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Glossary
ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment)
ATA (also known as IDE) is the bus interface that replaced the controllers in original IBM
compatible PCs.
ATA/33 (Ultra ATA/33)
ATA/33 is also known as Ultra DMA Mode 2. ATA/33 is a 33 megabyte per second data
transfer protocol for DMA commands.
ATA/66 (Ultra ATA/66)
ATA/66 is also known as Ultra DMA Mode 4. ATA/66 is a 66 megabyte per second data
transfer protocol for DMA commands.
ATA/100 (Ultra ATA/100)
ATA/100 is a 100 MB per second data transfer protocol for DMA commands.
Autodetection
A process that uses an IDE command called Identify to read disk parameters directly
from a hard drive for use in the BIOS/CMOS settings.
BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)
The BIOS is the first level of software contained in a computer. It provides basic, low-
level control and program routines for keyboards, video, hard disk drives, and floppy
drives. The BIOS provides the initial intelligence allowing the computer system to find an
operating system to run.
Chipset
The motherboard chipset controls the flow of information from the bus to memory and the
processor.
CHS (Cylinders, Heads, and Sectors) Addressing
Three values indicating a coordinate location of a data sector on a hard disk drive.
CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)
CMOS is a memory chip for storing a data record of the components installed in a
computer. CMOS is powered by a small battery allowing it to retain data, even when the
computer’s main power is turned off.
Configuration
Configuration refers to the type or quantity of devices in a computer system.
Controller Card
A controller card is an add-on electronic adapter for controlling hard drives. Controller
cards can be ATA or SCSI and are sometimes called adapters.
