Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Thu, 26 Sep 1996 10:10:07 -0500 (CDT)
From:      Steve Price <sprice@hiwaay.net>
To:        Ernest Hua <hua@chromatic.com>
Cc:        hardware@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   Re: more than 2 IDE controllers? 
Message-ID:  <Pine.OSF.3.94.960926100208.30414A-100000@fly.HiWAAY.net>
In-Reply-To: <199609261327.GAA07996@server1.chromatic.com>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Thu, 26 Sep 1996, Ernest Hua wrote:

# 
# Ok.  I got two answers .. "Yes" and "No".
# 
# Does anyone have a definitive explanation for WHY the answer
# is "Yes" or "No"?
# 
# Please post your answer to the list.
# 
# Thanks!
# 
# Ern
# 

Let me clarify my answer to you.  I don't know of any
technological miracles that have to be performed to
have >2 controllers.  However, I have not seen it done.
I do know that up to ATA-3 the spec only provides for
two controllers (one master and one slave).  In light
of this, most (if not all) BIOSs only know about these
two locations.  I know that specs are sometimes fuzzy,
but I think the section that states that there are
only two STANDARD locations, is fairly clear.  In
conforming to the spec, most IDE controller cards are
designed to live in one of these two standard places.

To get a definitive answer, try posting your question
to ata@dt.wdc.com.  The people that read that list are
ATA gurus/designers.  So if anybody knows, they will.

Steve





Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?Pine.OSF.3.94.960926100208.30414A-100000>