Implementation of Serial ATA allows for easy integration due to improved cabling, greater flexibility in regard to system configuration and hot plugability. With these enhancements, system builders can create new solutions with fewer limitations and will experience greater interoperability with other interfaces.

What are the end user benefits of SATA?
End users will benefit by being able to easily upgrade their storage devices. Configuration of SATA devices will be much simpler, with many of today's requirements on jumper and settings no longer needed. Advancements in the SATA specifications also allow improvements and scalability in performance for the storage interface.

What are the IT management benefits of using SATA?
SATA provides:
• Enhanced performance (faster transfer rate and NCQ)
• Enhanced reliability (expanded CRC and latching connectors)
• System integration flexibility

What are the System Integrator benefits of using SATA?
SATA provides:
• Easier system build-up
• Simplified cabling
• Elimination of jumpers
• Improved overall system airflow
• Enhanced reliability

How does the end-user benefit from using SATA technology in servers and NAS?
User benefits for servers and NAS include:
• Hotplug/backplane
• Enclosure management
• Interoperability with SAS
• Backward compatibility with various speeds
• Higher performance
• Ease of integration – no more jumpers
• Improved air flow

How does the system vendor benefit from using SATA technology in servers and NAS?
Benefits for the OEM include:
• Easier configuration and design with cables that are thinner, have smaller connectors, and are simpler to route and install
• Ability to use HDD technology across multiple segments such as desktops, entry and midrange servers, and networked storage
• Easier training for Sales and Tech Support staff
• Improved silicon design with lower voltage that will ease current design requirements in Parallel ATA
• Hot plugging and delayed spin-up are other features well suited to multi-drive systems.

Does SATA provide better performance than Parallel ATA?
Serial ATA supports data rates up to 150 MB/s, versus the embraved industry standard of 100 MB/s for Parallel ATA. The new interface also provides for command queuing to further boost system performance.

What is the long-term road map for SATA?
SATA defines a roadmap starting at 1.5 gigabits per second (equivalent to a data rate of 150MB/s) and migrating to 3.0 gigabits per second (300 MB/s), then to even higher data rates. This roadmap supports up to 10 years of storage evolution, based on historical trends.

How does SATA handle backward compatibility issues?
SATA supports legacy drivers for Parallel ATA. OEMs can deploy SATA today using existing parallel ATA drivers. Several vendors currently supply bridges for parallel-to-serial conversion for legacy devices.

Are there any known interoperability issues with SATA?
One of the primary requirements of the SATA 1.0 specification was to maintain backward compatibility with existing operating system drivers to eliminate incompatibility issues.

How will operating systems handle SATA?
Because of the legacy support inherent in the specification, operating support will be simplified. The SATA specification allows for additional features to be added to applications. Additional features will be subject to normal driver validation processes.

Desktops, Mobile PCs, and Consumer Electronics
What is SATA?
SATA is an evolutionary replacement for the Parallel ATA physical storage interface. SATA is scalable and allows future enhancements to the computing platform. These include easier integration, faster performance, and more efficient design.

What are the compelling reasons why SATA is the preferred choice for use with desktops, mobile PCs and consumer electronics?
SATA was designed to simplify cabling and improve performance.

Is SATA compatible with today's PCs?
SATA electronics and connectors differ from Parallel ATA; however the technology is software compatible and OS transparent. It is anticipated that there will be adapters to facilitate forward- and backward-compatibility of hard disks on PC systems. SATA was designed for today’s PCs and to meet tomorrow’s requirements.

What is the cost to implement SATA in a system?
The goal is to have SATA technology on par with today's Parallel ATA technology.

Are desktop computers shipping today with SATA?
Yes – any number of SATA products can be seen in the market from leading SATA-IO Members. Please inquire with specific vendors to understand their product roadmaps. List of SATA-IO members.

What is the impact of SATA on OEMs?
Industry benefits of SATA include:
• Systems that are easier to design with cables providing simpler routing and installation
• Smaller cable connectors with improved silicon design
• Lower voltage that alleviates current design requirements in Parallel ATA
• Compatibility with today's software, which will run on the new architecture without modification

Beyond hard disks, will SATA be used on optical drives, DVDs, and ZIP drives?
SATA supports all ATA and ATAPI devices, and is currently being used to provide solutions for: CDs, DVDs, tapes devices, high capacity removable devices, zip drives and CDRWs.

What is the impact of SATA on IEEE1394 (aka FireWire) and on USB 2 in terms of PC system function?
SATA now supports connectors and cable, which enable external drives or storage systems to be connected to a host PC. SATA is a native drive interface, so solutions are less expensive. Because of the faster interface speeds, SATA provides higher performance than USB or IEEE1394. External SATA connectors are intended only for storage device connections, while USB and IEEE1394 support a variety of peripherals other than storage.

When does Microsoft plan to support SATA in its operating systems?
SATA is software compatible with Parallel ATA and requires no changes to Microsoft operating systems, or any other OS for that matter.

Servers and Networked Storage
What is SATA?
SATA is an evolutionary replacement for the Parallel ATA physical storage interface. SATA is scalable and allows future enhancements to the computing platform. These include easier integration, faster performance, and more efficient design.

What are the compelling reasons why SATA is a viable option for server and NAS networked storage?
Scalability—SATA is a point-to-point connection and allows multiple ports to be aggregated into a single controller that is typically located either on the motherboard or as an add-in RAID card. Through backplanes and external enclosures, SATA will be deployed in high-capacity server and networked-storage environments.

Cost—S ATA was created, with desktop cost in mind, as a replacement for Parallel ATA. Initial hard disk drives (HDDs) are expected to be priced competitively for the desktop. With the scalable features of SATA combined with desktop price-points, greater storage capacity may be realized at a lower total solution cost than with traditional server and networked storage.

Cabling—SATA specifies a thin, point-to-point connection, which allows for easy cable routing within a system. This avoids master/slave, "daisy-chaining", and termination issues. Also, better airflow can be realized compared to systems with wider ribbon cables.

Performance—SATA technology delivers 1.5 Gbps (150 MB/sec) or 3.0 Gb/s (300 MB/s) of performance to each drive within a disk drive array.

When will SATA infrastructure products be shipping in volume?
Please inquire with individual vendors on their specific product plans and expected availability. Hard disk drives, cables, enclosures and controllers are shipping to OEM and channel customers. Enterprise system vendors are also shipping platforms with SATA.

Where is SATA positioned relative to other interface technologies?
SATA technology provides a new serial interconnect designed to change the way vendors develop storage systems. The first deployments, where cost is an important issue, are intended for entry-level servers and network-attached storage. As the infrastructure continues to develop, SATA will play in low-end servers and more complex storage systems.