Gigabyte GA-8S655FX Ultra
Stephen Cooper, November 17th, 2003
..:: ITE IT8212F ATA/133 RAID Controller ::..
One feature that has become an expected add-on to any high-end motherboard nowadays would have to be the RAID controller. Gigabyte has chosen to opt with the ITE IT8281F chip which provides RAID 0, RAID 1, and even RAID 0+1 support for drives up to ATA/133 standards. Unlike we have seen in the past with the Promise RAID Controller, this new ITE chip actually does allow for full support of RAID 0+1. The older Promise RAID Controller only allowed for RAID 0 or RAID 1, not RAID 0+1. This is surely a good move on Gigabyte's part by giving the user the capability for this RAID mode for optimal speed and safety. Most users will generally gear towards RAID 1 or RAID 0 modes; however there are some that do indeed prefer to use RAID 0+1 for the optimal speed and safety. Here’s a little more on the ITE RAID Controller.
The IDE RAID controller, which is compatible with the ATA/ATAPl-6 specification and supports the IDE RAID 0/1/0+1 function, acts as an interface between the system and the IDE device. It supports not only a Scatter/Gather DMA mechanism that complies with the Programming Interface for Bus Master IDE Controller Revision 1.0, but also 2 IDE channels and up to 4 IDE devices. Different from using traditional software to handle the RAID function, IT8212F features one embedded CPU and firmware to handle it. The methodology is able to improve the system’s stability and reduce the driver's loading.
RAID Function
Compatible with the ATA/ATAPI-6 specification and supports two IDE channels with 4 drives
Supports ANSI ATA proposal PIO Modes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 with flow control, DMA Modes 0, 1, 2 and Ultra DMA modes 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
512 bytes FIFO for data transfer per IDE channel
Supports RAID 0/1/0+1 function
Supports JBOD function
Supports Scatter/Gather function for DMA/UDMA transfer
Supports pre-fetch and post-write function for PIO mode prer IDE channel
Includes one embedded CPU and firmware on our chip to handle the RAID function. It can reduce the driver's loading and improve the system's stability
Programmable active pulses and recovery time for data port access timing
Ultra ATA/133 Interface
Supports Ultra ATA/133 specification of 133MB/sec transfers with CRC error-checking
Two independent IDE channels support up to four UDMA/133/100/66/33 or EIDE drives
<< Previous Page Next Page >>
|
|
