Assigning masters and slaves
ATA/ATAPI devices are assigned as Master or Slave by setting jumpers on the device. ATA devices have the following jumper selections:
- Master
Connecting a jumper in the Master position enables the onboard controller. All ATA and ATAPI devices have this option. Select this jumper position if this is the only device connected to the interface, or if it is the first of two devices connected to the interface.
- Slave
Connecting a jumper in the Slave position disables the onboard controller. (One of our technical reviewers notes that he has taken advantage of this to retrieve data from a hard drive whose controller had failed, a very useful thing to keep in mind.) All ATA and ATAPI devices can be set as Slave. Select this jumper position if this is the second device connected to an interface that already has a Master device connected.
Tip
When you jumper a device as Master or Slave, it assumes that role regardless of which position it connects to on the ATA cable. For example, if you jumper a device as Master, it functions as Master regardless of whether you connect it to the drive connector at the end of the ATA cable or the drive connector in the middle of the ATA cable.
- Cable Select
All recent ATA/ATAPI devices have a third jumper position labeled Cable Select, CS, or CSEL. Connecting a jumper in the CSEL position instructs the device to configure itself as Master or Slave based on its position on the ATA cable. When you use CSEL, the device connected nearest the ...