The Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO) has announced the availability of the Serial ATA Revision 2.6 specification. The updated spec adds a number of new features and enhancments, including the internal slimline cable and connector which allows for SATA optical drives in small form factor computers.
Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO), the consortium dedicated to sustaining the quality, integrity and dissemination of SATA technology, today announced the availability of the Serial ATA Revision 2.6 specification. This updated specification combines the previously published SATA Revision 2.5 material with new feature definitions and enhancements that will enable developers to integrate the technology into new applications.
Benefits include:
Internal Slimline cable and connector - enables SATA optical drives to be included in smaller form factors
Internal Micro SATA connector for 1.8" HDD - facilitates SATA hard drives in Ultra Mobile PC applications
Mini SATA Internal/ External Multilane cable and connector - provides access for internal use in high bandwidth backplane designs, and also external uses in eSATA or xSATA protocols for high bandwidth external storage enclosures
Native Command Queuing (NCQ) Priority enhancement - adds priority to data in complex workload environments
NCQ Unload enhancement - permits robust use in laptop environments where the drive may be dropped
The 2.6 spec is available as a free download for SATA-IO members. Non-members can also purchase the document for $25. More information can be found on the SATA-IO website.
