3 optional ata command support – SimpleTech Zeus Ultra User Manual
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ATA Commands
Functional Description
Zeus Ultra DMA Solid State Drives
23
2.4.3
Optional ATA Command Support
2.4.3.1 SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting
Technology)
Zeus SSDs are designed to operate in mission-critical systems where remote monitoring
of the drives’s internal status is required, but removal of the drive for status checking is
unacceptable. To provide remote monitoring support, Zeus SSDs can be programmed
with the optional SMART feature. SMART enables the SSD to perform internal system
monitoring, and report on the status of the drive. SMART is also used to analyze the
SSD’s bad-block status. The total number of bad blocks accumulated from the date of
manufacture; relative to the disk total capacity, is returned as status information.
Monitoring accumulated bad blocks over time provides an indication of drive reliability
and the expected life span of the drive in the system in which the it is installed.
2.4.3.2 Identify Drive Information
The Identify Drive command enables the host to receive parameter information from the
SSD. When the Identify Drive command executes, the SSD sets the BSY bit, prepares
to transfer the 256 words of SSD identification data to the host, sets the DRQ bit, clears
the BSY bit, and then generates an interrupt. The host can then transfer the data by
reading the Data register. All reserved bits or words are all zero. Table 8 contains typical
Identify Drive Information for the Zeus SSD.
Table 8.
SSD Identify Drive Information
Word
Data
Total
Bytes
Description
0
8040h
2
General configuration bit-significant information (value fixed by CFA)
1
XXXXh
a
2
Default number of cylinders
2
0000h
2
Reserved
3
XXXXh
(a)
2
Default number of heads
4
XXXXh
(a)
2
Number of unformatted bytes per track (not used)
5
XXXXh
(a)
2
Number of unformatted bytes per sector (not used)
6
XXXXh
(a)
2
Default number of sectors per track
7-8
XXXXh
(a)
4
Number of sectors per drive (Word7 = MSW, Word8 = LSW)
9
0000h
2
Reserved
10-19
XXXXh
(a)
20
Serial number
continued