Introduction
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LaCie Big Disk User’s Manual
Manual Updates
LaCie is constantly striving to give you the most up-to-date, comprehensive User’s Manuals available on the market. It is our
goal to provide you with a friendly, easy-to-use format that will help you quickly install and utilize the many functions of your
new device.
If your manual does not reflect the configurations of the product that you purchased, please check our Web site
(
www.lacie.com
) for the most current version available, on the page of the product you purchased.
1.2. What Is FireWire?
FireWire, also known as IEEE 1394, is a high-speed serial input/output technology for connecting peripheral devices to a
computer or to each other, and FireWire 800 is the implementation of the new IEEE 1394b standard. Pushing the speed bar-
rier to new limits, FireWire 800 offers increased bandwidth and extended cabling distance between devices. FireWire 800 is
ideal for bandwidth-intensive applications, such as audio, video and graphics. Benefits of FireWire 800 include:
• Resourceful architecture: FireWire 800 reduces delays in arbitration and signal distortion, and increases throughput.
• Hot-pluggable: devices can be added and removed while the bus is active.
• Backwards compatibility: adapter cables allow FireWire 400 devices to operate under the FireWire 800 port.
• Isochronous data delivery: no dropped frames – FireWire 800 supports real-time data delivery.
• Flexible: up to 63 devices can be connected on a single bus.
Please see
Appendix 1 – FireWire Questions And Answers
for a more detailed discussion of FireWire’s uses and capabilities.
FireWire Icons
Theses icons will help you easily identify the FireWire interface. They appear on FireWire cables, and next to the FireWire
port connectors on certain computers.
FireWire icon
iLink icon
DV icon
1.3. What Is USB 2.0?
The new USB 2.0 standard provides higher bandwidth for high-speed peripherals such as external hard drives, high-speed
scanners, CD-RW and DVD drives. USB 2.0 delivers transfer rates of 480Mb/s, while conveniently maintaining backward
compatibility with USB 1.1 devices.
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