Supermicro 7044H-32R, User Manual

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Appendix B: Software Installation
B-1
Appendix B
Software Installation
B-1 Adaptec Serial ATA RAID Controller Driver
Serial ATA (SATA)
Serial ATA(SATA) is a physical storage interface. It uses a single cable with a
minimum 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 Con-
troller 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.