WD offers native SATA 300 MB/s hard drives with features and capacities ideal for
next-generation computers and low-end enterprise storage. Users benefit from a 300 MB/s data
transfer rate, native command queuing (NCQ), as well as improved cabling that enables greater
system design flexibility. Designers of enterprise storage systems and servers are increasingly
using desktop-class, large-capacity SATA hard drives.
This hard drive is your best choice for today's powerful, information-hungry systems running
Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Windows 2003 Server, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 operating systems on
Intel® Itanium®, Xeon™
and Pentium® 4 as well as AMD processors.
WD's rugged and reliable hard drives are designed and manufactured to the highest standards of
quality and reliability. Built to last, this SATA hard drive is made for years of cool-running,
high-performance operation around the clock. Before shipping, every drive undergoes over 200
rigorous tests to ensure functionality and compatibility.
NOTE: The formatted capacity of your
hard-disk drive may seem smaller than what you ordered because the operating system reports
drive capacity assuming that 1 megabyte (MB) equals 1,048,576 bytes while drive manufacturers
consider 1 MB to equal 1,000,000 bytes.
Serial ATA (SATA) is the next generation bus interface for hard
drives. It is designed to replace Parallel ATA, and has many advantages including increased
transfer rate, improved signal integrity, enhanced data protection, and hot plug support.
Native Command Queuing (NCQ)
Performance of a random I/O workload can be
improved through intelligent re-ordering of the I/O requests so they read/write to and from the
nearest available sectors and minimize the need for additional disk revolutions or head actuator
movement. This improvement can be achieved though Native Command Queuing (NCQ),
which is supported by these hard drives.
Ramp Load/Unload (LUL)
LUL is a proven design that parks the recording head when the
drive is idle and on spin up, maximizing available disk space and increasing immunity to nonoperational
shock as well as minimizing power usage.
Femto Slider
These drives incorporate the femto slider form factor in which the read/write
head is mounted on the small, lightweight femto slider which allows the head to move more
quickly from track to track on the disk.
S.M.A.R.T. Command Transport (SCT)
The SCT Command Transport feature set
provides a method for a host to send commands and data to a device and for a device to send
data and status to a host using log pages.
Reliability Features Set-Data Lifeguard™
Representing WD's ongoing commitment to
data protection, Data Lifeguard includes features that enhance the drive's ability to prevent
data loss. Data Lifeguard data protection utilities include thermal management, an
environmental protection system, and embedded error detection and repair features that
automatically detect, isolate, and repair problem areas that may develop over the extended use
of the hard drive. With these enhanced data reliability features, the drive can perform more
accurate monitoring, error repair, and deliver exceptional data security.
Hot Plug Support
SATA supports hot plugging (also known as "hot swapping"), the
ability to swap out a failed hard drive without having to power down the system or reboot. This
capability contributes to both data availability and serviceability without any associated
downtime, making it a critical feature for extending SATA into enterprise applications.
Active LED Status
The drive supports external LED requirements. It provides an activity
LED output which is ON during command execution and OFF otherwise.
Fluid Dynamic Bearings (FDB)
Bearing design that incorporates a layer of high-viscosity
lubricant instead of ball bearings in the hard drive spindle motor. As an alternative to
conventional ball bearing technology, FDB designs provide increased non-operational shock
resistance, speed control, and improved acoustics.
Staggered Spin-Up
Next generation SATA 3.0 Gb/s feature that allows the system to
control whether the drive will spin up immediately or wait until the interface is fully ready.
CacheFlow™
WD's unique, multi-generation caching algorithm evaluates the way data is
read from and written to the drive and adapts "on-the-fly" to the optimum read and write
caching methods. CacheFlow minimizes disk seek operations and overheads due to rotational
latency. CacheFlow supports sequential and random write cache. With write cache and other
CacheFlow features, the user can cache both read and write data. The cache can hold multiple
writes and collectively write them to the hard disk.
48-bit Logical Block Addressing (LBA)
WD SATA drives support both 48-bit and 28-bit
LBA and CHS-based addressing. LBA is included in advanced BIOS and operating system
device drivers and ensures high capacity disk integration.
Power Management
The drive supports the ATA and SATA power management
command set, allowing the host to reduce the power consumption of the drive by issuing a
variety of power management commands.
Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.)
S.M.A.R.T. enables a drive's internal status to be monitored through diagnostic commands at the host level
and during offline activities. S.M.A.R.T. devices employ data analysis algorithms that are used
to predict the likelihood of some near-term degradation or fault conditions. When used with a
S.M.A.R.T. application, the drive can alert the host system of a negative reliability status
condition. The host system can then warn the user of the impending risk of data loss and
recommend an appropriate action.
ATA Security
The drive supports the ATA Security Mode Feature set. The ATA Security
Mode feature set allows the user to create a device lock password that prevents unauthorized
hard disk access even if the drive is removed from the host computer. The correct password
must be supplied to the hard drive in order to access user data. Both the User and Master
Password features are supported, along with the High and Maximum security modes. The
Master Password Revision code is also supported.
Automatic Acoustic Management (AAM)
The drive supports the Automatic Acoustic
Management feature. This feature allows the host to select the acoustic level of the hard drive.
