Maxtor DiamondMax 6800 User Manual

HARD DRIVE  
PRODUCT  
MANUAL  
DiamondMax 6800  
92720U8, 92040U6, 91700U5  
91360U4, 91020U3, 90845U3  
and 90650U2  
Be fo re Yo u Be g in  
Thank you for your interest in the Maxtor DiamondMax™ 6800 AT hard disk drives. This manual provides  
technical information for OEM engineers and systems integrators regarding the installation and use of DiamondMax  
hard drives. Drive repair should be performed only at an authorized repair center. For repair information, contact  
the Maxtor Customer Service Center at 800-2MAXTOR or 408-922-2085.  
Before unpacking the hard drive, please review Sections 1 through 4.  
C A U T I O N  
Maxtor Diam ondMax 6800 hard drives are precision products. Failure to  
follow these precautions and guidelines outlined here m ay lead to  
product failure, dam age and invalidation of all warranties.  
1
2
BEFOREunpackingorhandlingadrive,takeallproperelectro-staticdischarge(ESD)  
precautions,includingpersonnelandequipmentgrounding.Stand-alonedrivesaresensitiveto  
ESDdamage.  
BEFOREremovingdrivesfromtheirpackingmaterial,allowthemtoreachroom  
temperature.  
3
4
Duringhandling,NEVER drop,jar,orbumpadrive.  
OnceadriveisremovedfromtheMaxtorshippingcontainer, IMMEDIATELYsecurethedrive  
throughitsmountingholeswithinachassis.Otherwise,storethedriveonapadded,grounded,  
antistaticsurface.  
5
NEVERswitchDC powerontothedrivebyplugginganelectricallyliveDC sourcecableinto  
thedrive'sconnector.NEVERconnectalivebustothedrive'sinterfaceconnector.  
Please do not remove or cover up Maxtor factory-installed drive labels.  
They contain information required should the drive ever need repair.  
Co n t e n t s  
S e c t io n 1 In t ro d u c t io n  
Maxtor Corporation  
Products  
1 - 1  
1 - 1  
1 - 1  
1 - 1  
1 - 1  
1 - 2  
1 - 2  
1 - 2  
1 - 2  
Support  
Manual Organization  
Abbreviations  
Conventions  
Key Words  
Numbering  
Signal Conventions  
S e c t io n 2 P ro d u c t De s c rip t io n  
The DiamondMax6800  
Product Features  
2 - 2  
2 - 2  
2 - 2  
2 - 2  
2 - 2  
2 - 2  
2 - 2  
2 - 3  
2 - 3  
2 - 3  
2 - 3  
2 - 3  
2 - 4  
2 - 4  
2 - 4  
2 - 4  
2 - 4  
2 - 5  
2 - 5  
2 - 5  
2 - 5  
2 - 5  
2 - 5  
2 - 5  
2 - 6  
2 - 6  
2 - 6  
2 - 6  
2 - 6  
Functional/ Interface  
Zone Density Recording  
Read/ Write Multiple Mode  
UltraDMA - Mode 2  
Multi-word DMA (EISA Type B) - Mode 2  
Sector Address Translation  
Logical Block Addressing  
Defect Management Zone  
On-the-Fly Hardware Error Correction Code (ECC)  
Software ECC Correction  
Automatic Head Park and Lock Operation  
Cache Management  
Buffer Segmentation  
Read-Ahead Mode  
Automatic Write Reallocation (AWR)  
Write Cache Stacking  
Major HDA Components  
Drive Mechanism  
Rotary Actuator  
Read/ Write Electronics  
Read/ Write Heads and Media  
Air Filtration System  
Microprocessor  
Subsystem Configuration  
Dual Drive Support  
Cable Select Option  
Jumper Location/ Configuration  
4092 Cylinder Limitation  
i
DIAMONDMAX 6800 PR ODUCT MANUAL  
S e c t io n 3 P ro d u c t S p e c ific a t io n s  
Models and Capacities  
Drive Configuration  
Performance Specifications  
Physical Dimensions  
Power Requirements  
Power Mode Definitions  
Spin-up  
3 - 1  
3 - 1  
3 - 1  
3 - 2  
3 - 3  
3 - 3  
3 - 3  
3 - 3  
3 - 3  
3 - 3  
3 - 3  
3 - 3  
3 - 3  
3 - 3  
3 - 4  
3 - 4  
3 - 4  
3 - 4  
3 - 4  
3 - 4  
3 - 4  
3 - 5  
3 - 5  
3 - 5  
3 - 5  
Seek  
R ead/ Write  
Idle  
Standby  
Sleep  
EPA Energy Star Compliance  
Environmental Limits  
Shock and Vibration  
Reliability Specifications  
Annual Return Rate  
Quality Acceptance Rate  
Start/ Stop Cycles  
Data Reliability  
Component Design Life  
EMC/ EMI  
EMC Compliance  
Canadian Emissions Statement  
Safety Regulatory Compliance  
S e c t io n 4 Ha n d lin g a n d In s t a lla t io n  
Pre-formatted Drive  
4 - 1  
4 - 1  
4 - 1  
4 - 1  
4 - 2  
4 - 3  
4 - 3  
4 - 4  
4 - 4  
4 - 4  
4 - 4  
4 - 4  
4 - 4  
4 - 4  
4 - 5  
4 - 5  
4 - 5  
Important Notice  
Hard Drive Handling Precautions  
Electro-Static Discharge (ESD)  
Unpacking and Inspection  
R epacking  
Physical Installation  
Before You Begin  
Please Read  
Handling Precautions  
Tools for Installation  
Drive Identification Information  
Capacity Barriers  
Protecting Your Existing Data  
General Requirements  
System Hardware Requirements  
BIOS Requirements  
ii  
DIAMONDMAX 6800 PR ODUCT MANUAL  
Ultra Direct Memory Access (UDMA)  
OS Requirements for Large Capacity Hard Drives  
Hard Drive Identification  
4 - 5  
4 - 5  
4 - 6  
4 - 6  
4 - 6  
4 - 6  
4 - 6  
4 - 7  
4 - 7  
4 - 7  
4 - 8  
4 - 8  
4 - 8  
4 - 10  
4 - 12  
Identifying IDE Devices on the Interface  
Jumper Settings  
Systems Using Cable Select  
Relationship to Other IDE Devices  
Mounting Drive in System  
Attaching Interface and Power Cables  
Attaching System Cables  
System Setup  
Setting the BIOS (CMOS)  
BIOS (CMOS) Parameters  
Hard Drive Preparation  
System Hangs During Boot  
S e c t io n 5 AT In t e rfa c e De s c rip t io n  
Interface Connector  
Pin Description Summary  
Pin Description Table  
PIO Timing  
5 - 1  
5 - 1  
5 - 2  
5 - 3  
5 - 4  
5 - 5  
DMA Timing  
Ultra DMA Timing Parameters  
S e c t io n 6 Ho s t S o ft w a re In t e rfa c e  
Task File Registers  
6 - 1  
6 - 1  
6 - 1  
6 - 1  
6 - 2  
6 - 2  
6 - 2  
6 - 2  
6 - 2  
6 - 3  
6 - 3  
6 - 3  
6 - 3  
6 - 3  
6 - 3  
6 - 3  
6 - 3  
6 - 4  
6 - 5  
6 - 5  
Data Register  
Error Register  
Features Register  
Sector Count Register  
Sector Number Register  
Cylinder Number Registers  
Device/ Head Register  
Status Register  
Command Register  
Read Commands  
Write Commands  
Mode Set/ Check Commands  
Power Mode Commands  
Initialization Commands  
Seek, Format, and Diagnostic Commands  
S.M.A.R.T. Commands  
Summary  
Control Diagnostic Registers  
Alternate Status Register  
iii  
DIAMONDMAX 6800 PR ODUCT MANUAL  
Device Control Register  
Digital Input Register  
6 - 5  
6 - 5  
6 - 6  
Reset and Interrupt Handling  
S e c t io n 7 In t e rfa c e Co m m a n d s  
Command Summary  
Read Commands  
Read Sector(s)  
7 - 1  
7 - 2  
7 - 2  
7 - 2  
7 - 2  
7 - 3  
7 - 3  
7 - 3  
7 - 4  
7 - 4  
7 - 4  
7 - 4  
7 - 5  
7 - 5  
7 - 5  
7 - 5  
7 - 5  
7 - 7  
7 - 7  
7 - 7  
7 - 7  
7 - 7  
7 - 7  
7 - 7  
7 - 7  
7 - 9  
7 - 9  
7 - 12  
7 - 13  
7 - 14  
Read Verify Sector(s)  
Read Sector Buffer  
Read DMA  
Read Multiple  
Set Multiple  
Write Commands  
Write Sector(s)  
Write Verify Sector(s)  
Write Sector Buffer  
Write DMA  
Write Multiple  
Ultra DMA  
Set Feature Commands  
Set Features Mode  
Power Mode Commands  
Standby Immediate  
Idle Immediate  
Standby  
Idle  
Check Power Mode  
Set Sleep Mode  
Default Power-on Condition  
Initialization Commands  
Identify Drive  
Initialize Drive Parameters  
Seek, Format, and Diagnostic Commands  
S.M.A.R.T. Command Set  
S e c t io n 8 S e rvic e a n d S u p p o rt  
Service Policy  
No Quibble Service  
Support  
8 - 1  
8 - 1  
8 - 1  
Glo s s a ry  
Glossary  
GL - 1  
iv  
DIAMONDMAX 6800 PR ODUCT MANUAL  
Fig u re s  
Fig u r e  
Tit le  
P a g e  
2 - 1  
3 - 1  
4 - 1  
4 - 2  
4 - 3  
4 - 4  
4 - 5  
4 - 6  
4 - 7  
5 - 1  
5 - 2  
5 - 3  
5 - 4  
5 - 5  
5 - 6  
5 - 7  
5 - 8  
5 - 9  
5 - 10  
5 - 11  
5 - 12  
5 - 13  
PCBA Jumper Location and Configuration  
Outline and Mounting Dimensions  
2 - 6  
3 - 2  
4 - 2  
4 - 3  
4 - 3  
4 - 5  
4 - 6  
4 - 7  
4 - 10  
5 - 1  
5 - 3  
5 - 4  
5 - 5  
5 - 6  
5 - 6  
5 - 7  
5 - 7  
5 - 8  
5 - 8  
5 - 9  
5 - 9  
5 - 10  
Multi-pack Shipping Container  
Single-pack Shipping Container (Option A)  
Single-pack Shipping Container (Option B)  
Master, Slave and Cable Select Settings  
5.25-inch Mounting Brackets and Rails  
IDE Interface and Power Cabling Detail  
Master, Slave and Cable Select Settings  
Data Connector  
PIO Data Transfer to/ from Device  
Multi-word DMA Data Transfer  
Initiating an Ultra DMA Data In Burst  
Sustained Ultra DMA Data In Burst  
Host Pausing an Ultra DMA Data In Burst  
Device Terminating an Ultra DMA Data In Burst  
Host Terminating an Ultra DMA Data In Burst  
Initiating an Ultra DMA Data Out Burst  
Sustained Ultra DMA Data Out Burst  
Device Pausing an Ultra DMA Data Out Burst  
Host Terminating an Ultra DMA Data Out Burst  
Device Terminating an Ultra DMA Data Out Burst  
v
SECTION 1  
In t ro d u c t io n  
Ma xt o r Co rp o ra t io n  
Maxtor Corporation has been providing high-quality computer storage products since 1982. Along the way,  
we’ve seen many changes in data storage needs. Not long ago, only a handful of specific users needed more than  
a couple hundred megabytes of storage. Today, downloading from the Internet and CD-ROMs, multimedia,  
networking and advanced office applications are driving storage needs even higher. Even home PC applications  
need capacities measured in gigabytes, not megabytes.  
P r o d u c t s  
Maxtor’s products meet those demanding storage capacity requirements with room to spare. They feature  
proven compatibility and reliability. While DiamondMax6800 is the latest addition to our family of high  
performance 5,400 RPM desktop hard drives, DiamondMax™ 4320 series hard drives deliver industry-leading  
capacity, performance and value for many PC applications.  
S u p p o r t  
No matter which capacity, all Maxtor hard drives are supported by our commitment to total customer  
satisfaction and our No Quibble® Service guarantee. One call – or a visit to our home page on the Internet  
(http:/ / www.maxtor.com) – puts you in touch with either technical support or customer service. We’ll  
provide you the information you need quickly, accurately and in the form you prefer – a fax, a downloaded  
file or a conversation with a representative.  
Ma n u a l Org a n iza t io n  
This hard disk drive reference manual is organized in the following method:  
o Section 1 – Introduction  
o Section 2 – Description  
o Section 3 – Specifications  
o Section 4 – Installation  
o Section 5 – AT Interface  
o Section 6 – Host Software Interface  
o Section 7 – Interface Commands  
o Section 8 – Service and Support  
o Appendix – Glossary  
Ab b re via t io n s  
ABBRV DESCRIPTION  
ABBRV DESCRIPTION  
ATA AT attachment  
bpi bits per inch  
MB megabyte  
Mbits/sec megabits per second  
CHS cylinder - head - sector  
db decibels  
MB/sec megabytes per second  
MHz megahertz  
dBA decibels, A weighted  
DMA direct memory access  
ECC error correction code  
fci flux changes per inch  
ms millisecond  
MSB most significant bit  
mV millivolts  
ns nanoseconds  
G
acceleration  
PIO programmed input/output  
RPM revolutions per minute  
tpi tracks per inch  
GB gigabyte  
Hz hertz  
KB kilobyte  
UDMA ultra direct memory access  
µsec microsecond  
LBA logical block address(ing)  
LSB least significant bit  
mA milliamperes  
V
volts  
W
watts  
1 – 1  
DIAMONDMAX PLUS 5120 – INTRODUCTION  
Co n ve n t io n s  
If there is a conflict between text and tables, the table shall be accepted as being correct.  
Ke y Wo rd s  
The names of abbreviations, commands, fields and acronyms used as signal names are in all uppercase type  
(e.g., IDENTIFY DRIVE). Fields containing only one bit are usually referred to as the “name” bit instead of  
the “name” field.  
Names of drive registers begin with a capital letter (e.g., Cylinder High register).  
N u m b e r in g  
Numbers that are not followed by a lowercase “b” or “h” are decimal values. Numbers that are followed by  
a lowercase “b” (e.g., 01b) are binary values. Numbers that are followed by a lowercase “h” (e.g., 3Ah) are  
hexadecimal values.  
S ig n a l Co n ve n t io n s  
Signal names are shown in all uppercase type.  
All signals are either high active or low active signals. A dash character (-) at the end of a signal name  
indicates that the signal is low active. A low active signal is true when it is below ViL and is false when it is  
above ViH. A signal without a dash at the end indicates that the signal is high active. A high active signal is  
true when it is above ViH and is false when it is below ViL.  
When a signal is asserted, it means the signal is driven by an active circuit to its true state.  
When a signal is negated, it means the signal is driven by an active circuit to its false state.  
When a signal is released, it means the signal is not actively driven to any state. Some signals have bias  
circuitry that pull the signal to either a true or false state when no signal driver is actively asserting or negating  
the signal. These instances are noted under the description of the signal.  
1 – 2  
SECTION 2  
P ro d u c t De s c rip t io n  
Maxtor DiamondMax™ 6800 AT disk drives are 1-inch high, 3.5-inch diameter random access storage devices  
which incorporate an on-board ATA-4/ Ultra DMA 66 controller. High capacity is achieved by a balanced  
combination of high areal recording density and the latest data encoding and servo techniques.  
Maxtor's latest advancements in electronic packaging and integration methods have lowered the drive's power  
consumption and increased its reliability. Advanced giant magneto-resistive read/ write heads, an state-of-the-art  
head/ disk assembly using an integrated motor/ spindle design allow up to four disks in a 3.5-inch package.  
Exceptionally high data transfer rates, 5,400 RPM spin speed and < 9.0 ms access times make these performance  
series disk drives especially well-suited to high-end desktop and server applications.  
Dia m o n d Ma x 6 8 0 0 Ke y Fe a t u re s  
ANSI ATA-4 compliant PIO Mode 4 interface (Enhanced IDE)  
Supports Ultra DMA Mode 4 for up to 66.7 MB/ sec data transfers  
2 MB buffer with multi-adaptive cache manager  
5,400 RPM spin speed  
< 9.0 ms seek time  
Zone density and I.D.-less recording  
Outstanding shock resistance at 250 Gs  
High durability with 50K constant start/ stop cycles  
Advanced multi-burst on-the-fly Error Correction Code (ECC)  
Extended data integrity with ECC protected data and fault tolerant servo synchronization fields  
Supports EPA Energy Star Standards (Green PC Friendly) with ATA powering savings commands  
Auto park and lock actuator mechanism  
Low power consumption  
S.M.A.R.T. Capability  
Note: Maxtor defines one megabyte as 106 or one million bytes and one gigabyte as 109 or one billion bytes.  
2 – 1  
PRODUCTDESCRIPTION  
P ro d u c t Fe a t u re s  
Fu n c t io n a l / In t e rfa c e  
Maxtor DiamondMax™ 6800 hard drives contain all necessary mechanical and electronic parts to interpret control  
signals and commands from an AT-compatible host computer. See Section 3 Product Specifications, for complete  
drive specifications.  
Zo n e De n s it y Re c o rd in g  
The disk capacity is increased with bit density management – common with Zone Density Recording. Each  
disk surface is divided into 16 circumferential zones. All tracks within a given zone contain a constant  
number of data sectors. The number of data sectors per track varies in different zones; the outermost zone  
contains the largest number of data sectors and the innermost contains the fewest.  
Re a d /Writ e Mu lt ip le Mo d e  
This mode is implemented per ANSI ATA/ ATAPI-4 specification. Read/ Write Multiple allows the host to  
transfer a set number of sectors without an interrupt request between them, reducing transfer process  
overhead and improving host performance.  
Ult ra DMA - Mo d e 4  
Maxtor DiamondMax 6800 hard drives fully comply with the new ANSI Ultra DMA protocol, which greatly  
improves overall AT interface performance by significantly improving burst and sustained data throughput.  
Mu lt i-w o rd DMA (EIS A Typ e B) - Mo d e 2  
Supports multi-word Direct Memory Access (DMA) EISA Type B mode transfers.  
S e c t o r Ad d re s s Tra n s la t io n  
All DiamondMax 6800 drives feature a universal translate mode. In an AT/ EISA-class system, the drive may  
be configured to any specified combination of cylinders, heads and sectors (within the range of the drive's  
formatted capacity). DiamondMax 6800 drives power-up in a translate mode:  
MODEL  
92720U8  
92040U6  
91700U5  
91360U4  
91020U3  
90845U3  
90650U2  
CYL  
HD  
16  
16  
16  
16  
16  
16  
16  
SPT  
63  
63  
63  
63  
63  
63  
63  
LZone  
(*)  
(*)  
(*)  
(*)  
(*)  
(*)  
(*)  
WPcom  
(*)  
MAX LBA  
53,165,952  
39,874,464  
33,228,720  
26,582,976  
19,937,232  
16,514,064  
12,695,760  
CAPACITY  
27,226 MB  
20,419 MB  
17,020 MB  
13,613 MB  
10,209 MB  
8,455 MB  
6,500 MB  
52,744  
39,558  
32,965  
26,372  
19,779  
16,383  
12,595  
(*)  
(*)  
(*)  
(*)  
(*)  
(*)  
(*) The fields LZone (Landing Zone) and WPcom (Write Pre-comp) are not used by the Maxtor hard drive  
and the values may be either 0 or the values set by the BIOS. All capacities listed in the above table are based  
on 106 or one million bytes.  
2 – 2  
PRODUCTDESCRIPTION  
Lo g ic a l Blo c k Ad d re s s in g  
The Logical Block Address (LBA) mode can only be utilized in systems that support this form of translation.  
The cylinder, head and sector geometry of the drive, as presented to the host, differs from the actual physical  
geometry. The host AT computer may access a drive of set parameters: number of cylinders, heads and  
sectors per track, plus cylinder, head and sector addresses. However, the drive can’t use these host parameters  
directly because of zoned recording techniques. The drive translates the host parameters to a set of logical  
internal addresses for data access.  
The host drive geometry parameters are mapped into an LBA based on this formula:  
LBA  
=
=
(HSCA - 1) + HHDA x HSPT + HNHD x HSPT x HCYA  
(HSCA - 1) + HSPT x (HHDA + HNHD x HCYA)  
(1)  
(2)  
where  
HSCA = Host Sector Address, HHDA = Host Head Address  
HCYA = Host Cylinder Address, HNHD = Host Number of Heads  
HSPT = Host Sectors per Track  
The LBA is checked for violating the drive capacity. If it does not, the LBA is converted to physical drive  
cylinder, head and sector values. The physical address is then used to access or store the data on the disk and  
for other drive related operations.  
De fe c t Ma n a g e m e n t Zo n e (DMZ)  
Each drive model has a fixed number of spare sectors per drive, all of which are located at the end of the  
drive. Upon detection of a bad sector that has been reassigned, the next sequential sector is used.  
For example, if sector 3 is flagged, data that would have been stored there is “pushed down” and recorded  
in sector 4. Sector 4 then effectively becomes sector 3, as sequential sectors are “pushed down” across the  
entire drive. The first spare sector makes up for the loss of sector 3, and so maintains the sequential order of  
data. This push down method assures maximum performance.  
On -t h e -Fly Ha rd w a re Erro r Co rre c t io n Co d e (ECC)  
5 symbols, single burst, guaranteed  
S o ft w a re ECC Co rre c t io n  
22 symbols, single burst, guaranteed  
Au t o m a t ic P a rk a n d Lo c k Op e ra t io n  
Immediately following power down, dynamic braking of the spinning disks delays momentarily allowing the  
read/ write heads to move to an inner mechanical stop. A small fixed magnet holds the rotary actuator in  
place as the disk spins down. The rotary actuator is released only when power is again applied.  
2 – 3  
PRODUCTDESCRIPTION  
Ca c h e Ma n a g e m e n t  
Bu ffe r S e g m e n t a t io n  
The data buffer is organized into two segments: the data buffer and the micro controller scratch pad.  
The data buffer is dynamically allocated for read and write data depending on the commands received.  
A variable number of read and write buffers may exist at the same time.  
Re a d -Ah e a d Mo d e  
Normally, this mode is active. Following a read request, disk read-ahead begins on the first sector and  
continues sequentially until the allocated buffer is full. If a read request is received during the read-ahead  
operation, the buffer is examined to determine if the request is in the cache. If a cache hit occurs, read-  
ahead mode continues without interruption and the host transfer begins immediately.  
Au t o m a t ic Writ e Re a llo c a t io n (AWR)  
This feature is part of the write cache and reduces the risk of data loss during deferred write operations. If a  
disk error occurs during the disk write process, the disk task stops and the suspect sector is reallocated to a  
pool of alternate sectors located at the end of the drive. Following reallocation, the disk write task continues  
until it is complete.  
Writ e Ca c h e S t a c k in g  
Normally, this mode is active. Write cache mode accepts the host write data into the buffer until the buffer  
is full or the host transfer is complete. A command complete interrupt is generated at the end of the transfer.  
A disk write task begins to store the host data to disk. Host write commands continue to be accepted and  
data transferred to the buffer until either the write command stack is full or the data buffer is full. The drive  
may reorder write commands to optimize drive throughput.  
2 – 4  
PRODUCTDESCRIPTION  
Ma jo r HDA Co m p o n e n t s  
Drive Me c h a n is m  
A brush-less DC direct drive motor rotates the spindle at 5,400 RPM (±0.1%). The dynamically balanced  
motor/ spindle assembly ensures minimal mechanical run-out to the disks. A dynamic brake provides a fast  
stop to the spindle motor upon power removal. The speed tolerance includes motor performance and motor  
circuit tolerances.  
Ro t a ry Ac t u a t o r  
All DiamondMax™ 6800 drives employ a rotary voice coil actuator which consists of a moving coil, an  
actuator arm assembly and stationary magnets. The actuator moves on a low-mass, low-friction center shaft.  
The low friction contributes to fast access times and low power consumption.  
Re a d /Writ e Ele c t ro n ic s  
An integrated circuit mounted within the sealed head disk assembly (near the read/ write heads) provides up  
to eight head selection (depending on the model), read pre-amplification and write drive circuitry.  
Re a d /Writ e He a d s a n d Me d ia  
Low mass, low force giant magneto-resistive read/ write heads record data on 3.5-inch diameter disks. Maxtor  
uses a sputtered thin film medium on all disks for DiamondMax 6800 drives.  
Air Filt ra t io n S ys t e m  
All DiamondMax 6800 drives are assembled in a Class 100 controlled environment. Over the life of the drive,  
a 0.1 micron filter and breather filter located within the sealed head disk assembly (HDA) maintain a clean  
environment to the heads and disks. DiamondMax 6800 drives are designed to operate in a typical office  
environment with minimum environmental control.  
M ic r o p r o c e s s o r  
The microprocessor controls the following functions for the drive electronics:  
Command execution  
Cache management  
Data correction and error recovery  
Diagnostic execution  
Data sequencing  
Head positioning (including error recovery)  
Host interface  
Index detection  
Spin speed control  
Se e ks  
Se rvo  
S.M.A.R.T.  
2 – 5  
PRODUCTDESCRIPTION  
S u b s ys t e m Co n fig u ra t io n  
Du a l Drive S u p p o rt  
Two drives may be accessed via a common interface cable, using the same range of I/ O addresses. The drives  
are jumpered as device 0 or 1 (Master/ Slave), and are selected by the drive select bit in the  
Device/ Head register of the task file.  
All Task File registers are written in parallel to both drives. The interface processor on each drive decides  
whether a command written to it should be executed; this depends on the type of command and which  
drive is selected. Only the drive selected executes the command and activates the data bus in response to  
host I/ O reads; the drive not selected remains inactive.  
A master/ slave relationship exists between the two drives: device 0 is the master and device 1 the slave.  
When J50 is closed (factory default, figure 2-1), the drive assumes the role of master; when open, the drive  
acts as a slave. In single drive configurations, J50 must be closed.  
Ca b le S e le c t Op t io n  
CSEL (cable select) is an optional feature per ANSI ATA specification. Drives configured in a multiple drive  
system are identified by CSEL’s value:  
– If CSEL is grounded, then the drive address is 0.  
– If CSEL is open, then the drive address is 1.  
J u m p e r Lo c a t io n /Co n fig u ra t io n  
Darkened jumper pins indicate factory-installed (default) shunts.  
JUMPER CONFIGURATION  
J50  
J48  
J46  
J44  
J42  
Master/Slave  
Only drive in single drive system*  
Master drive in dual drive system*  
Slave drive in dual drive system  
C
C
O
Cable Select  
Disabled*  
Enabled  
O
C
4092 Cylinder Limitation  
Disabled*  
Enabled  
O
C
Factory Reserved  
Factory Reserved  
O
O
Key * = Default C = Closed (jumper installed) O = Open (no jumper installed)  
Figure 2-1  
PCBA Jumper Location and Configuration  
4 0 9 2 Cylin d e r Lim it a t io n  
On some older BIOS', primarily those that auto-configure the disk drive, a hang may occur when the drive  
cylinder value exceeds 4096. The 4092 Cylinder Limitation jumper reduces the capacity in the Identify Drive to  
4092 allowing large capacity drives to work with older BIOS'. A software driver is required to access the full  
capacity of the drive.  
2 – 6  
SECTION 3  
P ro d u c t S p e c ific a t io n s  
Mo d e ls a n d Ca p a c it ie s  
MODEL  
92720U8  
92040U6  
91700U5  
91360U4  
91020U3  
90845U3  
90650U2  
Formatted Capacity (MB LBA Mode)  
27,226  
20,419  
17,020  
15,360  
10,209  
8,455  
6,500  
Maxtor defines one megabyte as 106 or one million bytes and one gigabyte as 109 or one billion bytes.  
Drive Co n fig u ra t io n  
MODEL  
92720U8  
92040U6  
91700U5  
91360U4  
91020U3  
90845U3  
90650U2  
Integrated Controller / Interface  
Encoding Method  
Interleave  
ATA-4 / Ultra DMA  
EPR4 RLL 16/17  
1:1  
Servo System  
Embedded  
2 MB SDRAM  
16  
Buffer Size / Type  
Data Zones per Surface  
Data Surfaces / Heads  
Number of Disks  
Areal Density  
8
4
6
3
5
3
4
3
2
3
2
2
1
2
4,970 Mb / in2  
Tracks per Surface (Cylinders)  
Track Density  
17,549  
17,305 tpi  
222 - 288 kbpi  
236 - 306 kfci  
512  
Recording Density  
Flux Density  
Bytes per Sector / Block  
Sectors per Track  
Sectors per Drive  
266 - 462  
53,165,952 39,874,464 33,228,720 26,582,976 19,937,232 16,514,064 12,695,760  
P e rfo rm a n c e S p e c ific a t io n s  
MODEL  
92720U8  
92040U6  
91700U5  
91360U4  
91020U3  
90845U3  
90650U2  
Seek Times (typical)  
Track-to-Track  
1.0 ms  
< 9.0 ms  
< 20 ms  
5.55 ms  
Average  
Maximum  
Average Latency  
Rotational Speed (±0.1%)  
Controller Overhead  
Data Transfer Rate  
5,400 RPM  
< 0.3 ms  
To/from Interface  
(Ultra DMA - Mode 4)  
up to 66.7 MB/sec  
up to 16.7 MB/sec  
To/from Interface  
(PIO 4/Multi-word DMA - Mode 2)  
To/from Media  
up to 27.8 MB/sec  
7.3 sec typical  
Start Time (0 to Drive Ready)  
3 – 1  
PRODUCTSPECIFICATIONS  
P h ys ic a l Dim e n s io n s  
PARAMETER  
Height  
Length  
Width  
Weight  
STANDARD  
1.02 inches  
5.78 inches  
4.00 inches  
1.3 pounds  
METRIC  
25.9 millimeters  
146.6 millimeters  
102.1 millimeters  
0.59 kilograms  
1.028 max  
[25.9 mm]  
.25 ± .01  
6 x 6-32  
UNC Tap  
1.638 ± .005  
[41.61 mm]  
1.122 ± .02  
[28.4 mm]  
4.000 ± .01  
[101.6 mm]  
5.787 max  
[146.6 mm]  
4 x 6-32  
UNC Tap  
1.75 ± .02  
1.625 ± .02  
4.00 ± .01  
[102.1 mm]  
3.75 ± .01  
[95.25 mm]  
Figure 3 - 1  
Outline and Mounting Dimensions  
3 – 2  
PRODUCTSPECIFICATIONS  
P o w e r Re q u ire m e n t s  
MODE  
12V ± 8%  
2200 mA  
780 mA  
310 mA  
305 mA  
20 mA  
5V ± 5%  
390 mA  
360 mA  
420 mA  
320 mA  
165 mA  
55 mA  
POWER  
Spin-up (peak)  
Seek (avg)  
11.2 W  
5.8 W  
5.3 W  
1.1 W  
Read/Write (avg)  
Idle (avg)  
Standby (avg)  
Sleep (avg)  
20 mA  
0.52 W  
P o w e r Mo d e De fin it io n s  
S p in -u p  
The drive is spinning up following initial application of power and has not yet reached full speed.  
S e e k  
A random access operation by the disk drive.  
Re a d /Wr it e  
Data is being read from or written to the drive.  
Id le  
The drive is spinning, the actuator is parked and powered off and all other circuitry is powered on.  
The drive is capable of responding to read commands within 40 ms.  
S t a n d b y  
The spin motor is not spinning. The drive will leave this mode upon receipt of a command that requires  
disk access. The time-out value for this mode is programmable. The buffer is active to accept write data.  
S le e p  
This is the lowest power state – with the interface set to inactive. A software or hardware reset is required  
to return the drive to the Standby state.  
EP A En e rg y S t a r Co m p lia n c e  
Maxtor Corporation supports the goals of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program  
to reduce the electrical power consumption of computer equipment.  
En viro n m e n t a l Lim it s  
PARAMETER  
OPERATING  
NON-OPERATING/STORAGE  
Temperature  
5° C to 55° C  
low temperature (-40° C)  
high temperature (71° C) per MIL-STD-810E, method 501.3,  
climatic category; hot-induced conditions.  
Thermal Gradient  
Relative Humidity  
Wet Bulb  
25° C per hour (maximum)  
5% to 95% (non-condensing)  
27° C (maximum)  
Altitude  
-200 to 10,000 feet  
-200 to 40,000 feet  
Acoustic Noise (Idle mode)  
3.3 bel average sound power  
(per ISO 7779, 10 microphone)  
3 – 3  
PRODUCTSPECIFICATIONS  
S h o c k a n d Vib ra t io n  
PARAMETER  
OPERATING  
NON-OPERATING  
Mechanical Shock  
Rotational Shock  
Random Vibration  
30 Gs, 2.0 ms, no errors  
250 Gs, 2.0 ms, no damage  
18,000 Rad/sec,0.5 - 1.0 ms, no damage  
10 - 2,000 Hz at 2.15 Grms, no damage  
10 - 45 Hz at 0.004 G2/Hz  
48 - 62 Hz at 0.008 G2/Hz  
65 - 300 Hz at 0.004 G2/Hz  
301 - 500 Hz at 0.0006 G2/Hz  
no errors  
Swept Sine Vibration  
5 - 20 Hz  
21 - 300 Hz  
0.049 inches double amplitude  
1.0 G peak amplitude (0 - peak)  
Re lia b ilit y S p e c ific a t io n s  
An n u a l Re t u rn Ra t e  
< 1.0%  
Annual Return Rate (ARR) indicates the average against products  
shipped. ARR includes all reasons for returns (failures, handling  
damage, NDF), but does not include inventory credit returns.  
Qu a lit y Ac c e p t a n c e Ra t e  
< 500 DPPM  
The quality acceptance rate indicates the percentage of Maxtor  
products successfully installed by our customers, and/ or the number  
of defective parts per million (DPPM) encountered during the entire  
installation process.  
S t a rt /S t o p Cyc le s  
50,000 (minimum)  
This indicates the minimum cycles for reliable start/ stop function at a  
60% confidence level.  
Da t a Re lia b ilit y  
< 1 per 1014 bits read  
Data errors (non-recoverable). Average data error rate allowed with all  
error recovery features activated.  
Co m p o n e n t De s ig n Life  
5 years (minimum)  
Component design life is defined as a.) the time period before  
identified wear-out mechanisms impact the failure rate, or b.) the time  
period up to the wear-out point when useful component life expires.  
3 – 4  
PRODUCTSPECIFICATIONS  
EMC/EMI  
Ra d ia t e d Ele c t ro m a g n e t ic Fie ld Em is s io n s - EMC Co m p lia n c e  
The hard disk drive mechanism is designed as a subassembly for installation into a suitable enclosure and is  
therefore not subject to Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules (47CFR15) or the Canadian Department of  
Communications Radio Interference Regulations. Although not required, the disk mechanism has been  
tested within a suitable end-use product and found to comply with Class B limits of the FCC Rules and  
Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.  
The CE Marking indicates conformity with the European Union Low Voltage Directive (73/ 23/ EEC) when  
the disk mechanism is installed in a typical personal computer. Maxtor recommends that testing and analysis  
for EMC compliance be performed with the disk mechanism installed within the user's end-use application.  
Ca n a d ia n Em is s io n s S t a t e m e n t  
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus as set  
out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian department of communications.  
Le present appareil numerique n'emet pas de bruit radioelectriques depassant les limites applicables aux  
appareils numeriques de Class B prescrites dans le reglement sur le brouillage radioelectrique edicte par le  
ministere des communications du Canada.  
S a fe t y Re g u la t o ry Co m p lia n c e  
All Maxtor hard drives comply with relevant product safety standards such as CE, CUL, TUV and UL rules and  
regulations. As delivered, Maxtor hard drives are designed for system integration before they are used.  
3 – 5  
SECTION 4  
Ha n d lin g a n d In s t a lla t io n  
P re -fo rm a t t e d Drive  
This Maxtor hard drive has been formatted at the factory. Do not use a low-level formatting program.  
Im p o rt a n t No t ic e  
There are a number of system BIOS’s currently in use which do not support hard drives with more than 4095  
cylinders (2.1 gigabytes). This section contains information describing the conditions which may identify this  
limitation. In order to obtain the full capacity of your Maxtor drive, you will need to follow the recommended  
installation instructions.  
Ha rd Drive Ha n d lin g P re c a u t io n s  
During handling, NEVER drop, jar, or bump a drive. Handle the drive by its sides and avoid touching the printed circuit  
board assembly (PCBA).  
Hard drives are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage. Use proper ESD practices by grounding yourself  
and the computer system the hard drive will be installed in.  
Allow the hard drive to reach room temperature BEFORE installing it in your computer system.  
NEVER switch DC power onto the drive by plugging an electrically live DC source cable into the drive's connector.  
NEVER connect a live connector to the hard drive's IDE interface connector.  
Ele c t ro -S t a t ic Dis c h a rg e (ES D)  
To avoid some of the problems associated with ESD, Maxtor advises that anyone handling a disk drive use a  
wrist strap with an attached wire connected to an earth ground. Failure to observe these precautions voids the  
product warranty.  
Manufacturers frequently experience “unsolved” component/ hardware malfunctions often caused by ESD. To  
reduce the incidence of ESD-related problems, Maxtor recommends that any electronics manufacturing plans  
include a comprehensive ESD program, the basic elements and functions of which are outlined here:  
ESD Program Element  
Management  
Chief coordinator  
Multi-department committee  
Employee training  
ESD Program Function  
Institute and maintain  
Organize and enforce  
Evaluate and improve  
Educate and inform  
ESD program supplies typically include: wrist- and foot-worn grounding straps; counter-top and floor antistatic  
matting; wrist strap testers; ESD video and training materials. Sources for such supplies include:  
Static Control Systems – 3M  
225-4S, 3M Center  
Charleswater  
93 Border St.  
St. Paul, MN 55144  
West Newton, MA 02165-9990  
Maxtor also offers a complete video training package, “Care and Handling of Maxtor Disk Drives.”  
Contact your Maxtor representative for details.  
4 – 1  
INSTALLATION  
Un p a c k in g a n d In s p e c t io n  
Retain any packing material for reuse. Inspect the shipping container for evidence of damage in transit. Notify  
the carrier immediately in case of damage to the shipping container.  
As they are removed, inspect drives for evidence of shipping damage or loose hardware. If a drive is damaged  
(and no container damage is evident), notify Maxtor immediately for drive disposition.  
Figure 4 - 1  
Multi-pack Shipping Container  
4 – 2  
INSTALLATION  
Figure 4 - 2  
Single Pack Shipping Container (Option A)  
Figure 4 - 3  
Single Pack Shipping Container (Option B)  
Re p a c k in g  
If a Maxtor drive requires return, repack it using Maxtor packing materials, including the antistatic bag.  
P h ys ic a l In s t a lla t io n  
Re c o m m e n d e d Mo u n t in g Co n fig u ra t io n  
The DiamondMax™ drive design allows greater shock tolerance than that afforded by larger, heavier drives.  
The drive may be mounted in any attitude using four size 6-32 screws with 1/ 8-inch maximum penetration  
and a maximum torque of 5-inch pounds. See Figure 3-1 for mounting dimensions. Allow adequate  
ventilation to the drive to ensure reliable operation.  
4 – 3  
INSTALLATION  
1 Be fo re Yo u Be g in  
IMP ORTANT – P LEAS E READ!  
Please read this Installation Sheet completely before installing the Maxtor hard drive. It gives general information for installing a Maxtor hard drive in a  
typical computer system.  
If you don’t understand the installation steps, have a qualified computer technician install the hard drive.  
Ha n d lin g P re c a u t io n s  
Allow the hard drive to reach room temperature BEFORE installing it in your computer system.  
Hard drives are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage.  
Handle the drive by its sides. DO NOT touch the printed circuit board assembly.  
NEVER drop, jar, or bump the drive.  
DON’T connect/disconnect any drive cables when the power is on.  
DON’T useanylow-levelformattingsoftwareonthisdrive.  
S ys t e m Re q u ire m e n t s  
IDE/ATinterface  
486processororhigher  
OperatingSystemRequirements  
Fordriveslessthanorequalto8.4GB: DOS5.0orhigher  
Fordriveslargerthan8.4GB:  
InstallingasBootdrive(PrimaryMaster)requiresfullinstallationsetofWindows95orhigher(notupgrade).  
Installingasnon-Bootdrive(PrimarySlave,SecondaryMasterorSlave)requiresthatWindows95orhigherbeinstalledonthe Bootdrive.  
To o ls fo r In s t a lla t io n  
The following tools are needed to complete the installation of your Maxtor hard drive:  
A small Phillips head screw driver  
Your computer user’s manual  
Small needle-nose pliers or  
tweezers  
Operating system software  
Drive Id e n t ific a t io n In fo rm a t io n  
Copy the following information from the label on the top cover of the Maxtor hard drive for future reference:  
Model Number _____________________ Serial Number _____________________  
Cylinders ______________ Heads _____________ Sectors _______________  
HDA Uplevel ______________ PCBA Uplevel _____________ Unique Uplevel _______________  
Ca p a c it y Ba rrie rs  
Due to operating system limitations, DOS cannot access the full capacity of drives larger than 8.4 GB. The Microsoft Windows 95 operating system or  
equivalent (full installation), NOT a Windows 95 upgrade from DOS (Windows 3.1 or 3.11), is required to obtain the full capacity of any hard drive larger  
than 8.4 GB.  
P ro t e c t in g Yo u r Exis t in g Da t a  
Periodicbackupofimportantdataisalwaysagoodidea.Wheneveryourcomputerison,thereisthepotentialforlosingdataonyourharddrive.Thisisespeciallytruewhenrunning  
diskutilitiesoranysoftwarethatdirectlymanipulatesyourfiles.Maxtorrecommendsthatyoumake a backupcopyofthefilesonanyexistingharddrives.Ifrequired,this  
datamaythenbecopiedtotheMaxtorharddriveafterithasbeeninstalledinyourcomputer.Refertoyourcomputeruser’smanualfordetaileddatabackupinstructions.  
4 – 4  
INSTALLATION  
2 Ge n e ra l Re q u ire m e n t s  
S ys t e m Ha rd w a re Re q u ire m e n t s  
The minimum system Maxtor recommends for drives 8.4 GB or less is a 486 DX 66 MHz system. For drives larger than 8.4 GB, we recommend a  
Pentium-classsystem.  
BIOS Re q u ire m e n t s  
SystemBIOSdatedpriortoSeptember1997donotsupportdrivesgreaterthan8.4GB.Toobtainthefullcapacityofadrivelargerthan8.4GB,upgradetheBIOS,installaBIOS  
enhancercardorusetheMaxBlastinstallationsoftware(version9.06ornewer).  
Ult ra Dire c t Me m o ry Ac c e s s (UDMA)  
UDMA mode on a Maxtor hard drive will only activate when the drive is installed in a system with full UDMA capability, i.e., a mother board or interface card  
with the UDMA chips and the associated UDMA software drivers.  
OS Re q u ire m e n t s fo r La rg e Ca p a c it y Ha rd Drive s  
A full installation of the Windows 95 operating system is required for hard drives larger than 8.4 GB when the drive is a Primary Master. An upgrade to  
Windows 95 from Windows 3.11 and/or the DOS operating system will not support drive capacities greater than 8.4 GB when the drive is a Primary Master.  
3 Ha rd Drive Id e n t ific a t io n  
IDE stands for Integrated Drive Electronics and EIDE is Enhanced IDE. The IDE or EIDE interface is designed to support two devices – typically hard drives – on a  
single ribbon cable through one 40 pin connector on the mother board or interface card.  
Some mother boards and interface cards may have a second IDE/EIDE connector to support two additional IDE devices. The IDE/EIDE interface is identified as  
a primary or secondary interface. In systems with only a single connector on the mother board or interface card, it is the primary IDE/EIDE interface. To add a  
second IDE/EIDE interface requires a special interface card. In systems with two connectors on the mother board or interface card, one is the primary and the  
other as the secondary.  
The primary interface must be used for at least one IDE device before connecting any devices to the secondary IDE interface.  
Ribbon cable lengths are limited to 18 inches and have two or three 40 pin connectors. This cable is referred to as a parallel cable and IDE devices may be  
connected anywhere on the cable. One of the connectors is attached to the IDE connector on the mother board or interface card and the remaining  
connector(s) are available for the IDE devices.  
Id e n t ifyin g IDE De vic e s o n t h e In t e rfa c e  
Each device must be identified as either the Master or Slave device on that interface (cable). Each cable must have a Master before it can have a Slave device  
on the cable. There cannot be two Master or two Slave devices on the same cable.  
IDE devices use jumpers to designate the Master/Slave identification of the device. Each manufacturer may have its own jumpering scheme to identify the  
device as a Master or Slave and its relationship to other IDE devices attached to the same cable.  
J u m p e r S e t t in g s  
A jumper is a small piece of plastic that slides over a pair of configuration pins on the drive to activate a specific function. The jumper illustration below shows  
three valid jumper settings for Maxtor hard drives – Master, Slave and Cable Select. Maxtor hard drives can be set as either a Master or a Slave device.  
There are no other jumpers to set when the Maxtor drive is installed on the same ribbon cable with another IDE device.  
4 – 5  
Rear View of Maxtor Hard Drive  
Master, Slave and Cable Select Settings  
INSTALLATION  
Before installing the drive in the computer, you must determine how the jumpers on the Maxtor hard drive are to be set for your system based upon the use of  
the Maxtor hard drive as either a Master or Slave device. Maxtor hard drives are shipped with the Master jumper setting enabled.  
IMPORTANT: If a Maxtor hard drive is being added to a system on the same cable with an existing IDE device, it may be necessary to re-configure the  
jumpers on the existing device to insure that the system will properly recognize both devices. Information regarding the correct jumper configurations on other  
IDE devices is available in their product documentation or from the manufacturer of that device.  
S ys t e m s Us in g Ca b le S e le c t  
IMPORTANT Most systems do not use this feature. Unless you are sure that your computer system supports Cable Select, do not set up the drive with this  
feature enabled.  
Maxtor hard drives support Cable Select. The Cable Select method of drive identification allows the system to identify Master and Slave IDE devices based  
upon the position (connector) the IDE device is attached to on the interface (ribbon) cable.  
A special IDE cable select interface (ribbon) cable is required for systems using the Cable Select feature.  
Systems that use Cable Select do not support the standard Master/Slave definitions described above and the standard IDE interface (ribbon) cable cannot  
be used on these systems. If your system supports this feature, refer to the system user’s manual or contact the system manufacturer for specific procedures  
for installing hard drives.  
On Maxtor hard drives, Cable Select is enabled by installing a jumper on J48.  
Re la t io n s h ip t o Ot h e r IDE De vic e s  
Maxtor recommends that its hard drives be configured as a Master device to any IDE device that is not a hard drive (e.g., CD-ROM’s, Tape drives, Zip Drives  
etc.).  
4 Mo u n t in g Drive in S ys t e m  
Turn the computer OFF, disconnect the power cord and remove the cover. Refer to the computer user’s manual for information on removing the cover.  
Each system manufacturer uses different types of cases, including desktop, mini-tower, full tower and other special configurations. As a result, there are many  
different possible mounting locations that could be used.  
In a typical system case, there are specific 3.5 inch and 5.25 inch bays available for storage devices. When a 3.5 inch mounting bay is available, mounting  
brackets are not required. If a 5.25 inch mounting bay is used, mounting brackets will be required to mount the Maxtor hard drive in the system case. Refer to  
the system manufacturers user’s manual or contact the system manufacturer directly for additional information.  
In s t a llin g 5 .2 5 -in c h Mo u n t in g Bra c k e t s a n d Ra ils  
If the Maxtor hard drive is being mounted in a 5.25 inch drive bay, the following figure shows how to attach the brackets to the drive. The brackets are not  
required when mounting in a 3.5 inch drive bay.  
In s t a llin g in a De vic e Ba y  
After the hard drive is prepared with mounting brackets, if required, and the jumpers are set correctly, the drive can be mounted in a device bay and secured.  
Be sure to secure the drive with all four screws in the device bay. This provides grounding and protection from shock and vibration.  
NOTE:Computersystemsusedifferentmethodsformountingharddrives.Pleaserefertothecomputeruser’smanualorcontactthemanufacturerforspecificmounting  
instructions.  
4 – 6  
INSTALLATION  
5 At t a ch in g In t e rfa c e a n d Po w e r Ca b le s  
In order for the computer to recognize that the Maxtor hard drive is in the system, the power cable and IDE interface cable must be properly connected.  
1
Attach an available IDE interface connector to J1 on the Maxtor hard drive.  
The striped or colored edge of the IDE interface cable indicates pin 1. Pin 1 on the IDE interface cable connector must match pin 1 on the Maxtor hard drive  
IDE interface connector – closest to the drive power connector. It must also match pin 1 on the IDE connector on the mother board or IDE interface card.  
Refer to the system or interface card user’s manual for identification of pin 1 on their IDE interface connector.  
2
Connect an available power connector to J2 on the Maxtor hard drive. This connector is keyed and will only fit in one orientation.  
Do not force the connector.  
After attaching the IDE  
interface cable and the  
power cable to the Maxtor  
hard drive, verify that all  
other cables connected to  
other devices, the mother  
board or interface card(s) are  
correctly seated.  
Striped/colored edge is pin  
6 At t a ch in g S ys t e m Ca b le s  
The computer system the Maxtor hard drive is being installed in will have its own cable placement and connection methods. This means that the location of  
the IDE interface connectors on the mother board and/or interface card and the orientation of pin one is determined by the manufacturer. Also, older systems  
and interface cards may have only a single IDE interface connection – limiting the system to two IDE devices. Refer to the system or interface card user’s  
manual for cable connection and orientation instructions.  
Attach the 40-pin IDE interface cable from the Maxtor hard drive to the IDE connector on the mother board or IDE interface card. Insure that the red edge of  
the ribbon cable is oriented to pin 1 on the interface.  
4 – 7  
INSTALLATION  
7 S ys t e m S e t u p  
The following procedures are designed for systems using the DOS 5.0 (or higher), Windows 95 and Windows 98 operating systems. For other operating  
systems (e.g., Windows NT, OS2, UNIX, LINUX and NovellNetWare), refer to the operating system user’s manual for the BIOS setting and other installation  
requirements.  
For drives with capacities larger than 8.4 GB, the full installation set for Windows 95A or 95B (OSR2), Windows 98 or equivalent, is required. Operating systems  
that do not support extended interrupt 13 cannot access or format a drive larger than 8.4 GB. This is true regardless of BIOS, mother board or interface card  
support. DOS based operating systems do not support this interrupt and are limited to a maximum drive size that they can format and access of 8.4 GB. It is not  
possible to upgrade from a DOS operating system to Windows 95 and obtain the full capacity of a drive larger than 8.4 GB.  
S e t t in g t h e BIOS (CMOS )  
The SETUP (BIOS) program identifies the system configuration information (e.g., floppy disk drives, hard disk drives, video, etc.) used to identify devices  
attached to the computer during system boot. This includes the information about what kind and how many IDE hard drives are attached to the system.  
IMPORTANT: Please Note – Major BIOS manufacturers like AMI, Award and Phoenix provide their core BIOS programs to system board manufacturers and  
OEM’s who have the capability of making modifications to some of the descriptions and definitions to meet their unique requirements. These changes include,  
but are not limited to, how to access the BIOS, the appearance of the information on the screens and the location of parameters within the BIOS. Refer to the  
system or BIOS manufacturers documentation or contact the system manufacturer for the correct procedure to enter the BIOS setup program for your  
computer. Some manufacturers may use their own unique BIOS definitions and configurations and will also have their own methods for accessing and setting  
the BIOS. If you have a system that uses such a unique BIOS, refer to the system user’s manual or contact the manufacturer for assistance.  
WARNING: When entering settings for the Maxtor hard drive, be careful not to change any of the other BIOS settings, or other parts of  
the system may not work correctly.  
BIOS (CMOS ) P a ra m e t e rs  
In order for the computer system to recognize the new Maxtor hard drive, it is necessary to set the system BIOS with the correct information about the drive.  
To do this, run the system SETUP (BIOS) program.  
The Maxtor hard drive must be identified to the system through the BIOS and it must be registered in the BIOS based upon its position relative to the other IDE  
devices connected to the system and recorded in the BIOS.  
Most newer BIOS’ provide the descriptions of Primary Master, Primary Slave, Secondary Master and Secondary Slave (see section 2) which identify the  
device configuration and location on an IDE interface and its relationship to the other IDE devices on the same interface or ribbon cable.  
Some older BIOS versions do not use this terminology for identification and it may be necessary to refer to the system user’s manual or BIOS documentation to  
determine where the drive settings should be set in that specific BIOS. If this information is not available, then it will be necessary to contact the system  
manufacturer for the correct terminology to correctly identify the drives within the system.  
The following are the typical steps to be used to set the hard drive parameters in a BIOS:  
A Turn the system ON. During the system start-up sequence, run the SETUP (BIOS) program or similar commands to access the system BIOS.  
Note: Newer systems will typically display a message (e.g., press DEL to Enter Setup) identifying how to access the SETUP (BIOS) program.  
B
Once the SETUP (BIOS) program is active, do one of the following to set the BIOS parameters for the Maxtor hard drive.  
1
Enter the BIOS menu where the hard drive settings are displayed, select the correct entry (Primary Master, Primary Slave, Secondary Master or  
Secondary Slave or their equivalents) to set the parameters for the Maxtor hard drive.  
If the SETUP program provides an “AUTO DETECT” capability, use this feature to detect the Maxtor hard drive. If the SETUP program does not have  
AUTO DETECT, set the drive parameters as defined in step 2. Typically, this feature is available for each individual IDE device. It may be necessary to  
exit the BIOS, re-boot the system and re-enter the BIOS before the AUTO DETECT operation will take effect.  
IMPORTANT After the SETUP program has detected the hard drive, verify that the Logical Block Addressing (LBA) mode is enabled for the drive - as  
not all BIOS versions set this feature during the AUTO DETECT process.  
Comment: When LBA is enabled, some BIOS programs (typically Award) will change the values of the cylinders and heads by dividing the cylinders by  
2, 4, 8 or 16 and multiplying the heads by the same value. This operation will not change the capacity of the hard drive.  
If the system correctly detects the drive and does not hang during the boot process, proceed to Section 8. If the system hangs during the POST,  
proceed to Section 9. If Auto Detect did not find the drive and no error message was presented, proceed to step 2 below.  
2
Enter the BIOS menu where the hard drive definitions are displayed and select the appropriate entry (Primary Master, Primary Slave, Secondary  
Master or Secondary Slave – or their equivalents) for the Maxtor hard drive. If the SETUP program does not provide an AUTO DETECT capability, the  
4 – 8  
INSTALLATION  
drive parameters must be set using the User Definable Type (UDT).  
Set the Cylinder, Head and Sector values with the values listed on the drive label. The drive label is located on the top cover of the drive. The fields  
LZone (Landing Zone) and WPcom (Write Pre-comp) are not used by the Maxtor hard drive. These fields may be set to 0 or by the values assigned by  
the BIOS.  
Note: Each BIOS manufacturer uses different methods of identifying the UDT. Newer BIOS’ from all manufacturer’s will usually include an entry called  
User” or “User 1.” Older BIOS’ vary in the method used to identify the UDT. Following are examples of BIOS UDT: AMI = Type 47, Award = Type 47 and  
Phoenix = Type 48  
Only the cylinder, head and sector values printed on the drive label must be entered. All other values may be zero (0). Set the LBA mode to enabled for this  
drive. Refer to the system users manual or contact the system manufacturer for information on enabling LBA.  
If the SETUP program does not provide the UDT, set the BIOS to the drive type with the largest capacity of those listed in the BIOS.  
C
After the drive parameters are entered, follow the SETUP program procedures to save the settings and exit the SETUP program. After changing BIOS  
settings, saving the values and exiting, the SETUP program should force the system to re-boot.  
If you are not sure how the UDT is defined in the BIOS, refer to the computer user’s manual or contact the system manufacturer.  
8 Ha rd Drive P re p a ra t io n  
To finish the installation, the drive must be partitioned and formatted. Hard drive partitioning and formatting may be done with the operating system software  
or with MaxBlast installation software. Select A or B below to complete the preparation of the Maxtor hard drive.  
NOTE:Drive letter assignment is controlled by the operating system and not by the BIOS or MaxBlast. The operating system assigns drive letters to all devices  
as follows: (1) to all hard drives and their partitions; (2) to all other devices like CD-ROM’s and tape drives. When adding an additional hard drive to the system,  
the drive letters will be automatically changed by the operating system.  
A Preparing the hard drive using the operating system software.  
IMPORTANT Due to operating system limitations, DOS operating systems cannot access the full capacity of drives larger than 8.4 GB. The Windows 95 full  
installation, not an upgrade from DOS, operating system or equivalent is required to obtain the full capacity of any drive larger than 8.4 GB.  
If the system or interface card correctly supports the Maxtor hard drive, the drive may be partitioned and formatted using the operating system software. If the  
cylinder limitation jumper (J46) is installed or the BIOS does not support the hard drive, the MaxBlast installation software (option B below) must be used to  
prepare the hard drive.  
NOTE:All versions of DOS, PC-DOS, DR-DOS and Windows 95A (FAT 16 support) have a partition size limitation of 2.1 GB. For drives larger than 2.1 GB, the  
drive must be divided into partitions that do not exceed the 2.1 GB limitation. Windows 95B (OSR2) does not have this limitation. Windows NT, OS2, UNIX,  
LINUX and Novell NetWare may have different limitations but please refer to their documentation or contact the manufacturer to verify their support or  
limitations.  
For detailed operating system installation assistance, refer to the system manufacturers user’s manual, the operating system user’s manual or contact the  
manufacturer directly.  
B
Preparing the hard drive using MaxBlast installation software.  
1
2
Boot the system with the bootable MaxBlast software installation diskette.  
The MaxBlast installation software will load and the first screen of the program will display. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the hard drive  
installation.  
4 – 9  
INSTALLATION  
9 System Hangs During Boot  
If the system hangs during the boot process after installing the Maxtor hard drive – either before or after setting the system BIOS – the system many have a  
BIOS with a cylinder limitation. This may occur for hard drives that exceed 2.1 GB. If this happens,  
do the following:  
1
2
Turn the system OFF.  
Install the cylinder limitation jumper (J46) on the drive. The figure below shows the Maxtor hard drive configured as a Master or Slave device with the  
cylinderlimitationjumperinstalled.  
IMPORTANT: When the Cylinder Limitation jumper (J46) is installed, the Maxtor hard drive must be prepared using MaxBlast installation software.  
3
If the BIOS was set to AUTO DETECT, follow the instructions in Section 7 to prepare the hard drive using the MaxBlast installation software.  
IfotherBIOSsettingswereused,accessthesystemBIOSSETUPprogramandsettheparameterstoaUserDefinableTypewith4,092cylinders,16headsand63  
sectorspertrackfortheMaxtorharddrive.ThenfollowtheinstructionsforsettingtheBIOSinSection7thenSection8topreparetheharddrivewithMaxBlastsoftware.  
4 – 10  
SECTION 5  
AT In t e rfa c e De s c rip t io n  
In t e rfa c e Co n n e c t o r  
All DiamondMax™ 6800 AT drives have a 40-pin ATA interface connector mounted on the PCBA. The drive  
may connect directly to the host; or it can also accommodate a cable connection (max cable length:  
18 inches).  
Figure 5-1  
Data Connector  
P in De s c rip t io n S u m m a ry  
PIN  
01  
03  
05  
07  
09  
11  
SIGNAL  
PIN  
02  
04  
06  
08  
10  
12  
14  
16  
18  
20  
22  
24  
26  
28  
30  
SIGNAL  
Ground  
DD8  
Reset -  
DD7  
DD6  
DD9  
DD5  
DD10  
DD4  
DD11  
DD3  
DD12  
13  
15  
17  
19  
21  
23  
25  
27  
29  
DD2  
DD13  
DD1  
DD0  
DD14  
DD15  
Ground  
(keypin)  
Ground  
Ground  
Ground  
CSEL  
DMARQ  
DIOW -:STOP  
DIOR -:HDMARDY:HSTROBE  
IORDY:DDMARDY:DSTROBE  
DMACK -  
Ground  
IOCS16  
Obsolete  
31  
INTRQ  
32  
33  
35  
37  
39  
DA1  
DA0  
34  
36  
38  
40  
PDIAG -  
DA2  
CS0 -  
DASP -  
CS1 -  
Ground  
5 – 1  
AT INTERFACEDESCRIPTION  
P in De s c rip t io n Ta b le  
PIN NAME  
RESET -  
DD0  
PIN  
I/O SIGNAL NAME  
SIGNAL DESCRIPTION  
01  
I
Host Reset  
Reset signal from the host system. Active during power up and inactive after.  
17  
I/O Host Data Bus  
16 bit bi-directional data bus between host and drive. Lower 8 bits used for register  
and ECC byte transfers. All 16 bits used for data transfers.  
DD1  
DD2  
15  
13  
11  
09  
07  
05  
03  
04  
06  
08  
10  
12  
14  
16  
18  
21  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
I/O  
DD3  
DD4  
DD5  
DD6  
DD7  
DD8  
DD9  
DD10  
DD11  
DD12  
DD13  
DD14  
DD15  
DMARQ  
O
DMA Request  
Host I/O Write  
Host I/O Read  
This signal is used with DMACK for DMA transfers. By asserting this signal, the  
drive indicates that data is ready to be transfered to and from the host.  
DIOW -  
STOP  
23  
25  
I
Rising edge of Write strobe clocks data from the host data bus to a register on the  
drive.  
DIOR -  
HDMARDY  
I
Read strobe enables data from a register on the drive onto the host data bus.  
DMA ready during UltraDMA data in bursts.  
Data strobe during UltraDMA data out bursts.  
HSTROBE  
IORDY  
DDMARDY  
-
27  
O
I/O Channel Ready  
Cable Select  
This signal may be driven low by the drive to insert wait states into host I/O cycles.  
DMA ready during UltraDMA data out bursts.  
Data strobe during UltraDMA data in bursts.  
DSTROBE  
CSEL  
DMACK -  
INTRQ  
28  
29  
31  
Used for Master/Slave selection via cable. Requires special cabling on host system  
and installation of Cable Select jumper.  
I
DMA Acknowledge This signal is used with DMARQ for DMA transfers. By asserting this signal, the  
host is acknowledging the receipt of data or is indicating that data is available.  
O
Host Interrupt  
Request  
Interrupt to the host asserted when the drive requires attention from the host.  
IOCS16  
PDIAG -  
DA0  
32  
34  
35  
33  
36  
37  
Device 16 bit I/O  
Obsolete  
I/O Passed Diagnostic  
Output by drive when in Slave mode; Input to drive when in Master mo e.  
3 bit binary address from the host to select a register in the drive.  
I
I
I
I
Host Address Bus  
DA1  
DA2  
CS0 -  
Host Chip Select 0  
Host Chip Select 1  
Chip select from the host used to access the Command Block registers in the drive.  
This signal is a decode of I/O addresses 1F0 - 1F7 hex.  
CS1 -  
DASP -  
GND  
38  
39  
I
Chip select from the host used to access the Control registers in the drive. This  
signal is a decode of I/O addresses 3F6 - 3F7 hex.  
I/O Drive Active/Drive 1 Time-multiplexed, open collector output which indicates that a drive is active, or that  
Present  
device 1 is present.  
02  
19  
22  
24  
26  
30  
40  
20  
N/A Ground  
Signal ground.  
KEY  
N/A Key  
Pin used for keying the interface connector.  
5 – 2  
AT INTERFACEDESCRIPTION  
P IO Tim in g  
TIMING PARAMETERS  
MODE 0  
MODE 1  
MODE 2  
MODE 3  
MODE 4  
t0  
Cycle Time (min)  
600 ns  
70 ns  
383 ns  
50 ns  
240 ns  
30 ns  
180 ns  
30 ns  
80 ns  
70 ns  
30 ns  
10 ns  
20 ns  
5 ns  
120 ns  
25 ns  
70 ns  
25 ns  
20 ns  
10 ns  
20 ns  
5 ns  
t1  
Address valid to DIOR-/DIOW- setup (min)  
DIOR-/DIOW- 16-bit (min)  
DIOR-/DIOW- recovery time (min)  
DIOW- data setup (min)  
t2  
165 ns  
125 ns  
100 ns  
t2i  
t3  
60 ns  
30 ns  
50 ns  
5 ns  
45 ns  
20 ns  
35 ns  
5 ns  
30 ns  
15 ns  
20 ns  
5 ns  
t4  
DIOW- data hold (min)  
t5  
DIOR- data setup (min)  
t6  
DIOW- data hold (min)  
t6Z  
t9  
DIOR- data tristate (max)  
DIOR-/DIOW- to address valid hold (min)  
Read Data Valid to IORDY active (min)  
IORDY Setup Time  
30 ns  
20 ns  
0
30 ns  
15 ns  
0
30 ns  
10 ns  
0
30 ns  
10 ns  
0
30 ns  
10 ns  
0
tRd  
tA  
tB  
35 ns  
1250 ns  
35 ns  
1250 ns  
35 ns  
1250 ns  
35 ns  
1250 ns  
35 ns  
1250 ns  
IORDY Pulse Width (max)  
Figure 5 - 2  
PIO Data Transfer To/From Device  
5 – 3  
AT INTERFACEDESCRIPTION  
DMA Tim in g  
TIMING PARAMETERS  
MODE 0  
MODE 1  
MODE 2  
t0  
Cycle Time (min)  
480 ns  
150 ns  
120 ns  
tC  
tD  
tE  
DMACK to DMARQ delay  
DIOR-/DIOW- (min)  
215 ns  
150 ns  
5 ns  
80 ns  
60 ns  
5 ns  
70 ns  
DIOR- data access (min)  
tF  
DIOR- data hold (min)  
5 ns  
20 ns  
10 ns  
0
tG  
tH  
tI  
DIOR-/DIOW- data setup (min)  
DIOW- data hold (min)  
100 ns  
20 ns  
0
30 ns  
15 ns  
0
DMACK to DIOR-/DIOW- setup (min)  
DIOR-/DIOW- to DMACK hold (min)  
DIOR- negated pulse width (min)  
DIOW- negated pulse width (min)  
DIOR- to DMARQ delay (max)  
DIOW- to DMARQ delay (max)  
DMACK- to tristate (max)  
tJ  
20 ns  
50 ns  
215 ns  
120 ns  
40 ns  
20 ns  
5 ns  
5 ns  
tKr  
tKw  
tLr  
tLw  
tZ  
50 ns  
50 ns  
40 ns  
40 ns  
25 ns  
25 ns  
25 ns  
35 ns  
35 ns  
25 ns  
Figure 5 - 3  
Multi-word DMA Data Transfer  
5 – 4  
AT INTERFACEDESCRIPTION  
Ult ra DMA Tim in g  
TIMING PARAMETERS (all times in nanoseconds)  
MODE 0  
MODE 1  
MODE 2  
MIN MAX MIN MAX MIN MAX  
tCYC  
Cycle Time (from STROBE edge to STROBE edge)  
114  
75  
55  
t2CYC  
Two cycle time (from rising edge to next rising edge or  
from falling edge to next falling edge of STROBE)  
235  
156  
117  
tDS  
Data setup time (at recipient)  
Data hold time (at recipient)  
15  
5
10  
5
7
5
70  
5
tDH  
tDVS  
Data valid setup time at sender (time from data bus being  
valid until STROBE edge)  
70  
48  
34  
tDVH  
Data valid hold time at sender (time from STROBE edge  
until data may go invalid)  
6
0
6
0
6
0
20  
tFS  
tLI  
First STROBE (time for device to send first STROBE)  
230  
150  
200  
150  
170  
Limited interlock time (time allowed between an action by  
one agent, either host or device, and the following action  
by the other agent)  
0
0
0
150  
10  
tMLI  
tUI  
Interlock time with minimum  
20  
0
20  
0
20  
0
Unlimited interlock time  
tAZ  
Maximum time allowed for outputs to release  
10  
10  
tZAH  
tZAD  
tENV  
20  
0
20  
0
20  
0
Minimum delay time required for output drivers turning on  
(from released state)  
Envelope time (all control signal transitions are within the  
DMACK envelope by this much time)  
20  
70  
50  
75  
20  
70  
30  
60  
20  
70  
20  
50  
tSR  
STROBE to DMARDY (response time to ensure the  
synchronous pause case when the recipient is pausing)  
tRFS  
tRP  
Ready-to-final-STROBE time (no more STROBE edges may  
be sent this long after receiving DMARDY- negation)  
Ready-to-pause time (time until a recipient may assume  
that the sender has paused after negation of DMARDY-)  
160  
125  
100  
tIORDYZ Pull-up time before allowing IORDY to be released  
tZIORDY Minimum time device shall wait before driving IORDY  
20  
20  
20  
0
0
0
tACK  
Setup and hold times before assertion and negation of  
DMACK-  
20  
20  
20  
tSS  
Time from STROBE edge to STOP assertion when the  
sender is stopping  
50  
50  
50  
DMARQ  
(device)  
tUI  
DMACK-  
(host)  
tFS  
tACK  
tENV  
tZAD  
STOP  
(host)  
tFS  
tACK  
tENV  
HDMARDY-  
(host)  
tZAD  
tZIORDY  
DSTROBE  
(device)  
tAZ  
tVDS  
tDVH  
DD(15:0)  
tACK  
DA0, DA1, DA2,  
CS0-, CS1-  
Figure 5 - 4  
Initiating an Ultra DMA Data In Burst  
5 – 5  
AT INTERFACEDESCRIPTION  
t2CYC  
tCYC  
tCYC  
t2CYC  
DSTROBE  
at device  
tDVH  
tDVH  
tDVH  
tDVS  
tDVS  
DD(15:0)  
at device  
DSTROBE  
at host  
tDH  
tDS  
tDH  
tDS  
tDH  
DD(15:0)  
at host  
Figure 5 - 5  
Sustained Ultra DMA Data In Burst  
DMARQ  
(device)  
DMACK-  
(host)  
tRP  
STOP  
(host)  
tSR  
HDMARDY-  
(host)  
tRFS  
DSTROBE  
(device)  
DD(15:0)  
(device)  
Figure 5 - 6  
Host Pausing an Ultra DMA Data In Burst  
5 – 6  
AT INTERFACEDESCRIPTION  
DMARQ  
(device)  
tMLI  
DMACK-  
(host)  
tACK  
tLI  
tLI  
STOP  
(host)  
tACK  
tLI  
HDMARDY-  
(host)  
tSS  
tIORDYZ  
DSTROBE  
(device)  
tZAH  
tAZ  
tDVS  
tDVH  
DD(15:0)  
CRC  
tACK  
DA0, DA1, DA2,  
CS0-, CS1-  
Figure 5 - 7  
Device Terminating an Ultra DMA Data In Burst  
DMARQ  
(device)  
tLI  
tMLI  
DMACK-  
(host)  
tZAH  
tAZ  
tRP  
tACK  
STOP  
(host)  
tACK  
HDMARDY-  
(host)  
tRFS  
tMLI  
tLI  
tIORDYZ  
DSTROBE  
(device)  
tDVS  
tDVH  
DD(15:0)  
CRC  
tACK  
DA0, DA1, DA2,  
CS0-, CS1-  
Figure 5 - 8  
Host Terminating an Ultra DMA Data In Burst  
5 – 7  
AT INTERFACEDESCRIPTION  
DMARQ  
(device)  
tUI  
DMACK-  
(host)  
tACK  
tENV  
STOP  
(host)  
tZIORDY  
tLI  
tUI  
DDMARDY-  
(device)  
tACK  
HSTROBE  
(host)  
tDVS  
tDVH  
DD(15:0)  
(host)  
tACK  
DA0, DA1, DA2,  
CS0-, CS1-  
Figure 5 - 9  
Initiating an Ultra DMA Data Out Burst  
t2CYC  
tCYC  
tCYC  
t2CYC  
HSTROBE  
at host  
tDVH  
tDVH  
tDVH  
tDVS  
tDVS  
DD(15:0)  
at host  
HSTROBE  
at device  
tDH  
tDS  
tDH  
tDS  
tDH  
DD(15:0)  
at device  
Figure 5 - 10  
Sustained Ultra DMA Data Out Burst  
5 – 8  
AT INTERFACEDESCRIPTION  
tRP  
DMARQ  
(device)  
DMACK-  
(host)  
STOP  
(host)  
tSR  
DDMARDY-  
(device)  
tRFS  
HSTROBE  
(host)  
DD(15:0)  
(host)  
Figure 5 - 11  
Device Pausing an Ultra DMA Data Out Burst  
tLI  
DMARQ  
(device)  
tMLI  
DMACK-  
(host)  
tLI  
tACK  
tSS  
STOP  
(host)  
tLI  
tIORDYZ  
DDMARDY-  
(device)  
tACK  
HSTROBE  
(host)  
tDVS  
tDVH  
DD(15:0)  
(host)  
CRC  
tACK  
DA0, DA1, DA2,  
CS0-, CS1-  
Figure 5 - 12  
Host Terminating an Ultra DMA Data Out Burst  
5 – 9  
AT INTERFACEDESCRIPTION  
DMARQ  
(device)  
DMACK-  
(host)  
tLI  
tMLI  
tACK  
STOP  
(host)  
tRP  
tIORDYZ  
DDMARDY-  
(device)  
tRFS  
tMLI  
tACK  
tDVH  
tACK  
tLI  
HSTROBE  
(host)  
tDVS  
DD(15:0)  
(host)  
CRC  
DA0, DA1, DA2,  
CS0-, CS1-  
Figure 5 - 13  
Device Terminating an Ultra DMA Data Out Burst  
5 – 10  
SECTION 6  
Host Software Interface  
The host communicates with the drive through a set of controller registers accessed via the host’s I/O ports.  
These registers divide into two groups: the Task File, used for passing commands and command parameters and  
the Control/Diagnostic registers.  
Task File Registers  
The Task File consists of eight registers used to control fixed disk operations. The host accesses each register  
by the I/O port address shown in this Task File register map:  
I/O PORT  
1F0h  
1F1h  
1F2h  
1F3h  
1F4h  
1F5h  
1F6h  
READ  
WRITE  
Data Register  
Error Register  
Sector Count  
Sector Number  
Cylinder Low  
Cylinder High  
Drive/Head (SDH)  
Status Register  
Data Register  
Features Register  
Sector Count  
Sector Number  
Cylinder Low  
Cylinder High  
Drive/Head (SDH)  
Command Register  
1F7h  
Data Register  
Provides access to the drive’s sector buffer for read and write operations. With the exception of ECC byte  
transfers (which, during Read long and Write long commands, are 8 bits wide), data transfers through the  
Data register are all 16 bits wide.  
Error Register  
A read-only register containing specific information regarding the previous command. Data interpretation  
differs depending on whether the controller is in operational or diagnostic mode. A power up, reset,  
software reset, or receipt of a diagnostic command sets the controller into diagnostic mode. This mode  
invalidates contents of the Status register. The contents of the Error register reflect a completion code.  
Issuing any command (apart from a Diagnostic command) places the controller into operational mode.  
In operational mode, the Error register is valid only when the Error bit in the Status register is set. The bit  
definitions for operational mode follow:  
7
0
6
5
0
4
3
0
2
1
0
ECC  
IDNF  
ABRT  
TK0  
AMNF  
Interface  
CRC  
Data  
ECC Error  
Not  
Used  
ID  
Not  
Used  
Aborted  
Command  
Track 0  
Error  
Address  
Mark Not  
Found  
Not Found  
Interface CRC – An interface CRC error occurred during an Ultra DMA transfer.  
Data ECC Error – An non-correctable ECC error occurred during a Read Sector command.  
Firmware Problem – Indicates a firmware problem was detected, (e.g., invalid interrupt, divide overflow).  
ID Not Found – Either a matching ID field not found, or a CRC error occurred.  
Aborted Command – Invalid commands, write fault, no seek complete, or drive not ready.  
Track 0 Error – Track 0 was not found during execution of a Restore command.  
Address Mark Not Found – The Address Mark could not be found after an ID match.  
Features Register  
Enables or disables features through the Set Features command.  
6 – 1  
HOST SOFTWARE INTERFACE  
Sector Count Register  
Holds the number of sectors to be sent during a Read or Write command, and the number of sectors per  
track during a Format command. A value of zero in this register implies a transfer of 256 sectors. A multi-  
sector operation decrements the Sector Count register. If an error occurs during such an operation, this  
register contains the remaining number of sectors to be transferred.  
Sector Number Register  
Holds the starting sector number for any disk operation. The register is updated as each sector is processed in  
a multi-sector operation.  
Cylinder Number Registers  
Two 8-bit Cylinder Number registers (Low and High) specify the starting cylinder for disk operation.  
Device/Head Register  
Used to specify the drive and head number to be operated on during any disk operations. Within the  
context of a Set Parameters command, this register specifies the maximum number of heads on the drive.  
Bit definitions follow:  
7
1
6
5
1
4
3
2
1
0
LBA  
DRV  
HS3  
HS2  
HS1  
HS0  
Drive  
Head  
Head  
Head  
Mode  
Select  
Select  
Select  
Select  
Select  
Select LBA Mode – Enabling this bit for commands not supported by LBA mode will abort the selected command. When set,  
the Task File register contents are defined as follows for the Read/Write and translate command:  
CONTENTS  
Sector Number  
Cylinder Low  
Cylinder High  
Drive/Head  
LBA BITS  
0 - 7  
8 - 15  
16 - 23  
24 - 27  
Drive Select – Set to 0 to select the master drive; set to 1 to select the slave drive.  
Head Select – Specifies the binary coded address of the head to be selected.  
Status Register  
Contains results of the last command executed, and the drive’s status. The other seven Task File registers may  
be read only when bit 7 (BUSY) of the Status register is low. Reading any of the Task File registers when  
BUSY is high returns the value of the Status register. Reading the Status register also clears any interrupt  
request to the host. Bit definitions follow:  
7
6
5
4
3
2
0
1
0
0
BUSY  
DRDY  
DF  
DSC  
DRQ  
ERR  
Error  
Controller  
Busy  
Device  
Ready  
Device  
Fault  
Device Seek Data  
Complete Request  
Controller Busy – Goes active when a command is written to the Command register, indicating controller task  
execution. After a command, this bit resets.  
Device Ready – Indicates that the drive is ready for commands. If drive ready is not present, all commands abort.  
Device Fault – Indicates the drive’s detection of a write fault condition, causing all commands to abort.  
Device Seek Complete – Signifies a seek completion, and that the drive is on track.  
Data Request – Indicates that the drive’s sector buffer is ready for data transfer.  
Error – The Error bit sets when the previous command has completed with a non-recoverable error.  
6 – 2  
HOST SOFTWARE INTERFACE  
Command Register  
Contains code for the command to be performed. Additional command information should be written to the  
task file before the Command register is loaded. When this register is written, the BUSY bit in the Status  
register sets, and interrupt request to the host clears; invalid commands abort. (Detailed information on interface  
commands is given in Section 7.) Hex values for valid command formats follow:  
Read Commands  
Read Sector(s)  
20h  
21h  
22h  
23h  
40h  
41h  
E4h  
C4h  
C8h  
C9h  
Normal reads; retries enabled  
Normal reads; retries disabled  
Read Long; retries enabled  
Read Long; retries disabled  
Retries enabled  
Read Verify Sector(s)  
Retries disabled  
Read Sector Buffer  
Read Multiple  
Read DMA  
No retries  
Write Commands  
Write Sector(s)  
30h  
31h  
32h  
33h  
3Ch  
E8h  
C5h  
CAh  
CBh  
Normal writes; retries enabled  
Normal writes; retries disabled  
Write Long; retries enabled  
Write Long; retries disabled  
Write Verify Sector(s)  
Write Sector Buffer  
Write Multiple  
Write DMA  
No retries  
Mode Set/Check Commands  
Set Features  
Set Multiple Mode  
EFh  
C6h  
Power Mode Commands  
Standby Immediate  
Idle Immediate  
Standby  
94/E0h Stops drive spindle; do not change time-out value  
95/E1h Starts spindle; do not change time-out value  
96/E2h Stops spindle; change time-out value  
97/E3h Starts spindle; change time-out value  
98/E5h  
Idle  
Check Power Mode  
Set Sleep Mode  
99/E6h  
Initialization Commands  
Identify Drive  
Initialize Drive Parameters  
Re-calibrate  
ECh  
91h  
1xh  
Seek, Format, and Diagnostic Commands  
Seek  
7xh  
50h  
90h  
Format Track  
Execute Drive Diagnostic  
S.M.A.R.T. Commands  
Execute S.M.A.R.T.  
B0h  
6 – 3  
HOST SOFTWARE INTERFACE  
Summary  
COMMAND NAME  
COMMAND CODE  
PARAMETERS USED  
b7  
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
b6  
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
b5  
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
b4  
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
b3  
x
b2  
x
b1  
x
b0  
x
F
SC  
N
Y
SN  
N
Y
C
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
N
N
N
N
Y
Y
N
SDH  
D
Y
Recalibrate  
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
Y
Read Sector(s)  
Read DMA  
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
x
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
x
L
0
L
1
0
0
0
x
x
x
Y
Y
Y
Write Sector(s)  
Write DMA  
x
Y
Y
Y
x
Y
Y
Y
Write Verify Sector(s)  
Read Verify Sector(s)  
Format Track  
0
x
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
0
x
N
N
N
Y
N
Y
Y
Seek  
Y
Execute Diagnostic  
Initialize Parameters  
Read Sector Buffer  
Write Sector Buffer  
Identify Drive  
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
N
N
N
N
N
N
Y
D
Y
N
N
N
N
Y
D
D
D
D
Y
Set Features  
Read Multiple  
Write Multiple  
Set Multiple Mode  
N
N
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
D
TIMER VALUE  
TIME-OUT PERIOD  
Time-out disabled  
(value * 5) seconds  
((value - 240) * 30) minutes  
21 minutes  
0
1 - 240  
241 - 251  
252  
253  
254  
Vendor unique period = 10 hours  
Reserved  
255  
21 minutes, 15 seconds  
6 – 4  
HOST SOFTWARE INTERFACE  
Control Diagnostic Registers  
These I/O port addresses reference three Control/Diagnostic registers:  
I/O PORT  
3F6h  
READ  
WRITE  
Fixed Disk Control  
Not used  
Alternate Status  
Digital Input  
3F7h  
Alternate Status Register  
Contains the same information as the Status register in the Task File. However, this register may be read at  
any time without clearing a pending interrupt.  
Device Control Register  
Contains the software Reset and Enable bit to enable interrupt requests to the host. Bit definitions follow:  
7
0
6
0
5
0
4
0
3
0
2
1
IEN  
0
0
SRST  
Reset  
IRQ Enable  
Reset – Setting the software Reset bit holds the drive in the reset state. Clearing the bit re-enables the drive.  
The software Reset bit must be held active for a minimum of 5 µsec.  
IRQ Enable – Setting the Interrupt Request Enable to 0 enables the IRQ 14 signal to the host. When this bit is set  
to 1, IRQ14 is tri-stated, and interrupts to the host are disabled. Any pending interrupt occurs when the bit is set to 0.  
The default state of this bit after power up is 0 (interrupt enabled).  
Digital Input Register  
Contains information about the state of the drive. Bit definitions follow:  
7
x
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
-WG  
-HS3  
-HS2  
-HS1  
-HS0  
-DS1  
DS0  
Reserved  
Head  
Select 3  
Head  
Select 2  
Head  
Select 1  
Head  
Select 0  
Drive  
Select 1  
Drive  
Select 0  
Gate  
Bit 7 of the host data bus is not driven when this register is read.  
-Write Gate – Reflects the state of the active low write gate signal on the drive.  
-Head Select 3 through -Head Select 0 – Represents the ones complement of the currently selected head number.  
-Drive Select 1 – Is 0 if drive 1 selected; 1 otherwise.  
-Drive Select 0 – Is 0 if drive 0 selected; 1 otherwise.  
6 – 5  
HOST SOFTWARE INTERFACE  
Reset and Interrupt Handling  
Reset Handling  
One of three different conditions may cause a reset: power on, hardware reset or software reset. All three  
cause the interface processor to initialize itself and the Task File registers of the interface. A reset also causes a  
set of the Busy bit in the Status register. The Busy bit does not clear until the reset clears and the drive  
completes initialization. Completion of a reset operation does not generate a host interrupt.  
Task File registers are initialized as follows:  
Error  
1
1
1
0
0
0
Sector Count  
Sector Number  
Cylinder Low  
Cylinder High  
Drive/Head  
Interrupt Handling  
The drive requests data transfers to and from the host by asserting its IRQ 14 signal. This signal interrupts the  
host if enabled by bit 1 (IRQ enable) of the Fixed Disk Control register.  
Clear this interrupt by reading the Status register, writing the Command register, or by executing a host  
hardware or software reset.  
6 – 6  
SECTION 7  
Interface Commands  
The following section describes the commands (and any parameters necessary to execute them),  
as well as Status and Error register bits affected.  
Read Commands  
Read Sector(s)  
Read Verify Sector(s)  
Read Sector Buffer  
Read DMA  
Multi-word DMA  
Ultra DMA  
Read Multiple  
Set Multiple  
Write Commands  
Write Sector(s)  
Write Verify Sector(s)  
Write Sector Buffer  
Write DMA  
Multi-word DMA  
Ultra DMA  
Write Multiple  
Set Feature Commands  
Set Features Mode  
Power Mode Commands  
Standby Immediate  
Idle Immediate  
Standby  
Idle  
Check Power Mode  
Set Sleep Mode  
Default Power-on Condition  
Initialization Commands  
Identify Drive  
Initialize Drive Parameters  
7 – 1  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
Read Commands  
Read Sector(s)  
Reads from 1 to 256 sectors, as specified in the Command Block, beginning at the specified sector. (A sector  
count of 0 requests 256 sectors.) Immediately after the Command register is written, the drive sets the BSY  
bit and begins execution of the command. If the drive is not already on the desired track, an implied seek is  
performed.  
Once at the desired track, the drive searches for the data address mark of the requested sector. The data  
address mark must be recognized within a specified number of bytes, or the Data Address Mark Not Found  
error will be reported. Assuming the data address mark is found:  
1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
The data field is read into the sector buffer.  
Error bits are set (if an error was encountered).  
The DRQ bit is set.  
An interrupt is generated.  
The DRQ bit is always set, regardless of the presence or absence of an error condition after the sector.  
Upon command completion, the Command Block registers contain the numbers of the cylinder, head and  
sector of the last sector read. Back-to-back sector read commands set DRQ and generate an interrupt when  
the sector buffer is filled at the completion of each sector. The drive is then ready for the data to be read by  
the host. DRQ is reset and BSY is set immediately when the host empties the sector buffer.  
If an error occurs during Read Sector commands, the read terminates at the sector where the error occurred.  
The host may then read the Command Block to determine the nature of that error, and the sector where it  
happened. If the error type is a correctable or an non-correctable data error, the flawed data is loaded into  
the sector buffer.  
A Read Long command sets the Long bit in the command code and returns the data and the ECC bytes in  
the data field of the specified sector. During a Read Long, the drive does not check the ECC bytes to  
determine if there has been a data error. The Read Long command is limited to single sector requests.  
Read Verify Sector(s)  
Identical to the Read Sector(s) command, except that:  
1.  
2.  
3.  
DRQ is never set,  
No data is transferred back to the host and  
The long bit is not valid.  
7 – 2  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
Read DMA  
Multi-word DMA  
Identical to the Read Sector(s) command, except that  
1.  
2.  
The host initializes a slave-DMA channel prior to issuing the command,  
Data transfers are qualified by DMARQ and are performed by the slave-DMA channel  
and  
3.  
The drive issues only one interrupt per command to indicate that data transfer has  
terminated and status is available.  
Ultra DMA  
With the Ultra DMA Read protocol, the control signal (DSTROBE) that latches data from DD(15:0) is  
generated by the devices which drives the data onto the bus. Ownership of DD(15:0) and this data strobe  
signal are given DSTROBE to the drive during an Ultra DMA data in burst.  
During an Ultra DMA Read burst, the drive always moves data onto the bus, and, after a sufficient time to  
allow for propagation delay, cable settling, and setup time, the sender shall generate a DSTROBE edge to  
latch the data. Both edges of DSTROBE are used for data transfers.  
Any unrecoverable error encountered during execution of a Read DMA command terminates data transfer  
after the transfer of all sectors prior to the sector where the error was detected. The sector in error is not  
transferred. The drive generates an interrupt to indicate that data transfer has terminated and status is  
available. The error posting is identical to the Read Sector(s) command.  
Read Multiple  
Performs similarly to the Read Sector(s) command, except that for each READ MULTIPLE command data  
transfers are multiple sector blocks and the Long bit is not valid.  
Execution is also similar to that of the READ SECTOR(S) command, except that:  
1.  
2.  
Several sectors are transferred to the host as a block, without intervening interrupts.  
DRQ qualification of the transfer is required only at the start of each block, not of each sector.  
The block count consists of the number of sectors to be transferred as a block. (The block count is  
programmed by the Set Multiple Mode command, which must be executed prior to the Read Multiple  
command.) READ LONG command is limited to single sector requests.  
When the Read Multiple command is issued, the Sector Count register contains the number of sectors  
requested — not the number of blocks or the block count. If the number of sectors is not evenly divisible  
by the block count, as many full blocks as possible are transferred, followed by a final, partial block transfer.  
This final, partial block transfer is for N sectors, where N = (sector count) modulo (block count)  
The Read Multiple operation will be rejected with an Aborted Command error if attempted:  
1.  
2.  
Before the Set Multiple Mode command has been executed, or  
When Read Multiple commands are disabled.  
The controller reports disk errors encountered during Read Multiple commands at the start of the block or  
partial block transfer. However, DRQ still sets, and the transfer occurs normally, along with the transfer of  
any corrupt data. Remaining block data from the following the sector in error is not valid.  
If the Sector Count register contains 0 when the Set Multiple Mode command is issued, Read Multiple and  
Write Multiple commands are disabled; no error is returned. Once the appropriate action has been taken, the  
controller resets BSY and generates an interrupt. At power up, or after a hardware or software reset, Read  
Multiple and Write Multiple commands are disabled by default.  
7 – 3  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
Set Multiple Mode  
Enables the controller to perform Read and Write Multiple operations, and establishes the block count for  
these commands. Before issuing this command, the Sector Count register should be loaded with the number  
of sectors per block. The drives support block sizes of 2, 4, 8 and 16 sectors.  
When this command is received, the controller sets BSY and examines the Sector Count register contents. If  
they contain a valid and supported block count value, that value is loaded for all subsequent Read and Write  
Multiple commands, and execution of those commands is enabled. An invalid and unsupported block count  
in the register results in an Aborted Command error and disallows Read Multiple and Write Multiple  
commands.  
Write Commands  
Write Sector(s)  
Writes from 1 to 256 sectors, beginning at a sector specified in the Command Block. (A sector count of 0  
requests 256 sectors.)  
When the Command register is written, the drive sets the DRQ bit and waits for the host to fill the sector  
buffer with the data to be written. An interrupt is not generated to start the first buffer fill operation.  
Once the buffer is full, the drive resets DRQ, sets BSY, and begins command execution. If the drive is not  
already on the desired track, an implied seek is performed.  
The data loaded in the buffer is written to the data field of the sector, followed by the ECC bytes. Upon  
command completion, the Command Block registers contain the cylinder, head and sector number of the  
last sector written. The next time the buffer is ready to be filled during back-to-back Write Sector  
commands, DRQ is set and an interrupt is generated.  
After the host fills the buffer, DRQ is reset and BSY is set. If an error occurs, Write Sector operations  
terminate at the sector containing the error.  
The Command Block registers then contain the numbers of the cylinder, head and sector where the error  
occurred. The host may read the Command Block to determine the nature of that error, and on which  
sector it happened. A Write Long may be executed by setting the Long bit in the command code. The  
Write Long command writes the data and the ECC bytes directly from the sector buffer; the drive itself does  
not generate the ECC bytes. Restrict Write Long commands to PIO Mode 0.  
Write Verify Sector(s)  
Identical to the Write Sector(s) command, except that the requested sectors are verified immediately after  
being written. The verify operation reads (without transferring), and checks for data errors. Any errors  
encountered during this operation are reported.  
Write Sector Buffer  
Allows the host to overwrite the contents of the drive’s sector buffer with a selected data pattern. When this  
command is received, the drive:  
1. Sets BSY,  
2. Sets up the sector buffer for a write operation,  
3. Sets DRQ,  
4. Resets BSY and  
5. Generates an interrupt.  
The host may then write up to 256 words of data to the buffer. A disk write task begins to store the host  
data to disk. Host write commands continue to be accepted and data transferred to the buffer until either  
the write command stack is full or the data buffer is full. The drive may reorder write commands to optimize  
drive throughput.  
7 – 4  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
Write Multiple  
Performs similarly to the Write Sector(s) command, except that:  
1. The controller sets BSY immediately upon receipt of the command,  
2. Data transfers are multiple sector blocks and  
3. The Long bit and Retry bit is not valid.  
Command execution differs from Write Sector(s) because:  
1. Several sectors transfer to the host as a block without intervening interrupts.  
2. DRQ qualification of the transfer is required at the start of the block, not on each sector.  
The block count consists of the number of sectors to be transferred as a block and is programmed by the Set  
Multiple Mode command, which must be executed prior to the Write Multiple command. When the Write  
Multiple command is issued, the Sector Count register contains the number of sectors requested — not the  
number of blocks or the block count.  
If the number of sectors is not evenly divisible by the block count, as many full blocks as possible are  
transferred, followed by a final, partial block transfer. This final, partial block transfer is for N sectors, where  
N = (sector count) modulo (block count)  
The Write Multiple operation will be rejected with an Aborted Command error if attempted:  
1. Before the Set Multiple Mode command has been executed, or  
2. When Write Multiple commands are disabled.  
All disk errors encountered during Write Multiple commands report after the attempted disk write of the  
block or partial block in which the error occurred.  
The write operation ends with the sector in error, even if it was in the middle of a block. When an error  
occurs, subsequent blocks are not transferred. When DRQ is set at the beginning of each full and partial  
block, interrupts are generated.  
Write DMA  
Multi-word DMA  
Identical to the Write Sector(s) command, except that:  
1.  
2.  
3.  
The host initializes a slave-DMA channel prior to issuing the command,  
Data transfers are qualified by DMARQ and are performed by the slave-DMA channel and  
The drive issues only one interrupt per command to indicate that data transfer has terminated  
at status is available.  
Ultra DMA  
With the Ultra DMA Write protocol, the control signal (HSTROBE) that latches data from DD(15:0) is  
generated by the devices which drives the data onto the bus. Ownership of DD(15:0) and this data  
strobe signal are given to the host for an Ultra DMA data out burst.  
During an Ultra DMA Write burst, the host always moves data onto the bus, and, after a sufficient time to  
allow for propagation delay, cable settling, and setup time, the sender shall generate a HSTROBE edge to  
latch the data. Both edges of HSTROBE are used for data transfers.  
Any error encountered during Write DMA execution results in the termination of data transfer. The drive  
issues an interrupt to indicate that data transfer has terminated and status is available in the error register.  
The error posting is the same as that of the Write Sector(s) command.  
7 – 5  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
Set Feature Commands  
Set Features Mode  
Enables or disables features supported by the drive. When the drive receives this command it:  
1. Sets BSY,  
2. Checks the contents of the Features register,  
3. Clears BSY and  
4. Generates an interrupt.  
If the value of the register is not a feature supported by the drive, the command is aborted.  
The acceptable values in the Features register are defined as follows:  
VALUE  
02h*  
03h  
DESCRIPTION  
Enabled write cache  
Set transfer mode based on value in Sector Count register  
44h  
Length of data appended on Read Long/Write Long commands specified in the  
Identify Device information  
55h  
Disable read look-ahead feature  
66h*  
82h  
Disable reverting to power-on defaults  
Disable write cache  
AAh*  
BBh*  
CCh  
Enable read look-ahead feature  
4 bytes of Maxtor specific data appended on Read Long/Write Long commands  
Enable reverting to power-on defaults  
* Enabled at power up by default.  
7 – 6  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
Power Mode Commands  
Standby Immediate – 94h/E0h  
Spin down and do not change time out value. This command will spin the drive down and cause the drive  
to enter the STANDBY MODE immediately. If the drive is already spun down, the spin down sequence is  
not executed.  
Idle Immediate – 95h/E1h  
Spin up and do not change time out value. This command will spin up the spin motor if the drive is spun  
down, and cause the drive to enter the IDLE MODE immediately. If the drive is already spinning, the spin  
up sequence is not executed. The actuator is parked and some circuits are powered off.  
Standby – 96h/E2h  
Spin down and change time out value. This command will spin the drive down and cause the drive to enter  
the STANDBY MODE immediately. If the drive is already spun down, the spin down sequence is not  
executed. A non-zero value placed in the sector count register will enable the Automatic Power Down  
sequence. The timer will begin counting down when the drive returns to the IDLE MODE. A value of zero  
placed in the sector count register will disable the Automatic Power Down sequence.  
Idle – 97h/E3h  
Spin up and change time out value. This command will spin-up the spin motor if the drive is spun-down.  
If the drive is already spinning, the spin up sequence is not executed. A non-zero value placed in the Sector  
Count register will enable the Automatic Power Down sequence and their timer will begin counting down  
immediately. A value of zero placed in the Sector Count register will disable the Automatic Power Down  
sequence. The actuator is parked and some circuits are powered off.  
Check Power Mode – 98h/E5h  
This command returns a code in the Sector Count register that determines the current Power Mode status of  
the drive. If the drive is in, going to, or recovering from the STANDBY MODE the drive sets the Sector  
Count register to OOh. If the drive is in the IDLE MODE or ACTIVE MODE, the drive sets the Sector  
Count register to FFh.  
Set Sleep Mode – 99h/E6h  
This command will spin the drive down and cause the drive to enter the SLEEP MODE immediately. If the  
drive is already spun down, the spin down sequence is not executed.  
Note: The only way to recover from SLEEP MODE is with a software reset or a hardware reset.  
Default Power-on Condition  
The drive’s default power on condition is the ACTIVE MODE.  
Upon receiving a Power Mode command, except the SLEEP MODE command, the drive sets BSY and  
performs the requested power operation. Once the requested Power Mode change has begun, the drive  
resets BSY and generates an interrupt - without waiting for the drive to spin up or spin down. Upon  
receiving a SLEEP MODE command the drive is spun down, and when it is stopped, the drive resets BSY  
and generates an interrupt.  
7 – 7  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
When enabling the Automatic Power Down sequence, the value placed in the Sector Count register is  
multiplied by five seconds to obtain the Time-out Interval value. If no drive commands are received from  
the host within the Time-out Interval, the drive automatically enters the STANDBY mode. The minimum  
value is 5 seconds.  
TIMER VALUE  
TIME-OUT PERIOD  
Time-out disabled  
(value * 5) seconds  
((value - 240) * 30) minutes  
21 minutes  
0
1 - 240  
241 - 251  
252  
253  
Vendor unique period = 10  
hours  
254  
255  
Reserved  
21 minutes, 15 seconds  
While the drive is in STANDBY MODE, any commands received from the host are accepted and executed  
as they would in normal operation, except that the spin motor is started if required to execute a disk  
command. Under these conditions, the drive will set BSY when command processing would normally begin  
and will leave BSY set until the drive comes up to speed and the disk command can be executed. Disk  
commands issued while the drive is in STANDBY MODE, restarts the Time-out Interval after completing  
the command. A reset must be issued before attempting to issue any commands while the drive in  
SLEEP MODE.  
7 – 8  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
Initialization Commands  
Identify Drive  
Allows the host to receive parameter information from the drive.  
When the command is received, the drive:  
1. Sets BSY,  
2. Stores the required parameter information in the sector buffer,  
3. Sets the DRQ bit and  
4. Generates an interrupt.  
The host may then read the information out of the sector buffer. Parameter words in the buffer follow.  
Note that all reserved bits or words should be zeroes.  
WORD CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
0
General configuration  
15 = device (0 = ATA, 1 = ATAPI)  
14-8 = not used  
7, 1 = removable media data  
6, 1 = not removable controller and/or device  
5-1 = reserved  
0
1
2
Number of cylinders  
Reserved  
3
4-5  
6
Number of logical heads  
Not used  
Number of logical sectors per track  
Not used  
7-9  
10 - 19 Drive serial number (40 ASCII characters)  
20  
21  
22  
Not used  
Buffer size in 512 byte increments (0000h = not specified)  
Number of Maxtor specific bytes available on Read/Write Long commands  
23 - 26 Firmware revision (8 ASCII characters)  
27 - 46 Model number (40 ASCII characters)  
47  
48  
49  
Maximum number of sectors that can be transferred per interrupt on read and write multiple commands  
Reserved  
Capabilities  
15 - 14 = reserved  
13 = standby timer (1 = values as specified in this standard are supported, 0 = values are Maxtor specific)  
12 = reserved (advanced PIO mode support)  
11, 1 = IORDY supported, 0 = IORDY may be supported  
10, 1 = IORDY can be disabled  
9-8 = reserved  
7-0 = not used  
7 – 9  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
WORD CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
50 Reserved  
51 15-8 = PIO data transfer mode  
7-0 = not used  
52  
53  
15-8 = DMA data transfer mode  
7-0 = not used  
15 = reserved  
2, 1 = the fields supported in words 88 are valid, 0 = the fields supported in words 88 are not valid  
1, 1 = the fields reports in words 64-70 are valid, 0 = the fields reports in words 64-70 are not valid  
0, 1 = the fields reports in words 54-58 are valid, 0 = the fields reports in words 54-58 are not valid  
Number of current logical cylinders  
Number of current logical heads  
Number of logical sectors per track  
54  
55  
56  
57 - 58 Current capacity in sectors  
59  
15-9 = reserved  
8, 1 = multiple sector setting is valid  
7-0xxh = current setting for number of sectors that can per transferred per interrupt on Read/Write Multiple  
command  
60 - 61 Total number of user addressable sectors (LBA mode only)  
62  
63  
Reserved  
15-8 = Multi-word DMA transfer mode active  
7-0 = Multi=word DMA transfer modes supported  
64  
15-8 = reserved  
7-0 = advanced PIO transfer modes supported  
65  
66  
67  
68  
Minimum multi-word DMA transfer cycle time (15-0 = cycle time in nanoseconds)  
Manufacturer's recommeded multi-word DMA transfer cycle time (15-0 = cycle time in nanoseconds)  
Minimum PIO transfer cycle time without flow control (15-0 = cycle time in nanoseconds)  
Minimum PIO transfer cycle time with IORDY flow control (15-0 = cycle time in nanoseconds)  
69-79 Reserved  
80  
15-5 = reserved  
4, 1 = supports ATA-4  
3, 1 = supports ATA-3  
2, 1 = supports ATA-2  
1, 1 = supports ATA-1  
0, reserved  
81  
82  
Minor version number  
Command set supported. If words 82 and 83 = 0000h or FFFFh command set notification not supported.  
15, 1 = supports the Identify Device DMA command  
14, 1 = supports the NOP command  
13, 1 = supports the Write Buffer command  
12, 1 = supports the Read Buffer command  
11, 1 = supports the Read Buffer command  
10, 1 = supports Host-Protected Area feature set  
9, 1 = supports the Device Reset command  
8, 1 = supports Service Interupt  
7, 1 = supports Release Interupt  
6, 1 = supports Look Ahead  
5, 1 = supports Write Cache  
4, 1 = supports the Packet command feature set  
3, 1 = supports the Power Management feature command  
2, 1 = supports the Removable feature command  
1, 1 = supports the Security featurecommand  
0, 1 = supports the SMART feature set  
7 – 10  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
WORD CONTENT DESCRIPTION  
83  
Command sets supported. If words 82, 83 and 84 = 0000h or FFFFh command set notification not  
supported.  
15 = shall be cleared to zero  
14 = shall be set to one  
13-1 = reserved  
0, 1 = supports Download Microcode command  
84  
85  
Command set extensions supported. If words 84, 85 and 86 = 0000h or FFFFh command set  
notification not supported.  
15 = shall be cleared to zero  
14 = shall be set to one  
13-0 = reserved  
Command set enabled. If words 84, 85 and 86 = 0000h or FFFFh command set notification not  
supported.  
15, 1 = Identify Device DMA command enabled  
14, 1 = NOP command enabled  
13, 1 = Write Buffer command enabled  
12, 1 = Read Buffer command enabled  
11, 1 = Write Verify command enabled  
10, 1 = Host Protected Area feature set enabled  
9, 1 = Device Reset command enabled  
8, 1 = Service Interrupt enabled  
7, 1 = Release Interrupt enabled  
6, 1 = Look Ahead enabled  
5, 1 = Write Cache enabled  
4, 1 = Packet command feature set enabled  
3, 1 = Power Mangement feature set enabled  
2, 1 = Removable feature set enabled  
1, 1 = Security feature set enabled  
0, 1 = SMART feature set enabled  
86  
Command sets enabled. If words 85, 86 and 87 = 0000h or FFFFh command set notification not  
supported.  
15 = shall be cleared to zero  
14 = shall be set to one  
13-1 = reserved  
0, 1 = supports Download Microcode command  
87  
88  
Command sets enabled. If words 85, 86 and 87 = 0000h or FFFFh command set notification not  
supported.  
15 = shall be cleared to zero  
14 = shall be set to one  
13-0 = reserved  
Ultra DMA  
15-11 Reserved  
10 1 = Ultra DMA Mode 2 is selected  
9
8
1 = Ultra DMA Mode 1 is selected  
1 = Ultra DMA Mode 0 is selected  
7-3 Reserved  
2
1
0
1 = Ultra DMA Modes 2 and below are supported  
1 = Ultra DMA Modes 1 and below are supported  
0 = Ultra DMA Mode1 is not supported  
1 = Ultra DMA Modes 0 is supported  
0 = Ultra DMA Mode 0 is not supported  
127  
128  
Reserved  
Security Status  
15-9 Reserved  
8
Security Level 0 = High, 1 = Maximum  
7-5 Reserved  
4
3
2
1
0
1 = Security count expired  
1 = Security frozen  
1 = Security locked  
1 = Security enabled  
1 = Security supported  
129-130 Reserved  
131  
Spin at power-up, but 0 is asserted when no spin at power-up is enabled.  
132-159 Maxtor-specific (not used)  
160-255 Reserved  
7 – 11  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
Initialize Drive Parameters  
Enables the drive to operate as any logical drive type. The drive will always be in the translate mode because  
of Zone Density Recording, which varies the number of sectors per track depending on the zone.  
Through setting the Sector Count Register and Drive Head Register, this command lets the host alter the  
drive's logical configuration. As a result, the drive can operate as any equal to or less than capacity drive type.  
Do not exceed the total number of sectors available on the drive:  
When this command is executed, the drive reads the Sector Counter Register and the Drive Head Register  
(and so determines the number of the logical sectors per track and maximum logical head number per  
cylinder and will calculate the number of logical cylinders.)  
Upon receipt of the command, the drive:  
1. Sets BSY,  
2. Saves the parameters,  
3. Resets BSY and  
4. Generates an interrupt.  
To specify maximum heads, write 1 less than the maximum (e.g. write 4 for a 5 head drive). To specify  
maximum sectors, specify the actual number of sectors (e.g. 17 for a maximum of 17 sectors/track).  
The sector count and head values are not checked for validity by this command. If they are invalid, no error  
will be posted until an illegal access is made by some other command.  
Moves the read/write heads from anywhere on the disk to cylinder 0.  
When this command is received, the drive:  
1. Sets BSY and  
2. Issues a seek to cylinder zero.  
The drive waits for the seek to complete, then the drive:  
1. Updates status,  
2. Resets BSY and  
3. Generates an interrupt.  
If the drive cannot reach cylinder 0, the Error bit is set in the Status register, and the Track 0 bit is set in the  
Error register.  
NOTE: If a maximum head and sector number is selected – such that the number of cylinders will exceed 65,535 – then  
the maximum cylinder value will be reduced to 65, 535.  
7 – 12  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
Seek, Format and Diagnostic Commands  
Seek  
Initiates a seek to the track, and selects the head specified in the Command block.  
1. Sets BSY in the Status register,  
2. Initiates the Seek,  
3. Resets BSY and  
4. Generates an interrupt.  
The drive does not wait for the seek to complete before returning the interrupt. If a new command is issued  
to a drive during the execution of a Seek command, the drive will wait (with BSY active) for the Seek to  
complete before executing the new command.  
Format Track  
Formats the track specified in the Command Block. Shortly after the Command register is written, the drive  
sets the bit, and waits for the host to fill the sector buffer with the interleave table. When the buffer is full,  
the drive resets DRQ, sets BSY and begins command execution. If the drive is not already on the desired  
track, an implied seek is performed. Once at the desired track the data fields are written with all zeroes.  
Execute Drive Diagnostic  
Commands the drive to implement the internal diagnostic tests. (These tests are executed only upon  
command receipt; they do not run automatically at power up or after a reset.)  
The drive sets BSY immediately upon receiving this command. The following table presents the codes and  
their descriptions. Note that the value in the Error register should be viewed as a unique 8 bit Code.  
ERROR CODE  
DESCRIPTION  
01  
00  
No error detected  
Master drive failed  
Master and slave drives failed  
Slave drive failed  
80, 82  
81  
Note: If a slave drive fails diagnostics, the master drive OR’s 80h with its own status, and loads that code into the Error  
register. If a slave drive passes diagnostics (or a slave is absent), the master drive OR’s 00 with its own status and loads  
that code into the Error register.  
7 – 13  
INTERFACECOMMANDS  
S.M.A.R.T. Command Set  
Execute S.M.A.R.T.  
The Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) command has been implemented to  
improve the data integrity and data availability of hard disk drives. In some cases, a S.M.A.R.T. capable device  
will predict an impending failure with sufficient time to allow users to backup their data and replace the  
drive before data loss or loss of service.  
The S.M.A.R.T. sub-commands (listed below) comprise the ATA S.M.A.R.T. feature set that provide access  
to S.M.A.R.T. attribute values, attribute thresholds and other logging and reporting information.  
Prior to writing a S.M.A.R.T. command to the device’s command register, key values must be written by the  
host into the device’s Cylinder Low and Cylinder High registers, or the command will be aborted. For any  
S.M.A.R.T. sub-command, if a device register is not specified as being written with a value by the host, then  
the value in that register is undefined and will be ignored by the device. The key values are:  
Key  
4Fh  
C2h  
Register  
Cylinder Low (1F4h)  
Cylinder High (1F5h)  
The S.M.A.R.T. sub-commands use a single command code (B0h) and are differentiated from one another  
by the value placed in the Features register. In order to issue a command, the host must write the sub-  
command-specific code to the device’s Features register before writing the command code to the command  
register. The sub-commands and their respective codes are:  
D0h  
D1h  
D2h  
S.M.A.R.T. Read Attribute Value  
This feature returns 512 bytes of attribute information to the host.  
S.M.A.R.T. Read Attribute Thresholds  
This feature returns 512 bytes of warranty failure thresholds to the host.  
Enable/Disable Autosave  
To enable this feature, set the sector count register to F1h (enable) or 0 (disable). Attribute values are  
automatically saved to non-volatile storage on the device after five minutes of idle time and before  
entering idle, sleep or standby modes. This feature is defaulted to “enabled” when S.M.A.R.T. is  
enabled via the S.M.A.R.T. Enable Operations commands. The autosave feature will not impact host  
system performance and does not need to be disabled.  
D3h  
D4h  
S.M.A.R.T. Save Attribute Value  
This feature saves the current attribute values to non-volatile storage.  
Perform Off-Line Data Collection  
Data is collected from random seeks, timed pattern seek times and head margin tests.  
D8h  
D9h  
DAh  
Enable S.M.A.R.T.  
Disable S.M.A.R.T.  
S.M.A.R.T. Return Status  
This feature allows the host to assess the status of a S.M.A.R.T. capable device by comparing all saved  
attribute values with their corresponding warranty failure thresholds. If no thresholds are exceeded, the  
drive is declared to have a positive health status. If any warranty failure threshold is exceeded, the drive  
is declared to have a negative health status. Executing this sub-command results in all attribute values  
being saved to non-volatile storage on the device.  
DBh  
Enable/Disable Automatic Off-Line  
To enable this feature, set the Sector Count register to F1h or 0 to disable.  
7 – 14  
SECTION 8  
S e rvic e a n d S u p p o rt  
S e rvic e P o lic y  
Repairs to any DiamondMax™ 6800 drive should be made only at an authorized Maxtor repair facility.  
Any unauthorized repairs or adjustments to the drive void the warranty.  
To consistently provide our customers with the best possible products and services, Maxtor developed the  
Total Customer Satisfaction (TCS) program. Through the ongoing TCS process, Maxtor employees take  
direct responsibility for every customer’s level of satisfaction – with Maxtor technology, price, quality,  
delivery, service and support.  
No Qu ib b le ® S e rvic e  
Another TCS feature is Maxtor’s No Quibble® Service policy. By minimizing paperwork and processing,  
No Quibble Service dramatically cuts the turnaround time normally required for repairs and returns.  
Here’s how it works:  
1. Customer calls 1-800-2MAXTOR for a Return Material Authorization (RMA) number  
and provides a credit card number,  
2. Maxtor ships a replacement drive within 2 business days, and  
3. Customer returns the original drive and credit card draft is destroyed.  
S u p p o rt  
Te c h n ic a l As s is t a n c e  
Highly-trained technicians are available 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time) Monday through Friday  
to provide detailed technical support.  
U.S. and Canada  
Language support: English, Spanish  
800-2MAXTOR, press 1 (800-262-9867)  
303-678-2260  
Voice  
E-mail  
Fax  
Outside U.S. and Canada  
303-678-2015  
Europe  
Voice  
E-mail  
Fax  
Language support: English, French, German  
+ 353 1 286 62 22  
+ 353 1 286 45 77  
Asia/ Pacific  
Voice  
Contact your local Maxtor Sales Office for assistance  
Language support: English  
E-mail  
Ma xIn fo S e rvic e  
Use a touch-tone phone to listen to technical information about Maxtor products and the top Q&A’s  
from our 24-hour automated voice system.  
U.S. and Canada  
800-2MAXTOR (800-262-9867)  
Press 1, wait for announcement, listen for option  
303-678-2015, listen for option  
Outside U.S. and Canada  
8 – 1  
SERVICEANDSUPPORT  
Ma xFa xS e rvic e  
Use a touch-tone phone to order Technical Reference Sheets, Drive Specifications, Installation Sheets and  
other documents from our 24-hour automated fax retrieval system. Requested items are sent to your fax  
machine.  
U.S. and Canada  
Phone  
Outside U.S. and Canada  
Europe  
Language support: English, Spanish  
800-2MAXTOR, listen for option (800-262-9867)  
303-678-2618  
Language support: English, French, German  
+ 353 1 204 11 22  
Phone  
Asia/ Pacific  
Phone  
Language support: English  
+ 61 2 9369 4733  
In t e r n e t  
Browse the Maxtor home page on Internet, download files from our FTP site.  
Home Page  
Cu s t o m e r S e rvic e  
All Maxtor products are backed by No Quibble® Service, the benchmark for service and support in the  
industry. Customer Service is available 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time) Monday through Friday.  
U.S. and Canada  
Voice  
Language support: English, Spanish  
800-2MAXTOR, press 2 (800-262-9867)  
E-mail  
Fax  
408-922-2085  
Europe  
Voice  
Language support: English, French, German  
+ 353 1 286 62 22  
E-mail  
Fax  
+ 353 1 286 14 19  
Asia/ Pacific  
Call Singapore Customer Service from the countries listed below.  
Customer Service is available 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Singapore time is GMT +8).  
From  
Dial  
Australia  
Hong Kong  
Indonesia  
Japan  
South Korea  
Malaysia  
1-800-124-328  
+800-96-3387  
+001-803-65-6500  
+0031-65-3616  
+0078-65-800-6500  
1-800-1126  
New Zealand  
Singapore  
Taiwan  
+0800-44-6542  
1-800-481-6788  
+0080-65-1062  
+001-800-65-6500  
Thailand  
8 – 2  
GLOSSARY  
Glossary  
BLOCK  
A
Agroupofbyteshandled,stored,andaccessedasalogicaldataunit,suchasan  
individualfilerecord.  
ACCESS  
BUFFER  
Toobtaindatafrom,orplacedatainto,RAM,aregister,ordatastoragedevice.  
Atemporarydatastorageareathatcompensatesforadifferenceindatatransferrates  
and/ordataprocessingratesbetweensenderandreceiver.  
ACCESS TIME  
Theintervalbetweentheissuingofanaccesscommandandtheinstantthatthetarget  
datamaybereadorwritten.Accesstimeincludesseektime,latencyandcontroller  
overheadtime.  
BUS  
Acollectionoffunctionallyparallelconductorsthatformsaninterconnectionbetween  
functionalblocksinadigitaldevice.Alengthofparallelconductorsthatformsamajor  
interconnectionroutebetweenthecomputersystemCPU(centralprocessingunit)and  
itsperipheralsubsystems. Dependingonitsdesign,abusmaycarrydata,addresses,  
power,andmore.  
ADDRESS  
Anumber,generallybinary,distinguishingaspecificmemberofanorderedsetof  
locations.Indiskengineering,theaddressmayconsistofdrives(unitaddress),radial  
positions(cylinderaddress),orcircumferentialposition(sectoraddress).  
BYTE  
Anorderedcollectionofbitstreatedasaunit.Mostoften,abyteisunderstoodto  
consistofeightbits.Onebyteisnecessarytodefineanalphanumericcharacter.  
ALLOCATION  
Aprocessofassigningdesignatedareasofthedisktoparticularfiles.  
ALTERNATETRACK  
Asparetrackusedintheeventthatanormaltrackbecomesdamagedorisunusable.  
C
CACHE  
ANALOG  
Randomaccessmemory(RAM)usedasabufferbetweentheCPUandthediskdrive.  
Asignalorsystemthatdoesnotusedigitalstatestoconveyinformation.Asignalmay  
haveanynumberofsignificantstates(values),contrastedtodigitalsignalswhichcan  
onlyhavetwostates.  
CAPACITY  
Theamountofdata,usuallyexpressedinbytes,whichcanbestoredinagivendevice  
orportionofsame.  
ANSI  
AmericanNationalStandardsInstitute.  
CENTRALPROCESSINGUNIT(CPU)  
Theheartofthecomputersystemthatexecutesprogrammedinstructions.Itincludes  
thearithmeticlogicunit(ALU)forperformingallmathandlogicoperations,acontrol  
sectionforinterpretingandexecutinginstructions,internalmemoryfortemporary  
storageofprogramvariablesandotherfunctions.  
APPLICATIONPROGRAM  
Asequenceofprogrammedinstructionsthattellthecomputerhowtoperformsome  
end-usertask,suchasaccountingorwordprocessing.  
AREALDENSITY  
Bitdensity(bitsperinch)multipliedbytrackdensity(tracksperinch)orbitspersquare  
inch.  
CHANNEL  
Acollectionofelectroniccircuitsusedintheprocessofwritingandreading  
informationtoandfrommagneticmedia.  
ASYMMETRY  
Adistortionofthereadbacksignalwhichisshownindifferentintervalsbetweenthe  
positiveandnegativevoltagepeaks.  
CHARACTER  
Anorderedcollectionofbitsrepresentingoneofasetofpredefinedsymbols.Oftenthe  
termisusedinterchangeablywithbyte,butthisisinexact.  
AUXILIARYMEMORY  
CLOSEDLOOP  
Memoryotherthanmainmemory;generallyamass-storagesubsystemcontainingdisk  
drivesandbackuptapedrives,controller(s)andbuffermemory(alsocalledperipheral  
memory).  
Acontroltechniquethatenablesthepositioningsystemtocorrectoff-trackerrorsin  
realtime.Theactualheadpositionismonitoredandcomparedtotheidealtrack  
positiontodetermineanypositionerrorthatmightbeoccurring.Thisinformationis  
thenusedtoproduceacorrectionsignal(feedback)thatgoestothepositionertocorrect  
theerror.(Seealsotrackfollowingservo).  
AVERAGE ACCESS TIME  
Theaveragetimetomakeallpossiblelengthaccesses(seeks).  
CLOSEDLOOPSERVO  
Aservocontroltechniquethatusespositionfeedbacktocorrectoff-trackerrors.See  
TrackFollowingServo.  
AVERAGE SEEK TIME  
Theaveragetimetomakeallpossiblelengthseeks.Atypicalmeasureofperformance.  
CLUSTER  
B
ThesmallestallocatableunitofdiskstorageallowedbyMS-DOS;eachFATentry  
representsonecluster.  
BADBLOCK  
Ablockthatcannotstoredatabecauseofamediaflaw.  
CONTROLLER  
Anelectronicdeviceforconnectingoneormoremassstorageperipherals(rigiddisk  
drives,tapedrives,andopticaldiskdrives)totheinput/outputcircuitsofahost  
computer.Controllersvaryincomplexity,withmoresophisticatedunitsabletobuffer  
andschedulecommands,correctdataerrors,andbypassmediadefectswithouthost  
intervention.  
BIT  
Anabbreviationforbinarydigit,ofwhichtherearetwo(0and1).Abitisthebasic  
dataunitofmostdigitalcomputers.Abitisusuallypartofadatabyteorword,butbits  
maybeusedsinglytocontrolorreadlogicon-offfunctions.Thefundamentalunit  
information,oftenusedlooselytorefertoacircuitormagnetizationstateataparticular  
instantintime.  
CONTROLLER  
AminiatureCPUdedicatedtocontrollingaperipheraldevice,suchasadiskdrive,  
tapedrive,videodisplayterminal,orprinter.Thecontrollerexecutescommandsfrom  
thecentralprocessingunitandreissuescommandstotheperipheraldevice.  
BIOS  
AcronymforBasicInput/OutputSystem.ThefirmwareareaofaCPUthatcontrols  
operationsthroughthesystembusandtotheattachedcardsandperipheraldevices.  
CORRECTABLEERROR  
AnerrorthatcanbeovercomebytheuseofErrorDetectionandCorrection.  
BPI  
Acronymforbitsperinch.Seebitdensity.  
GL – 1  
GLOSSARY  
CYLINDER  
DISK  
Onseveraldisksurfacessharingacommonrotationalaxis,theaggregateoftracksata  
givenradialposition.Asetofdisktracksthataresimultaneouslyunderthesetofread/  
writeheads.Thisthree-dimensionalstoragevolumecanbeaccessedafterasingleseek.  
Aflat,circularpieceofmetal(usuallyaluminum)orplastic(usuallymylar)witha  
magneticcoatinguponwhichinformationcanberecorded.(See,forexample,floppy  
diskorWinchesterdisk)  
CYLINDERZERO  
Theoutermostcylinderinadrivethatcanbeusedfordatastorage.  
DISK DRIVE OR DISK MEMORY DEVICE  
Thetotalelectromechanicalstoragedevicecontainingdisksandread/writeheads,head  
positioningmechanism,drivemotor,andelectronics.  
D
DISK PACK  
Anumberofmetaldiskspackagedinacanisterforremovalfromthediskdrive  
(predecessorofWinchestertechnology).  
DATA  
Anorderedcollectionofinformation.Inaspecificcase,itistheinformationprocessed  
byacomputer.  
DISK OPERATING SYSTEM (DOS)  
Themastercomputersystemprogramthatschedulestasks,allocatesthecomputersystem  
resources,controlsaccessestomassstoragedevices,managesfiles,andsoforth.Typical  
diskoperatingsystemsincludeCP/M,MS-DOS,andUNIX.  
DATASEPARATOR  
Anelectroniccircuitwhichdecodesplaybackdataandproducesseparateclockanddata  
bits.Sometimesincorrectlyusedtodenotedatasynchronizer.  
DISKSTORAGE  
Auxiliarymemorysystemcontainingdiskdrives.  
DATASYNCHRONIZER  
Anelectroniccircuitproducingaclocksignalthatissynchronouswiththeincoming  
datastream.Thisclocksignalisthenusedtodecodetherecordingcodebeingusedinto  
userdata.  
DISKTRANSFERRATE  
Theratethatdigitaldataistransferredfromonepointtoanother.Expressedineither  
bits/secondorbytes/second.  
DATATRANSFERRATE  
DOUBLEFREQUENCYENCODING  
AnothernameforFMencoding.Thisisbecauseallpossibledatacombinationswill  
resultinonlytwopossibletemporaldisplacementsofadjacentdatabits,specifically  
“1Fand2F.”  
Inadiskortapedrive,therateatwhichdataistransferredtoorfromthestorage  
media.Itisusuallygiveninthousandsofbitspersecond(Kbit/second)ormillionsof  
bitspersecond(Mbit/second).  
DEDICATEDLANDINGZONE  
Adesignatedradialzoneonthediskwherecontactstartingandstoppingoccurby  
design.  
E
DEDICATEDSERVO  
EARLYWINDOW  
Aservoschemeinwhichaprerecordedpatternonanotherwiseunuseddisksurface  
providespositioninformationtotheservocircuitrybymeansofaheadreadingthat  
surface.  
Adatawindowthathasbeenintentionallyshiftedintimeinanearlydirection.  
EMBEDDEDSERVO  
Aservotechniqueusedfortrackfollowing.Positioninformationisprerecorded  
betweendataareasinatracksothatadatahead,andproperadditionalcircuitry,can  
determinethedataheadlocationwithrespecttothecenterpositionofthetrack(or  
cylinder)inquestion.  
DEFECT  
Amagneticimperfectioninarecordingsurface.  
DEFECTMANAGEMENT  
Ageneralmethodologyofavoidingdataerrorsonarecordingsurfacebyavoidingthe  
useofknownbadareasofmedia.Usuallydefectivesectorsortracksareretiredanddata  
arewritteninalternatelocations.Severalalgorithmsarepossiblesuchassector  
slipping,orsparesectorpertrack.”  
ERASE  
Aprocessbywhichasignalrecordedonamediumisremovedandthemediummade  
readyforrerecording.  
ERROR CORRECTION CODE (ECC)  
Amathematicalalgorithmthatcandetectandcorrecterrorsinadatafield.Thisis  
accomplishedwiththeaidofCheckBitsaddedtotherawdata.  
DEFECTMAP  
Alistofdefectsthatfallwithinapass/failcriteriaofauser.Thislistisusuallyusedbyan  
operatingsystemoradiskdrivecontrollerfordefectmanagement.  
ERRORFREE  
DEFECTSKIPPING  
Arecordingsurfacethathasnodefects.  
Adefectmanagementschemeforavoidingsurfacedefects.Ithasdatawrittenbeforeand  
afterthedefect,insteadofusingalternatetracksorsectorstoavoiduseofthedefective  
area.  
ERRORRATE  
Thenumberoferrors(typemustbespecified)thatoccurinaspecifiednumberofbits  
read.  
DENSITY  
Generally,recordingdensity.Seeareal,bit,andstoragedensity.  
ERRORRECOVERYPROCEDURE  
Theprocessthatoccursinresponsetoadataerror.InadrivewithoutECC,this  
wouldincludere-calibrationandre-seekingtothespecifiedtrackandrereadingthe  
specifieddata.  
DCERASE  
ThemethodoferasingatrackusingaDCwrite/erasecurrentthrougheitheraRead/  
WriteorErasehead.  
EXTRAPULSE  
DIGITAL  
Termusedinsurfacecertification.Itiswhenafluxfielddiscontinuityremainsafterthe  
recordingsurfaceiserased,therebyproducinganelectricaloutputofareadhead  
passingovertheareawiththediscontinuity.Anextrapulseoccurswhentheelectrical  
outputislargerthanaspecifiedthreshold.  
Anysystemthatprocessesdigitalbinarysignals(havingonlyvaluesofa1or0;usually  
inbitsandbytes)ratherthananalogsignals(signalsthatcanhavemanyvalues)  
DIGITALMAGNETICRECORDING  
Seemagneticrecording.  
F
DIRECTACCESS  
Accessdirectlytomemorylocation.(Seerandomaccess).  
FEEDBACK  
Inaclosed-loopsystem,theoutputsignal(fromtheservohead)isusedtomodifythe  
inputsignal(tothepositioner).  
DIRECTMEMORYACCESS  
Ameanofdatatransferbetweenthedeviceandhostmemorywithoutprocessor  
intervention.  
FETCH  
Areadoperationanditsrelateddatatransferoperations.  
DIRECTORY  
Alistingoffilesmaintainedbythediskoperationsystem(DOS)oradatabase  
managementsystemtoenableausertoquicklyaccessdatafiles.  
GL – 2  
GLOSSARY  
FILE ALLOCATION TABLE (FAT)  
INSIDEDIAMETER  
Allocatesspaceonthediskforfiles,oneclusteratatime;locksoutunusableclusters;  
identifiesunused(free)area;andlistsafile’slocation.WithtwoFAT’spresent,the  
secondcopyensuresconsistencyandprotectsagainstlossofdataifoneofthesectorson  
thefirstFATisdamaged.  
Thesmallestradialpositionusedfortherecordingandplaybackoffluxreversalsona  
magneticdisksurface.  
INITIALIZATION  
Applyinginputpatternsorinstructionstoadevicesothatalloperationalparametersare  
ataknownvalue.  
FLUX CHANGES PER INCH  
Synonymouswithfrpi(fluxreversalsperinch).OnlyinMFMrecordingdoes1fci  
equal1bpi(bitperinch).Inrun-length-limitedencodingschemes,generally1fci  
equals1.5bpi.  
INPUT  
Dataenteringthecomputertobeprocessed;alsousercommands.  
FORMAT  
INPUT/OUTPUT (I/O)  
Inadiskdrive,thearrangementofdataonastoragemedia.Astandard5.25-inchdisk  
formatconsistsof17,26,or36sectorspertrack,and512bytesofdatapersector,plus  
identification,errorcorrection,andotherbytesnecessaryforaccessingand  
synchronizingdata.  
Theprocessofenteringdataintoorremovingdatafromacomputersystemora  
peripheraldevice.  
INTELLIGENTPERIPHERAL  
Aperipheraldevicethatcontainsaprocessorormicroprocessortoenableittointerpret  
andexecutecommands.  
FORMATTEDCAPACITY  
Theactualcapacityavailabletostoredatainamassstoragedevice.Theformatted  
capacityisthegrosscapacity,lessthecapacitytakenupbytheoverheaddatausedin  
formattingthesectors.  
INTERFACE  
Thedatatransmitters,datareceivers,logic,andwiringthatlinkonepieceofcomputer  
equipmenttoanother,suchasadiskdrivetoacontrolleroracontrollertoasystem  
bus.  
FREQUENCYMODULATION  
Arecordingcode.Afluxreversalatthebeginningofacelltimerepresentsclockbit;a  
“1bitisafluxreversalatthecenterofthecelltime,anda0bitisanabsenceofa  
fluxreversal.  
INTERFACESTANDARD  
Theinterfacespecificationsagreedtobyvariousmanufacturerstopromoteindustry-  
wideinterchangeabilityofproductssuchasadiskdrive.Interfacestandardsgenerally  
reduceproductcosts,allowsbuyerstopurchasefrommorethanonesource,andallow  
fastermarketacceptanceofnewproducts.  
FREQUENCYRESPONSE  
Ameasureofhoweffectivelyacircuitordevicetransmitsthedifferentfrequencies  
appliedtoit.Indiskandtapedrivesthisreferstotheread/writechannel.Indisk  
drives,itcanalsorefertothedynamicmechanicalcharacteristicsofapositioning  
system.  
INTERLEAVE  
Anorderingofphysicalsectorstobeskippedbetweenlogicalsectorsonyourhard  
disk.  
G
I/OPROCESSOR  
Intelligentprocessororcontrollerthathandlestheinput/outputoperationsofa  
computer.  
GIGABYTE(GB)  
Onebillionbytes(onethousandmegabytes)or109.  
INTERRUPT  
Asignal,usuallyfromasubsystemtoacentralprocessingunit,tosignifythatan  
operationhasbeencompletedorcannotbecompleted.  
H
HARDERROR  
J
Anerrorthatisnotabletobeovercomebyrepeatedreadingsandrepositioningmeans.  
JUMPER  
HARDSECTORED  
Asmallpieceofplasticthatslidesoverpairsofpinsthatprotrudefromthecircuitboard  
ontheharddrivetomakeanelectricalconnectionandactivateaspecificoption.  
Atechniquewhereadigitalsignalindicatesthebeginningofasectoronatrack.Thisis  
contrastedtosoftsectoring,wherethecontrollerdeterminesthebeginningofasector  
bythereadingofformatinformationfromthedisk.  
K
HEAD  
Theelectromagneticdevicethatwrite(records),reads(playsback),anderasesdataona  
magneticmedia.Itcontainsareadcore(s)and/orawritecore(s)and/orerasecore(s)  
whichis/areusedtoproduceorreceivemagneticflux.Sometimesthetermisall  
inclusivetomeanthecarriageassemblywhichincludesthesliderandflexure.  
KILOBYTE (KB)  
Aunitofmeasureofapproximately1,000bytes.(However,becausecomputer  
memoryispartitionedintosizesthatareapoweroftwo,akilobyteisreally1,024  
bytes.)  
HEADCRASH  
Theinadvertenttouchingofadiskbyaheadflyingoverthedisk(maydestroya  
portionofthemediaand/orthehead).  
L
HEAD DISK ASSEMBLY (HDA)  
Themechanicalportionofarigid,fixeddiskdrive.Itusuallyincludesdisks,heads,  
spindlemotor,andactuator.  
LANDINGZONEORLZONE  
ThecylindernumbertowhereParkHeadsmovetheread/writeheads.  
HEADLOADINGZONE  
LATE BIT  
Thenon-dataareaonthedisksetasideforthecontrolledtakeoffandlandingofthe  
Winchesterheadswhenthedriveisturnedonandoff.Dedicatedannulusoneachdisk  
surfaceinwhichheadsareloaded,unloaded,orflyingheightisestablished.Head-disk  
contactmayoccurinsomeinstances;nodataisrecordedinthisarea.  
Abitthatisinthelatehalfofthedatawindow.  
LATEWINDOW  
Adatawindowthathasbeenshiftedinalatedirectiontofacilitatedatarecovery.  
HEADPOSITIONER  
LATENCY  
Alsoknownasactuator,amechanismthatmovesthearmsthatcarryread/writeheads  
tothecylinderbeingaccessed.  
Adelayencounteredinacomputerwhenwaitingforaspecificresponse.Inadisk  
drivethereisbothseeklatencyandrotationallatency.Thetimerequiredforthe  
addressedsectortoarriveundertheheadaftertheheadispositionedoverthecorrect  
track.Itisaresultofthedisk’srotationalspeedandmustbeconsideredindetermining  
thediskdrive’stotalaccesstime.  
I
LOGIC  
INDEX  
Electroniccircuitrythatswitchesonandoff(“1and0”)toperformfunctions.  
Similartoadirectory,butusedtoestablishaphysicaltologicalcrossreference.Usedto  
updatethephysicaldiskaddress(tracksandsectors)offilesandtoexpediteaccesses.  
GL – 3  
GLOSSARY  
LOGICALADDRESS  
OPENLOOPSERVO  
Astoragelocationaddressthatmaynotrelatedirectlytoaphysicallocation.Usually  
usedtorequestinformationfromacontroller,whichperformsalogicaltophysical  
addressconversion,andinturn,retrievesthedatafromaphysicallocationinthemass  
storageperipheral.  
Aheadpositioningsystemthatdoesnotusepositionalinformationtoverifyandcorrect  
theradiallocationoftheheadrelativetothetrack.Thisisusuallyachievedbyuseofa  
steppermotorwhichhaspredeterminedstoppingpointthatcorrespondstotrack  
locations.  
LOGICALBLOCKADDRESSING  
Definestheaddressingofthedevicebythelinearmappingofsectors.  
OPERATINGSYSTEM  
Asoftwareprogramthatorganizestheactionsofthepartsofthecomputerandits  
peripheraldevices.(Seediskoperatingsystem.)  
LOGICALSECTOR  
ThelowestunitofspacethatDOScanaccessthroughadevicedriver;oneormore  
physicalsectors.  
OUTSIDEDIAMETER  
Thelargestradiusrecordingtrackonadisk.  
LOWFREQUENCY  
Thelowestrecordingfrequencyusedinaparticularmagneticrecordingdevice.With  
FMorMFMchannelcodes,thisfrequencyisalsocalledIF.”  
OVERWRITE  
Atestthatmeasurestheresidual1Frecordedfrequencyonatrackafterbeing  
overwrittenbya2Fsignal.Variationsofthetestexist.  
M
P
MAINMEMORY  
PARALLELISM  
Random-accessmemory(RAM)usedbythecentralprocessingunit(CPU)forstoring  
programinstructionsanddatacurrentlybeingprocessedbythoseinstructions.(Seealso  
randomaccessmemory.)  
1.Theconditionoftwoplanesorlinesbeingparallel.Importantindiskdrivesbecause  
alackofitinmechanicalassembliescanresultinpositioninginaccuracy.More  
precisely:planes-coplanar;lines-colinear.2.Isthelocalvariationindiskthickness  
measuredindependentlyofthicknessitself.3.Theabilityofamultiprocessorcomputer  
toallocatemorethanoneprocessor(CPU)toacomputingproblem,whereeachCPU  
worksonaseparateproblemorseparatesegmentofthatproblem.Alsoreferredtoas  
parallelprocessing.  
MASSSTORAGE  
Auxiliarymemoryusedinconjunctionswithmainmemory;generallyhavingalarge,  
on-linestoragecapacity.  
PARITY  
MEGABYTE(MB)  
Aunitofmeasureapproximatelyonemillionbytes(actually1,048,576bytes)or106.  
Asimplemethodofdataerrordetectionsthatalwaysmakesnumberseitheroddor  
even,usinganextrabitinwhichthetotalnumberofbinary1s(or0s)inabyteis  
alwaysoddoralwayseven;thus,inanoddparityscheme,everybytehaseightbitsof  
dataandoneparitybit.Ifusingoddparityandthenumberof1bitscomprisingthe  
byteofdataisnotodd,theninthorparitybitissetto1tocreatetheoddparity.Inthis  
way,abyteofdatacanbecheckedforaccuratetransmissionbysimplycountingthe  
bitsforanoddparityindication.Ifthecountisevereven,anerrorisindicated.  
MEMORY  
Anydeviceorstoragesystemcapableofstoringandretrievinginformation.(Seealso  
storagedefinitions.)  
MICROCOMPUTER  
Acomputerwhosecentralprocessingunitisamicroprocessor.Itisusually,butnot  
necessarily,desktopsize.  
PARTITION  
Alogicalsectionofadiskdrive,eachofwhichbecomesalogicaldevicewithadrive  
letter.  
MICROPROCESSOR  
Acentralprocessingunit(CPU)manufacturedasachiporasmallnumberofchips.  
PEAK SHIFT  
Theshiftingintimeofthezero-slopeportionofareadbackvoltagefromthevalues  
containedinthewritecurrentwaveform.Sometimesincorrectlyusedtodescribebit  
jitter.  
MISSINGPULSE  
Atermusedinsurfacecertification.Itiswhenaprerecordedsignalisreducedin  
amplitudebyacertainspecifiedpercentage.  
PERIPHERALEQUIPMENT  
Auxiliarymemory,displays,printers,andotherequipmentusuallyattachedtoa  
computersystem’sCPUbycontrollersandcables.(Theyareoftenpackagedtogetherin  
adesktopcomputer.)  
MODIFIEDFREQUENCYMODULATION(MFM)  
Amethodofencodingdigitaldatasignalsforrecordingonmagneticmedia.Alsocalled  
“threefrequencyrecording.Recordingcodethatonlyusessynchronizingclockpulse  
ifdatabitsarenotpresent.Doublesthelinealbitdensitywithoutincreasingthelineal  
fluxreversaldensity,comparedtoFrequencyModulation.  
PHASELOCKEDLOOP(PLL)  
Acircuitwhoseoutputlocksontoandtracksthefrequencyofaninputsignal.  
Sometimesincorrectlycalledadataseparator.  
MODIFIEDMODIFIEDFREQUENCYMODULATION  
(MMFM)  
ArecordingcodesimilartoMFMthathasalongerrunlengthlimiteddistance.  
PHASEMARGIN  
Measureindegreesoftheamountofdifferencebetweenexcursionsfromthewindow  
centerwherefluxreversalscanoccurandtheedgeofthedatawindow.Similarto  
windowmargin.  
MODULATION  
1.Readbackvoltagefluctuationusuallyrelatedtotherotationalperiodofadisk.2.A  
recordingcode,suchasFM,MFM,orRLL,totranslatebetweenfluxreversalsandbits  
orbytes.  
PHYSICALSECTOR  
Thesmallestgroupingofdataontheharddisk;always512bytes.  
N
PIO  
ProgrammableInputOutput.Ameansofaccessingdeviceregisters.Alsodescribesone  
formofdatatransfers.PIOdatatransfersareperformedbythehostprocessorusing  
PIOregisteraccessestothedataregister.  
NON-RETURNTOZERO  
Aformofdataencodingthatisnotself-clocking,inotherwords,itneedstobe  
providedwithanexternalbitcellclocksignal.Generallyusedinhigher-performance  
diskdrives.  
PLATED THIN FILM MEDIA  
Magneticdiskmemorymediahavingitssurfaceplatedwithathincoatingofametallic  
alloyinsteadofbeingcoatedwithoxide.  
O
PROCESSING  
Theprocessofthecomputerhandling,manipulatingandmodifyingdatasuchas  
arithmeticcalculation,filelookupandupdating,andwordpressing.  
OFF-LINE  
processingorperipheraloperationsperformedwhiledisconnectedfromthesystem  
CPUviathesystembus.  
PULSECROWDING  
Modificationofplaybackamplitudeduetosuper-positioningofadjacentfluxreversal  
fieldsbeingsensedbytheread/writegap.  
ON-LINE  
processingorperipheraloperationsperformedwhiledisconnectedfromthesystem  
CPUviathesystembus.  
PULSEDETECT  
Adigitalpulsetraininwhicheachleadingedgeoreachedgecorrespondstoa  
magnetictransitionreadfromthedisk.Iftransitionqualificationcircuitryexistsinthe  
drive,thissignalistheoutputofsame.Alsoknownastransitiondetect.  
GL – 4  
GLOSSARY  
SERVOHEAD  
Amagneticheaddesignedspecificallyforaccuratelyreadingservodata.  
R
SERVOPATTERN  
RANDOMACCESSMEMORY(RAM)  
Areadbacksignalthatindicatesthepositionofaheadrelativetoatrack.  
Memorydesignedsothatanystoragelocationcanbeaccessedrandomly,directlyand  
individually.Thisiscontrastedtosequentialaccessdevicessuchastapedrives.  
SERVOSURFACE  
Arecordingsurfaceinamulti-surfacediskdrivethatonlycontainscontrolinformation  
whichprovidestiming,headposition,andtrack-followinginformationforthedata  
surfaces.  
READ  
Toaccessastoragelocationandobtainpreviouslyrecordeddata.Tosensethepresence  
offluxreversalsonmagneticmedia.Usuallyimplementedsuchthatadynamicflux  
amplitudewillcauseaproportionalelectricaloutputfromthetransducer.  
SERVOSYSTEM  
Anautomaticsystemformaintainingtheread/writeheadontrack;canbeeitheropen  
loop,quasi-closedloop,orclosedloop.”  
READGATESIGNAL  
Adigitalinputsignalwhichcausesthedrivecircuitrytorecoverdata.  
SERVOTRACK  
READ ONLY MEMORY (ROM)  
Atrackonaservosurface.Theprerecordedreferencetrackonthededicatedservo  
surfaceofadiskdrive.Alldatatrackpositionsarecomparedtotheircorresponding  
servotrack todetermineofftrack”/”ontrackposition.  
Aformofmemorywhichcannotbechangedinformaloperationalmodes.Many  
differenttypesareavailable.RAMisusedforpermanentinformationstorage.  
ComputercontrolprogramsareoftenstoredinROMapplications.  
SETTLINGTIME  
Thetimeittakesaheadtostopvibrating,withinspecifiedlimits,afteritreachesthe  
desiredcylinder.  
READ/WRITEHEAD  
Therecordingelementwhichwritesdatatothemagneticmediaandreadsrecorded  
datafromthemedia.  
SILICON  
RE-CALIBRATE  
Theactionofmovingtheheadofadiskdrivetocylinderzero.  
Semiconductormaterialgenerallyusedtomanufacturemicroprocessorsandother  
integratedcircuitchips.  
RECOVERABLEERROR  
Areaderror,transientorotherwise,fallingwithinthecapabilityofanECC  
mechanismtocorrect,orabletoovercomebyrereadingthedatainquestion.  
SMALL COMPUTER SYSTEM INTERFACE (SCSI)  
Anintelligentinterfacethatincorporatescontrollerfunctionsdirectlyintothedrive.  
S.M.A.R.T. CAPABILITY  
Self-MonitoringAnalysisandReportingTechnology.Predictionofdevice  
degradationand/orfaults.  
ROTATIONALLATENCY  
Theamountofdelayinobtaininginformationfromadiskdriveattributabletothe  
rotationofthedisk.  
SOFTERROR  
RUN-LENGTHLIMITED  
Adataerrorwhichcanbeovercomebyrereadingthedataorrepositioningthehead.  
Anencodingprocessthatrepositionsdatabitsandlimitsthelengthofzerobitsinorder  
tocompressinformationbeingstoredondisks.  
SOFTSECTORED  
Atechniquewherethecontrollerdeterminesthebeginningofasectorbythereading  
offormatinformationfromthedisk.Thisiscontrastedtohardsectoringwherea  
digitalsignalindicatesthebeginningofasectoronatrack.  
RUN-LENGTHLIMITEDENCODING  
Arecordingcode.Sometimesmeanttodenote2.7RLLwhichcansignify1.5times  
thebitsasMFM,giventhesamenumberoffluxreversalsinagivenlinealdistance.  
SOFTWARE  
Applicationsprograms,operatingsystems,andotherprograms(asopposedto  
hardware).  
S
SECTOR  
SPINDLE  
Alogicalsegmentofinformationonaparticulartrack.Thesmallestaddressableunitof  
storageonadisk.Tracksaremadeofsectors.  
Therotatinghubstructuretowhichthedisksareattached.  
SPINDLEMOTOR  
SECTORPULSESIGNAL  
Themotorthatrotatesthespindleandthereforethedisks.  
Adigitalsignalpulsepresentinhardsectoreddriveswhichindicatesthebeginningofa  
sector.Embeddedservopatternorotherprerecordedinformationmaybepresenton  
thediskwhensectorisactive.  
SPUTTEREDMEDIA  
Magneticdiskortapethathasthemagneticlayerdepositedbysputteringmeans.  
SEEK  
STEPPERMOTOR  
Arandomaccessoperationbythediskdrive.Theactofmovingasetofread/write  
headssothatoneofthemisoverthedesiredcylinder.Theactuatororpositionermoves  
theheadstothecylindercontainingthedesiredtrackandsector.  
Amotorthathasknowndetentpositionswheretherotorwillstopwiththeproper  
controlinsomecases.Thedigitallycontrolledmotormovestheheadpositionerfrom  
tracktotrackinsmall,step-likemotions.  
SEEKCOMPLETESIGNAL  
Adigitalsignallevelwhichindicatesthatthepositionerisnotmovingandislocated  
overacylinderoroffsetposition.  
STORAGECAPACITY  
Theamountofdatathatcanbestoredinamemorylocation,usuallyspecifiedin  
kilobytesformainmemoryandfloppydrivesandmegabytesformassstoragedevices.  
SEEK TIME  
STORAGEDENSITY  
Usuallyreferstorecordingdensity(BPI,TPI,oracombinationofthetwo.)  
Theamountoftimebetweenwhenasteppulseorseekcommandisissueduntilthe  
headsettlesontothedesiredcylinder.Sometimesismeasuredwithoutsettlingtimes.  
STORAGELOCATION  
SEQUENTIALACCESS  
Amemorylocation,identifiedbyanaddresswhereinformationmaybereador  
written.  
Thewritingorreadingofdatainasequentialordersuchasreadingdatablocksstored  
oneaftertheotheronmagnetictape.Thisiscontrastedtorandomaccessof  
information.  
STROBEOFFSETSIGNAL  
AgroupofdigitalinputsignallevelswhichcausethereadPLLand/ordatadecoderto  
shiftthedecodingwindowsbyfractionalamounts.Oftenearly/latearemodifiedwhen  
twosignalsareused.  
SERVOBURST  
Amomentaryservopatternusedinembeddedservocontrolsystemsusuallypositioned  
betweensectorsorattheendofatrack.  
SERVOCONTROL  
Atechniquebywhichthespeedorpositionofamovingdeviceisforcedinto  
conformitywithadesiredorstandardspeedorposition.  
GL – 5  
GLOSSARY  
WORD  
T
Anumberofbits,typicallyamultipleofeight,processedinparallel(inasingle  
operation).Standardwordlengthsare8,16,32and64bits(1,2,4,or8bytes).  
THIN-FILM HEAD  
WRITE  
Amagnetictransducermanufacturedbydepositionofmagneticandelectricalmaterials  
onabasematerialcontrastedwithpriorartmechanicalmethods.Read/writeheads  
whoseread/writeelementisdepositedusingintegratedcircuittechniquesratherthan  
beingmanuallywound.  
Therecordingoffluxreversalsonamagneticmedia.  
WRITEPRE-COMPENSATION  
Theintentionaltimeshiftingofwritedatatooffsettheeffectsofbitshiftinmagnetic  
recording.  
THIN-FILMMEDIA  
Seeplatedthinfilmmedia.  
WRITEGATESIGNAL  
Adigitalinputsignallevelwhichcausesthedrivecircuitrytorecord(write)data.  
TRACK  
Onesurfaceofacylinder.Apathwhichcontainsreproducibleinformationleftona  
magneticmediumbyrecordingmeansenergizedfromasinglechannel.  
TRACK-FOLLOWINGSERVO  
Aclosed-looppositionercontrolsystemthatcontinuouslycorrectsthepositionofthe  
diskdrive’sheadsbyutilizingareferencetrackandafeedbackloopinthehead  
positioningsystem.(Seealsoclosedloop.)  
TRACKS PER INCH (TPI)  
Ameasurementofradialdensity.Tracksperinchofdiskradius.  
TRACKPOSITIONING  
Themethod,bothmechanicalandelectrical,usedtopositiontheheadsoverthecorrect  
cylinderinadiskdrivesystem.  
U
UN-CORRECTABLEERROR  
AnerrorthatisnotabletobeovercomewithErrorDetectionandCorrection.  
UNFORMATTEDCAPACITY  
Storagecapacityofdiskdrivepriortoformatting;alsocalledthegrosscapacity.(See  
format.)Therawcapacityofadrivenottakingintoaccountthecapacitylossdueto  
storageoftheformatcontrolinformationonthedisksurfaces.  
UNRECOVERABLEERROR  
AreaderrorfallingoutsidethecapabilityofanECCmechanismtocorrect,ornot  
abletobeovercomebyrereadingthedatainquestion,withorwithoutrepositioning  
thehead.  
V
VOICE COIL MOTOR  
Apositioningmotorthatusesthesameprincipleasavoicecoilinaloudspeaker.The  
motorhasnodetentpositions.Themechanicalmotionoutputofitcanbeeitherrotary  
orlinear.  
W
WHITNEY HEAD  
AsuccessortotheoriginalWinchesterread/writeheaddesign.Theprimarychange  
wastomaketheflexuresmallerandmorerigid.FirstusedinIBM3370/3380.  
WHITNEYTECHNOLOGY  
Amethodofconstructingaread/writeheadinarigiddiskdriveusingaWhitney  
head.InallotherdetailsitisthesameasWinchestertechnology.  
WINCHESTERHEAD  
Theread/writeheadusedinWinchestertechnology,non-removablemediadisk  
drives.Maybeeitheramonolithicorcompositetype.Itisaerodynamicallydesigned  
toflywithinmicroinchesofthedisksurface.  
WINCHESTERTECHNOLOGY  
AmethodofconstructingarigiddiskdriveusingconceptsintroducedintheIBM  
model3340diskdrive.Theprimarychangesfrompriortechnologywastolowerthe  
massoftheslider,useofamonolithicslider,radicallychangingthedesignofthe  
flexureandhavingtheslidercometorestonalubricateddisksurfacewhendisk  
rotationceases.Inadditiontotheabove,atotallysealedchambercontainingtheread/  
writeheadsanddiskswasusedtoprotectagainstcontamination.  
WINDOWMARGIN  
Theamountoftolerancearead/writesystemhasfortransitionjitterataspecifiederror  
ratelevel.  
GL – 6  
MAXTOR CORPORATION  
510 COTTONWOOD DRIVE  
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA 95035  

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