ULINK Announced its Support of Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) Test Tool in Drive Master® 2004 Professional Edition
The New Storage Interface for Supporting the Next Generation Serial ATA II (SATA II) NCQ Feature Set
Cupertino, CA, May 3, 2004—ULINK Technology, an innovative technology and engineering company, announced today that the company's newly released software, "Drive Master® 2004 Professional Edition," supports Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI). This professional version of Drive Master will provide system integrators, SATA device manufactures and IC Chip designers with test tool for Serial ATA II (SATA II) NCQ feature set by the AHCI host protocol.
AHCI protocol is a newly defined host and storage device interface used in the personal computer and server market, as announced by Intel from its press release in May 2003. Intel has led an industry team of hardware and software vendors in developing the complete specification of the AHCI interface. Intel has announced the completion and availability of the AHCI specification in mid April 2004.
AHCI protocol provides an efficient device interface for the newly-developed SATA devices. This protocol allows the host to communicate with the SATA device via a set of registers which is defined and supported by the AHCI provider. With this open standard, vendors can build hardware and software on the same platform and expect the system to be compatible with this protocol. AHCI provides both performance and compatibility for the SATA devices.
In additional to the supporting the legacy ATA command set, AHCI provides a method for the newly created SATA NCQ commands. The AHCI and NCQ combination will provide SATA devices with a platform of high performance and high reliability systems.
ULINK’s Drive Master 2004 supports AHCI testing functions. This test suite can be used for debugging the AHCI host implementation and NCQ command implementation in compliance with both devices. With Drive Master, Host Bus Adaptor (HBA) companies can debug and confirm its implementation automatically. It allows users to validate the hardware and software implementation in a very short period of time. The system vendor can make sure the HBA and SATA device is inter-operative. In addition, device vendors can utilize this tool for NCQ and other SATA II functions development.
"As the demand of capacity and performance rapidly increasing, the AHCI protocol is a widely anticipated by the industry for the next generation of storage interface. It is a gate to the future’s storage" said Shawn Chou, the Product Marketing Director at ULINK. "As the first third party AHCI test tool provider, with a comprehensive software test solution for SATA device, ULINK shall work with the industry to open the gate and enter into tomorrow’s technology." Added Chou. "We believe that by providing the tool set, the industry can quickly debug and test all of the design issues and complete its migration to a better performance system solution," added Edwin Kuo, Director of Sales at ULINK.
Contact: Edwin Kuo
Phone: 408.446.8455 ext 115
Email: edwin.kuo@ulinktech.com
About ULINK Technology, Inc.
ULINK Technology Inc. (www.ulinktech.com) is a technology development company for the newly developed storage industry. Drive Master 2006 Pro is one of the products ULINK has developed for the SATA interface. ULINK also provides consulting and customization support for its customers.
ULINK and Drive Master 2004 are registered trademarks of ULINK Technology Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
This announcement relating to ULINK Technology, Inc. may contain forward-looking statements concerning the distribution and sale of ULINK products and ULINK's execution. These statements are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties which could materially affect the company's results, including, but not limited to, market demand for SATA products, the successful execution of distribution and sales development programs, the development and implementation of new technologies, the company's ability to execute future production ramps and utilize manufacturing assets efficiently, pricing, competition, and the significant uncertainty of market acceptance of new products. ULINK is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any responsibility to update or alter, its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Tel: 408.446.8455
Fax: 775.796.8472
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