Ultra ATA is a mass storage technology that doubled the transfer limit of EIDE to 33 MBps in 1997. It combines legacy ATA technology with ATPAI and added different modes, high-speed IDE cable, and advanced commands. Ultra ATA also implemented a sophisticated error detection algorithm called CRC. The standard supports mode 0 at 16.7 MBps, mode 1 at 25 MBps, and mode 2 at 33 MBps. The latest revision of ATA/ATAPI-7 marks the transformation to Serial ATA based architecture and increases the transfer speed up to 133 MBps. SATA replaced Parallel and ATA standards in the early 2000s.
Ultra Advanced Technology Attachment (Ultra ATA) is a legacy mass storage technology, which in 1997 doubled the Enhanced Integrated Device Electronics (EIDE) transfer limit of 16.6 megabytes per second (MBps) to 33 MBps. The uniqueness of Ultra ATA can be seen in everyday computing, as it takes much less time to perform tedious tasks, such as copying files, performing backups and saving documents. Faster transfers reduce downtime, increase productivity and enable advanced functionality within the operating system. Because more data can be read and written at the same time, the computer runs faster than it would with a traditional ATA architecture.
Ultra ATA combines legacy ATA technology with the latest ATA Packet Interface (ATPAI), which combines traditional commands with innovative protocols. The ATA/ATAPI standard was published and adopted by ANSI in 1998. The technology also added different modes, used a high-speed IDE cable, and used advanced commands.
The ATAPI standard is one of the main reasons why Ultra DMA and ATA are unique from older technologies. ATAPI support allows removable storage devices, such as CD-ROM drives, to boot using the host system’s ATA interface. For the system to boot an ATAPI device natively, the Basic Input Output Device (BIOS) must support the ARMD and ATAPI standards. The system BIOS facilitates the boot process, but users need to set the order in which ATA devices boot.
In addition to providing faster transfer speeds, Ultra ATA also reformed data integrity efforts by implementing a sophisticated error detection algorithm called Cyclical Redundancy Checking (CRC). Manufacturers quickly adapted the model in the late 1990s and wasted no time before implementing the new standard into their systems. Ultra ATA is an industry marketing term used instead of the official specification, “ATA-4 Ultra DMA Mode 2”.
While Ultra ATA is known to use Ultra DMA mode 2, the standard supports mode 0 at 16.7 MBps and mode 1 at 25 MBps. Higher transfer speeds require an advanced high-performance IDE cable, which has 80 conductors and eliminates interference during transfers at maximum speeds. The 16-bit CRC protocol identifies errors during data transmission from the motherboard to the mass storage device.
There are several revisions of the Ultra ATA standard, including ATA/ATAPI-5, ATA/ATAPI-6, and ATA/ATAPI-7. While many of the revisions have added groundbreaking features, the primary change between the ATA models is the maximum transfer speeds. The fifth revision of ATA increases the transfer speed up to 66 MBps and adds a Compact Flash connector. The sixth revision of ATA/ATAPI-6 increases maximum throughput to 100 MBps, adds support for Device Configuration Overlay, and integrates automatic acoustic management. The latest and latest revision of ATA/ATAPI-7 marks the transformation to Serial ATA based architecture and increases the transfer speed up to 133 MBps.
Parallel and ATA standards were replaced by Serial ATA (SATA) interfaces in the early 2000s as manufacturers began adopting faster, smaller, and more reliable devices. Data speeds for Ultra ATA devices have been limited to 133 MBps per second, while SATA chipsets support transfers of up to 257 MBps. Additionally, the maximum capacity of the drive has been increased from 128 gigabytes to more than 2 terabytes.
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