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Chapter 10
Software and Drivers
Objectives
This chapter covers the basic operational characteristics of the storage software stack. Whereas previ-
ous sections have concentrated on how to physically connect SATA devices and their architecture-
associated protocols, this chapter addresses the most common method to create a SATA-based host
implementation. Topics include the following:
Storage I/O Stack
○ I/O manager
○ File system, volume manager, and volumes
○ Class and miniport drivers
○ Hardware: PCI bus, HBAs, and Devices
SATA and SATA Express architectures
○ SATA protocol layers
○ PCIe protocol layers
SATA configurations
The Advanced Host ...