The next generation of IDE interface developed by Western Digital and used on IBM compatible computers are EIDE (Enhanced IDE). It is also referred to as ATA-2, Fast ATA or Fast IDE. Features of EIDE are:
It supports data rates in the range 4 and 16.6 MBps and supports disks up to 8.4GB.
It supports PIO Modes 3 and 4 and DMA modes 1 and 2.
It supports four devices that are handled by two channels wherein each of these two channels are capable of supporting two devices that are in a master/slave configuration.
Generally, the primary port is connected to a local bus. The address and the IRQ setting is similar to that of a standard IDE system that ensures backward compatibility with the other IDE systems thereby preventing conflicts.
Some of the advantages of EIDE are given below :
ATA-2 Enhancements : This is inclusive of all the improvements defined as part of the ATA-2 standard, including the higher-speed transfer modes.
ATAPI : This includes support for non-hard-disk ATAPI devices on the IDE/ATA channel.
Dual IDE/ATA Host Adapters : This standard specifically includes support for dual IDE/ATA channels, allowing the use of four IDE/ATA/ATAPI devices.
