Supermicro X6DLP-EG2 User Manual page 85

Appendix C: Software Installation Instructions
Appendix C
Installing Software Drivers and Windows
Operating System
After all the hardware has been installed, you must fi rst confi gure the Adaptec
Embedded Serial ATA RAID Driver before you install the Windows operating system.
The necessary drivers are all included on the Supermicro bootable CDs that came
packaged with your motherboard. (*The following section provides information on
Adaptec's SATA RAID Driver based on the Intel ICH5R/6300 ESB Controller.)
C-1 Introduction to the Adaptec Embedded Serial ATA RAID
Controller Driver
Serial ATA (SATA)
Serial ATA(SATA) is a physical storage interface. It uses a single cable with a
minimum of four wires to create a point-to-point connection between devices. It
is a serial link which supports SATA Transfer rates from 150MBps. Because the
serial cables used in SATA are thinner than the traditional cables used in Paral-
lel ATA(PATA), SATA systems have better airfl ow and can be installed in smaller
chassis than Parallel ATA. In addition, the cables used in PATA can only extend
to 40cm long, while Serial ATA cables can extend up to one meter. Overall, Serial
ATA provides better functionality than Parallel ATA.
Introduction to the Intel 6300 ESB I/O Controller Hub
Located in the South Bridge of the Intel E7520 Chipset, the 6300 ESB I/O Con-
troller Hub provides the I/O subsystem with access to the rest of the system. It
supports 2-channel Ultra ATA/100 Bus Master IDE controller (PATA) and two Serial
ATA (SATA) Host Controllers, which support up to two Serial ATA ports and up to
two RAID drives. The 6300 ESB I/O Controller Hub supports the following Parallel
ATA (PATA) and Serial (SATA) device confi guration:
P-ATA only: Detects drives both on SATA and PATA ports,
S-ATA only: Detects drives on SATA ports only,
S-ATA & P-ATA: Detects drives on SATA ports and the Primary IDE Connector
C-1