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From: ching@brahms.amd.com (Mike Ching)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: IDE disks
Keywords: minix, at, install, IDE, MFM, RLL, SCSI, ESDI
Message-ID: <1991Feb16.170032.18300@amd.com>
Date: 16 Feb 91 17:00:32 GMT
References: <1627@pdxgate.UUCP> <30432@usc>
Sender: usenet@amd.com (NNTP Posting)
Organization: Advanced Micro Devices; Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 19

In article <30432@usc> kjh@pollux.usc.edu (Kenneth J. Hendrickson) writes:
>
>Just exactly what is an IDE drive/controller?
>Does it look like MFM?  RLL?  SCSI?  ESDI?  Something else?
>Does it need a new device driver?
>Will any of the existing device drivers work?
>
>Please answer to the net, cuz everybody wants to know.
>

IDE stands for something like Integrated Drive Electronics which means
the controller is integrated with the drive. MFM, RLL, and ESDI describe
the interface between the controller and the drive. IDE and SCSI describe
the interface between the system and the controller on the drive. I have
not found any software that does not treat an IDE drive the same as an
external controller including those that do low level formatting like
Spinrite.

Mike Ching