By PURPLELEC | 19 September 2024 | 0 Comments
What are the types of hard disk interfaces?
Computers have two types of storage units: temporary storage units and permanent storage units. Temporary storage units are used for data buffering and are called memory modules. On the other hand, permanent storage units are used for data storage and are called hard disks (hard disks/hard drives).
When we use computers frequently, we inevitably accumulate a lot of data that needs to be saved. As our storage space decreases, we need to expand it. However, if we don't know the interface type of the hard disk, we may not know how to expand our storage space.
There are various types of hard disk interfaces, each of which has different characteristics and application scenarios. The following are the common hard disk interface types currently:
1. IDE interface
Definition: The IDE interface is one of the earliest types of hard disk interfaces. Its full English name is "Integrated Drive Electronics", which means "electronic integrated drive". Its original meaning refers to a hard disk drive that integrates the "hard disk controller" with the "disk body".
Features: IDE interface hard disks are mostly used in home products and are also partially used in servers. It uses 40-pin or 80-pin parallel cables to transmit data. Although the maximum transmission rate is low (such as 133MB/s), it is inexpensive and has strong compatibility.
Development: With the development of technology, IDE interface has derived a variety of specific types, such as ATA, Ultra ATA, DMA, Ultra DMA, etc., and the speed and technical specifications have gradually improved.
2. SATA interface
Definition: SATA interface is the most common hard disk interface now, the full name is Serial ATA (Serial ATA), which is a new type of hard disk interface.
Features: SATA interface adopts serial data transmission mode, and the data transmission speed is faster than IDE interface, with the maximum speed reaching 600MB/s or even higher (such as SATA 3.0 The transmission speed can reach 6Gbps). In addition, SATA interface also supports hot plugging (the motherboard must support AHCI mode), which is convenient for user operation.
Application: SATA interface is mainly used in PCs and is a common hard disk interface for personal computers and low-end servers.
3. SCSI interface
Definition: SCSI interface is called Small Computer System Interface (Small Computer System Interface), which is a high-performance hard disk interface type.
Features: SCSI interface is fast and supports the connection of multiple hard disks and peripherals, but requires a dedicated SCSI controller. Its price is relatively high, and it is mainly used in servers and high-end workstations.
4. SAS interface
Definition: SAS interface stands for Serial Attached SCSI Interface, which is a high-performance hard disk interface type.
Features: SAS interface supports up to 127 devices connected to each interface, and the maximum transmission speed can reach 12Gb/s. It combines the advantages of SATA and SCSI, with higher transmission speed and better scalability.
Application: SAS interface is mainly used in high-performance occasions such as servers.
5. Fiber Channel (FC)
Definition: Fiber Channel was originally an interface technology designed for network systems, and was gradually applied to hard disk systems.
Features: Fiber Channel has the advantages of hot pluggability, high-speed bandwidth, remote connection, and a large number of connected devices. It is mainly used in systems that require high data transfer rates, such as high-end servers and massive storage subnets.
6. M.2 interface
Definition: M.2 interface was originally an interface type used to connect solid-state hard disks, but later it began to be used to connect ordinary hard disks.
Features: The M.2 interface uses PCI-E and SATA bus interfaces, which can support multiple protocols and card slot sizes, providing good performance and flexibility.
Summary
There are many types of hard disk interfaces, each of which has its own unique advantages and applicable scenarios. When choosing a hard disk, you need to choose the appropriate interface type according to actual needs and usage environment. The above introduces the common hard disk interface types, including IDE, SATA, SCSI, SAS, Fibre Channel and M.2 interfaces.
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