[linux-audio-user] OT: ide drives

[Mark Knecht]

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 19:44:11 +0200, David Baron <d_baron at 012.net.il> wrote:
> On Thursday 21 October 2004 18:00, linux-audio-user-request at music.columbia.edu
> wrote:
> > > /dev/hda     system hd
> > > /dev/hdb     DVD burner
> > > /dev/hdc     data hd
> > > /dev/hdd     DVD reader
> > >
> > > Does this look OK? (Does it matter where i plug the drives at all?)
> >
> > I think this setup looks good. Give it a try.
> Why does "everyone" set things up with HDs on one channel, CDs on the other? I
> was told that the slower CD device will slow down the HD. I had run Windoze
> with a setup like the above with no problems, however.
> 

I think it depends on the system and the drives. It's a complicated subject.

1) In a 'standard, off the shelf' PC you have a single hard drive and
a single CDRW. In that case you make them both master devices on
separate channels. No conflicts.

2) In my IDE based audio drive system my second drive is on a second
controller so I have 4 channels available. In this case all the drives
are still master devices. (See - not 'everyone sets up the HD on one
channel!) ;-)

In Robert's case he wants to use the two channels available to him. He
knows he's going to use the two drives at the same time, so he's
optimized for that usage.

However, you are correct that if he was to mix an older CDRW/DVD drive
that was (possibly) a UDMA1/2/3 drive, with his nice, new UDMA5/6/7/8
hard drives, then the system might have to slow the EIDE cable down
and his drive would go slower. He'd still be spinning at 10K RPM, but
on the cable he's be going 33MHz instead of 100MHz, etc...

It's a crap shoot answering questions like this without madel numbers
for all the devices, and if he gave me model numbers I'd probbably run
and hide as figuring it out is too much work. ;-)

- Mark