Parallel ATA is a standard connection for computer storage devices to a motherboard using a ribbon cable. It moves 16 bits of information at a time and can connect two devices. Serialized operations mean only one operation can be connected at a time. SATA is an improvement that moves information faster with smaller cables.
Parallel ATA, or simply ATA, is the term used to describe a standard connection from a computer storage device to a motherboard. The connection consists of two or three 40-pin connectors attached to a ribbon cable. One end of the cable plugs into the parallel ATA socket on the motherboard. The other end connects to the back of a hard drive, CD-ROM drive, or other storage device.
The letters ATA stand for Advanced Technology Attachment. Until the introduction of serial ATA, parallel ATA was simply called ATA. The word parallel is used to describe how information is moved. A parallel device uses several strands of wire to move more information around at once. In a parallel ATA device, the ribbon cable, a thin cable containing many individual wires, moves 16 bits of information at a time.
The socket has two rows of holes. One row has 20 square holes. The other row has 19 holes with a space between the 8th and 11th holes. The parallel ATA plug has pins that fit into these holes. Some pins ground the device, while others transfer data.
A parallel ATA cable can have two or three connections. When the cable has three connections, you can connect two different storage devices to it. The two devices are named using a binary system. So the first device is indicated as 0, while the second is 1.
When using parallel ATA, only one operation can be connected at a time. This is known as serialized operations. It means that if two drives are connected using the same ribbon cable, drive 1 has to wait to function until drive 0 finishes. Newer versions of parallel ATA technology allow for the overlap feature. However, most drives do not support this feature.
ATA technology was first developed by Western Digital in the 1980s. At the time, it was called integrated drive electronics (IDE). This name is often used interchangeably with ATA.
The ATA standard is maintained by the International Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS). INCITS is a group of information technology developers created in 1960. It is accredited by the American National Standards Institute.
Parallel ATA technology was followed by Serial ATA or SATA. SATA is an improvement over parallel ATA because it moves information faster. As information is moved one bit at a time, the number of wires is reduced from 80 to eight. This allows for smaller cables that take up less space inside your computer.
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