Serial ATA

Get the ML405 Evaluation Platform, which includes a time-limited FREE trial version of the ESS reference system that employs the SATA Host Controller IP.

Serial ATA (SATA) succeeds the prevalent Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) hard disk drive interface. It overcomes many PATA limitations such as performance, power and pin count. SATA generation 1 offers maximum bandwidth of 1.5Gbs with future performance expansion on the roadmap.

Why Use Xilinx for SATA?

Virtex®-4 FX devices contain specialized high-performance embedded features including PowerPC® 405 processor for running different operating systems to manage data flow, Tri-mode Ethernet Media Access Controller (TEMAC) for Gigabit Ethernet connectivity and Multi-Gigabit Transceivers (MGT) for SATA connections. Coupled with the industry's most advanced configurable logic and external memory interfaces, Virtex-4 offers a powerful package to deliver high design flexibility and performance to the market in the shortest time.

Xilinx SATA Solution Features and Benefits
Features	Benefits
Embedded Multi-gigabit Transceiver (MGT)	SATA Generation1 and Generation 2 physical layer support
Third party SATA host controller IP core available	Verified SATA link and transport layer
1 Gbs Ethernet support	Embedded Virtex-4 Tri-mode Ethernet MAC
Reference system available	Complete embedded storage system with Gigabit Ethernet and SATA ports
Reference system hardware available	System verified on ML405 Evaluation Platform

Market Applications

The Xilinx SATA solution is the best choice for high-throughput storage applications for network attached storage (NAS), storage area network (SAN) and redundant array of independent disks (RAID). Our solution also offers compelling benefits for video storage and the aerospace and defense markets.

Market Applications for the Xilinx SATA Solution
Market	Applications	Engineer Benefit	FPGA Family
Servers and storage	NAS, SAN, HBA, RAID	Reliable, flexible, scalable	Virtex-4	See solution
Video storage	Professional broadcasting, medical imaging, digital video recording	Build customizable storage system on a chip	Virtex-4	See solution
Aerospace and defense	Field data recording	Industrial temperature grade available	Virtex-4	See solution

SATA host controller IP core

The ESS reference system employs the SATA Host Controller IP core developed by ASICS World Services, LTD., an Xilinx AllianceCore partner. This IP core supports the SATA physical, link, and transport layers as defined by the SATA specs rev 1.0a.