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How to multiply IDE/PATA ports?

Forum Storage : CD-ROM/DVD-ROM - How to multiply IDE/PATA ports?

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Dougx1317   06-12-2009 at 06:49:14 AM

I have four IDE optical drives that I want to hook up to my computer, but the motherboard only has one IDE port that supports 2 IDE devices. Is there any way to connect all 4 drives up to my computer?

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daft   06-12-2009 at 05:37:55 PM
- 0 +

get an IDE controller
this will add another port that supports 2 devices
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6816124022

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Dougx1317   06-12-2009 at 06:51:56 PM
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As soon as I read your response, I realized that I already have an IDE card lying around. Thanks for reminding me. I'd all but given up hope.

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Pointertovoid   06-13-2009 at 04:26:20 PM
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Some Pata (all disks are Ide, including Sata and Scsi) host cards, for instance Promise, don't accept optical drives. The best host&raid Pata chip ever [I had them all and tested everything], the Sil0680a, does it, and is dirt-cheap on cards of various brands available from Chinese sellers on eBay.

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Dougx1317   06-14-2009 at 07:02:44 AM
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I have two PATA host cards. I know one definitely doesn't work with optical drives. I haven't tested the other one yet. Why do some cards not work with optical drives?

Message quoted 2 times
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Crashman   06-14-2009 at 06:00:26 PM
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Dougx1317 wrote :

I have two PATA host cards. I know one definitely doesn't work with optical drives. I haven't tested the other one yet. Why do some cards not work with optical drives?



I'm fairly certain that some PATA cards don't properly support ATAPI mode.


Message edited by Crashman on 06-15-2009 at 06:09:57 AM
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Dougx1317   06-14-2009 at 11:04:04 PM
- 0 +

Why don't they support optical drives, and is there anything I can do about it?

Message quoted 1 times
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Crashman   06-14-2009 at 11:34:45 PM
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Dougx1317 wrote :

Why don't they support optical drives, and is there anything I can do about it?



ATAPI is a different protocol that must be added to ATA via firmware at the host controller. If your host controller doesn't have ATAPI in its firmware, there's not much you can do.


Message edited by Crashman on 06-15-2009 at 06:10:10 AM
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jrst   06-15-2009 at 05:52:16 AM
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Dougx1317 wrote :

I have two PATA host cards. I know one definitely doesn't work with optical drives. I haven't tested the other one yet. Why do some cards not work with optical drives?



Good question. Optical drives (as well as some other devices, e.g., some tape drives) require ATAPI, or "ATA Packet Interface" support. ATAPI is carried physically over a PATA interface. Eliminating ATAPI can simplify things a bit, but not that much. Really all ATAPI requires is that the controller stay out of the way and let the host-device pass commands via packets (which looks like data to the controller, and the data looks a lot like SCSI, but those extended commands couldn't be shoved through ATA, thus the addition of PI).

However, I've noticed that many (most? all?) of the cards that don't provide ATAPI support also advertise some form of RAID support. Given that most of the cards are dual-channel, my guess is that vendors simply don't want to deal with configurations that mix-and-match HDD's in RAID with an optical drive thrown in the mix. Thus my guess is that they intentionally remove ATAPI to avoid the support nightmare (and I'd guess it would likely be a nightmare).



p.s. Crashman -- I think you meant ATAPI, not AHCI; ATAPI is for PATA; AHCI is for SATA.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to jrst
Crashman   06-15-2009 at 06:08:56 AM
- 0 +

jrst wrote :

Good question. Optical drives (as well as some other devices, e.g., some tape drives) require ATAPI, or "ATA Packet Interface" support. ATAPI is carried physically over a PATA interface. Eliminating ATAPI can simplify things a bit, but not that much. Really all ATAPI requires is that the controller stay out of the way and let the host-device pass commands via packets (which looks like data to the controller, and the data looks a lot like SCSI, but those extended commands couldn't be shoved through ATA, thus the addition of PI).

However, I've noticed that many (most? all?) of the cards that don't provide ATAPI support also advertise some form of RAID support. Given that most of the cards are dual-channel, my guess is that vendors simply don't want to deal with configurations that mix-and-match HDD's in RAID with an optical drive thrown in the mix. Thus my guess is that they intentionally remove ATAPI to avoid the support nightmare (and I'd guess it would likely be a nightmare).



p.s. Crashman -- I think you meant ATAPI, not AHCI; ATAPI is for PATA; AHCI is for SATA.



Yes I did. And I did it twice. OMG I'M LOSING MY MIND!

Reply to Crashman
Dougx1317   06-15-2009 at 09:39:52 PM
- 0 +

Thank you very much for all of the help. I'll just have to hope that my cards support it, or I'll have to buy a new one.

Reply to Dougx1317
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