Introduction

This chapter provides an overview of computer interfaces, which is needed for understanding the material in the following chapters. Here, I discuss those PC interfaces used to connect different storage devices to the PC.

Peripheral devices are connected to a computer by means of the interface.

In its basic definition, an interface is a hardware and/or software data transmission regulator that controls data exchange between the PC and other devices, including such data storage devices as hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, tape drives, CD drives, DVD drives, and so on. The interface is supported by the electronics of the data transfer controller and the drive electronics. There are standards adopted for the interface protocols, ...

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