What Is IDE Mode
What Is IDE Mode
(2) (Integrated Development Environment) A set of programs run from a single user interface. For example, programming languages often include a text editor, compiler and debugger, which are all activated and function from a common menu.
(1) (Integrated Drive Electronics) A type of hardware interface widely used to connect hard disks, CD-ROMs and tape drives to a PC. IDE was always the more economical interface, compared to SCSI. Starting out with 40MB capacities years ago, 20GB IDE hard disks have become entry level, costing a fraction of a cent per megabyte.
With IDE, the controller electronics are built into the drive itself, requiring a simple circuit in the PC for connection. IDE drives were attached to earlier PCs using an IDE host adapter card. Today, two Enhanced IDE (EIDE) sockets are built onto the motherboard, and each socket connects up to two drives via a 40-pin ribbon cable for CD-ROMs and similar devices and an 80-wire cable for fast hard disks (see below).
Master and Slave
IDE drives are configured as master and slave. Jumper pins on the drive itself are used to set up the first drive on the cable as master and the second one, if present, as a slave.
IDE Is ATA
The IDE interface is officially known as the ATA (AT Attachment) specification. ATAPI (ATA Packet Interface) defines the IDE standard for CD-ROMs and tape drives. ATA-2 (Fast ATA) defined the faster transfer rates used in Enhanced IDE (EIDE). ATA-3 added interface improvements, including the ability to report potential problems.
Starting with ATA-4, either the word "Ultra" or the transfer rate was added to the name in various combinations. For example, at 33 MBytes/sec, terms such as Ultra ATA and ATA-33 have been used. In addition, Ultra ATA-33, DMA-33 and Ultra DMA-33 are also found.
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