How to cascade external storage with Serial ATA

By Brian Schmidt and Conrad Maxwell,  Silicon Image Inc.
(10/09/2006 9:00 AM EDT), EE Times

Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) has become the dominant interface for internal storage in desktops, notebooks and consumer electronics devices. Demands for capacity are on the rise, however, and users demand a flexible means of upgrade without sacrificing performance or paying a high cost. Moreover, home users do not want to open a PC or consumer device to add hard drives, host controllers or larger power supplies in order to record more video content or store more photos.

A flexible means for expanding storage "outside the box" is needed. Solutions such as USB or FireWire (1394) offer anemic performance, while higher-bandwidth alternatives such as SCSI are not on the same cost curve.

Today, average workstations, desktop PCs and consumer devices do not provide sufficient drive bays, large enough power supplies or adequate cooling to support robust internal storage systems. Thus, the only viable solution for expanding storage capacity is via external storage upgrade boxes.

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