Parallel ATA

IDE is not an interface generation that came before PATA. In this context PATA names parallel ATA. Firmware terminology is broader: UEFI describes both PATA and SATA IDE controllers, including SATA controllers that emulate PATA behavior or use AHCI. An IDE setting therefore does not by itself identify a physical parallel cable. [1]

A traditional PATA channel supports up to two devices. The historical master/slave labels select devices on that channel; they do not describe replication roles. Configuration depends on the drive and attachment, including jumpers or cable select. For example, the Barracuda ATA II manual documents both arrangements. [1] [5]

Pin count and conductor count answer different questions. The desktop Ultra ATA/66 cable has 40-pin connectors but 80 conductors. Added ground conductors reduce crosstalk; they do not double the data-bus width. Host support, a capable enabled drive and the correct cable are all required. [2]

Do not turn that desktop connector into a universal PATA definition. The Momentus 7200.1 PATA manual documents a 44-pin notebook connector carrying data and power. Check the actual pinout and power requirements before choosing an adapter. [3]

Early PIO rates are not the final parallel-interface ceiling. The table collects later documented interface ratings, with each row tied to its source. It is a set of historical examples, not a complete mode table or a ranking of disks. The Barracuda ATA II requires an 80-conductor cable for modes 3 and 4; the DiamondMax16 also specifies that cable for its Ultra DMA implementation. [5] [4]

A concrete distinction: the Momentus manual lists a maximum 100 MB/s Ultra DMA mode 5 I/O rate and separately a 45.8 MB/s sustained outer-diameter rate. Both are Seagate specifications, not measurements made here. Comparing an interface rating with a sustained disk rate answers a different question from comparing two interfaces. [3]

Ultra ATA/66 uses CRC checking for interface transfers. That does not establish the integrity of an entire restored file or prove that a completed transfer is persistent. The distinction follows from the scope of the check; those wider claims need their own evidence. [2]

The ATA/ATAPI-5 draft distinguishes burst termination from command completion: an unfinished command can continue in a later burst. Successful CRC checking is therefore not a substitute for the command's final status or a durability guarantee. [6]

Why keep these checks separate? A FAST 2008 field study describes file-system block identity checks that detect some wrong-block or lost-write cases missed by block checksums. The systems used Fibre Channel drives or SATA drives behind adapters; this was not a PATA cable study. The relevant lesson is to distinguish transfer integrity, block identity and persistence; its observed error frequencies cannot be assigned to PATA. [7]