SATA-2 host controllers

[Eric Gisin]

I have yet to see any reviews of the various SATA-2 host controllers,
even though most have been available over a year.
Here is my attempt to list them and their main features.

All info comes from marketing blurbs and the ICH6 PRM.
I have not downloaded any data sheets, they are hard to find or too big.
Further information is welcome, I will post updates.

Available PCI-* SATA-2 host controllers, excluding HW RAID.

Intel ICH6R integrated 4 port:
AHCI: yes; speed 1.5
SATA-2 features: FPDMA, NCQ, hot-swap,

Intel ICH7R integrated 4 port:
AHCI: yes; speed 3
SATA-2 features: FPDMA, NCQ, hot-swap, +?
[I need a comparison of features from the ICH 6&7 data sheets]

nForce4 integrated 4 port:
AHCI: no; speed 1.5/3
SATA-2 features: FPDMA, NCQ, hot-swap, +?
[Is a data sheet available? Is it AHCI compat?]

SiI 3124 PCI-X 4 port:
AHCI: no; speed 1.5/3
SATA-2 features: FPDMA, NCQ, hot-swap, port multiplier,

SiI 3132 PCI-E 1-lane 2 port:
AHCI: no; speed 3
SATA-2 features: FPDMA, NCQ, hot-swap, port multiplier,

Notes:
SATA-2 feature list: first-party DMA, NCQ, hot-swap,
port selector, port multiplier, enclosure managment.

Hot-swap includes several SATA-2 features.

 

[Eric Gisin]

Here are some interesting bits from Intel® ICH6 I/O Controller Hub 6 R
(ICH6R) Advance Host Controller Interface (AHCI) PRM

3 Overview

The ICH6 SATA HBA (Host Bus Adapter) is a “hybrid” device. It is considered a hybrid device
because it supports both a parallel ATA (P-ATA) programming interface as well as a new
programming interface as described in the SATA AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface)
specification. Conceptually, the ICH6 SATA HBA supports three configurations:

1. Compatible – intended for operating systems that do not comprehend SATA, AHCI or
Native IDE mode. The Compatible configuration is described in section 4.2 Compatible
Configuration.

2. Enhanced Non-AHCI – intended for operating systems that do not comprehend SATA,
AHCI but do comprehend Native IDE mode. The Enhanced Non-AHCI configuration is
described in section 4.3 Enhanced Non-AHCI Configuration

3. Enhanced AHCI – intended for operating systems that do comprehend SATA and AHCI.
The Enhanced AHCI configuration is described in section 4.4 Enhanced AHCI
Configuration.

The SATA HBA can function independently of, or in conjunction with the parallel P-ATA host
controller. The ICH6 can support a maximum of six ATA devices: two P-ATA devices plus four
SATA devices. While ICH6 does not implement a physical, secondary P-ATA channel, the
physical, primary channel can be viewed, by system software, as a logical secondary channel.
This is applicable only when the SATA AHCI is in the Combined configuration. Combined
configuration is discussed in subsequent sections of this document.

[A PCI IDE HBA can operate in legacy or native mode.
Legacy uses the fixed resources (registers and IRQs) of the PC/AT,
but is limited to Primary&Secondary only. Any OS IDE driver works.
Native mode is Plug&Play with shared IRQs. Windows 2000+ supports this.
AHCI mode can be enabled but requires completely new drivers.
The Linux scsi/ahci.c driver is written by Intel! Does it work?]

2 Unsupported AHCI Features

The Intel ICH6 SATA implementation does not implement the following optional AHCI
capabilities:

• Cold Presence Detect
• Port Selector
• Port Multiplier FIS-based switching
• Non-zero DMA Offsets
• Enclosure Management
• Gen-2 Speeds

[I would be intestested to know if ICH7R implement any of these]