A+ question: Which PC drive interfaces don’t support two drives per controller?

DirectorC · Mar 9, 2010, 02:15 AM

As I make this post, I wonder if we should have a Certification section on these forums. Every cert forum I've seen is a barren wasteland compared to TPU.

Anyway, on to my post:

The answers are SCSI and SATA. I was wondering to myself if they meant connection instead of controller?

newtekie1 · Mar 9, 2010, 02:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirectorC

As I make this post, I wonder if we should have a Certification section on these forums. Every cert forum I've seen is a barren wasteland compared to TPU.

Anyway, on to my post:

The answers are SCSI and SATA. I was wondering to myself if they meant connection instead of controller?

Yeah, that is why I hate A+ cert questions, they are worded so poorly. I almost think the more your know, the less likely you are to pass.

DirectorC · Mar 9, 2010, 02:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newtekie1

Yeah, that is why I hate A+ cert questions, they are wrong.

One thing that is widely known is that they are often poorly worded as all hell. My teacher called this 'them playing with you to see how technical your knowledge is'. BS, these nerds making these tests need to go take English classes (or rather reading and comprehension).

Salvadorian Stuff · Mar 9, 2010, 02:53 AM

Some A+ certification questions are pretty much not well made.. I don't know what was harder when I took the test.. the test or the way the Comtia wrote all those questions.. some of them does not make sense... I barely hit the 80% of the questions, because I did not understand some incoherent questions... lol

Yeap we will have some advices here about A+ Certification (also N+ and S+).. would be great source of technical enrichment, you know coming from TPU is good trusted!

freaksavior · Mar 9, 2010, 02:55 AM

Im in a A+ certification right now, and im bored out of my mind in it.

Jstn7477 · Mar 9, 2010, 03:04 AM

That is a poorly worded question. Can't SCSI have many drives on a controller (like 7 drives and 1 host on a cable)? That would make it able to have two drives on a controller as one of many cases, and not fulfill the question in that case? Am I right about what I'm explaining?

DirectorC · Mar 9, 2010, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jstn7477

That is a poorly worded question. Can't SCSI have many drives on a controller (like 7 drives and 1 host on a cable)? That would make it able to have two drives on a controller as one of many cases, and not fulfill the question in that case? Am I right about what I'm explaining?

I was going to say that not only can SCSI have two devices per controller, but devices can be daisy-chained so they can indeed have many drives per CONNECTION even, so yeah.

Anyway, I just found out the test I was taking was actually made by an individual party. It seems like he based it on actual questions and answers though.

FordGT90Concept · Mar 9, 2010, 03:16 AM

SATA is the most likely answer. How many channels per controller can vary greatly pending on controller design. Basically:
SCSI = 8 or 16 (- 1 for terminator)
SATA = 1
IDE/ATA/PATA = 2
SAS = 65,636 (via expanders)

A single controller can support multiple channels (e.g. two is common for PATA) so yeah, the wording is bad.

Jizzler · Mar 9, 2010, 03:25 AM

Hhahaha... good joke DirectorC. Oh? It's not April 1st?! Oh no!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirectorC

The answers are SCSI and SATA.

newtekie1 · Mar 9, 2010, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

SATA is the most likely answer. How many channels per controller can vary greatly pending on controller design. Basically:
SCSI = 8 or 16 (- 1 for terminator)
SATA = 1
IDE/ATA/PATA = 2
SAS = 65,636 (via expanders)

A single controller can support multiple channels (e.g. two is common for PATA) so yeah, the wording is bad.

Can't SATA also support multiple drives per channel/connector via port multipliers? I know only some controllers support this though.

W1zzard · Mar 9, 2010, 01:54 PM

you have as only choices SCSI and SATA ? then both

FordGT90Concept · Mar 9, 2010, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newtekie1

Can't SATA also support multiple drives per channel/connector via port multipliers? I know only some controllers support this though.

Sure it isn't SAS? The connectors are similar but the data protocol is different (has backwards support for ye old SCSI).

As far as I know, a port multiplier would have to be a controller itself because it has to have one terminal (SATA instead of PCI or PCI Express) and multiple initial points. The SATA protocol doesn't allow more than one drive (HDD, SDD, or optical) per channel.

brandonwh64 · Mar 9, 2010, 02:16 PM

floppy LOLOLOL!

DanTheBanjoman · Mar 9, 2010, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

SCSI = 8 or 16 (- 1 for terminator)

Controller, not terminator

Is A+ eally as simple as it always seems? Perhaps I should just take the exam and put it on my CV

W1zzard · Mar 9, 2010, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

floppy LOLOLOL!

floppy supports 2 drives

DirectorC · Mar 9, 2010, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W1zzard

you have as only choices SCSI and SATA ? then both

The other options are ATA and High Speed ATA.

And how don't SCSI and SATA support two drives per controller? ' C O N T R O L L E R ' is the CHIP not the PLUG/PORT right?!

brandonwh64 · Mar 9, 2010, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W1zzard

floppy supports 2 drives

I know wiz i was just joking

TIGR · Mar 9, 2010, 02:47 PM

That is not just poorly worded, it's inaccurately worded as they seem to have meant the connectors/ports. Which once again is arguably inaccurate since, as was previously mentioned, you can use port multipliers to connect multiple SATA devices to a single SATA host port much in the same way USB hubs work.

This is assuming you consider the disk controller to that which actually manages the physical disks and presents them to the OS as logical units, between the front-end interface (to the computer's host adapter) and back-end interface (to disks, via ATA, Fiber Channel, PATA, SCSI, SAS, or SATA). Which is the accepted, common usage.

A certifications forum would be a good idea here at TPU, although I personally wouldn't be in it. Beauty of running your own business and not having to show off any certs.

DirectorC · Mar 9, 2010, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanTheBanjoman

Is A+ eally as simple as it always seems? Perhaps I should just take the exam and put it on my CV

Uhh go take a practice test and let me know what you think.

DanTheBanjoman · Mar 9, 2010, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirectorC

The other options are ATA and High Speed ATA.

And how don't SCSI and SATA support two drives per controller? ' C O N T R O L L E R ' is the CHIP not the PLUG/PORT right?!

Personally I would say the controller is the device that reports itself to the BIOS, ie no matter the amount of chips it uses or how it is constructed. The average IDE RAID controller uses cheap IDE chips, several depending on the amount of ports it has. The BIOS and OS will only detect a single device though. I would say that is the controller. In fact, I have a 6 port SATA controller which has 3 sil chips on it, they are detected as a single device though. ie it is a single controller built using 3 chips.

DanTheBanjoman · Mar 9, 2010, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirectorC

Uhh go take a practice test and let me know what you think.

Linky?

DirectorC · Mar 9, 2010, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanTheBanjoman

Linky?

Ehh here's one http://www.proprofs.com/certificatio...-E1/exam.shtml

brandonwh64 · Mar 9, 2010, 03:20 PM

ran through the test real quick and passed

if i sat down and studied alittle I would be able to pass way better than this

DanTheBanjoman · Mar 9, 2010, 03:52 PM

That is quite some outdated test. Took me just over 10 minutes, did not know some things about the printers corona and gave only one answer to questions that wanted 2 :P

Either way I passed easily, can't imagine this being of much value though.

DirectorC · Mar 9, 2010, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanTheBanjoman

Either way I passed easily, can't imagine this being of much value though.

That's what I'm saying. I've been working on computers for 15 years, know programming languages, and was a Linux guru but I almost fail with these tests and their questions about IRQ assignments and printer BS. These tests suck. I feel bad for all the companies hiring on-site techs with these pieces of papers.

Mar 9, 2010, 02:15 AM	#1
DirectorC Banned Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Florizy Posts: 1,597 (1.24/day) Thanks: 90 Thanked 269 Times in 248 Posts System Specs	A+ question: Which PC drive interfaces don’t support two drives per controller? As I make this post, I wonder if we should have a Certification section on these forums. Every cert forum I've seen is a barren wasteland compared to TPU. Anyway, on to my post: The answers are SCSI and SATA. I was wondering to myself if they meant connection instead of controller?

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Mar 9, 2010, 02:53 AM	#4
Salvadorian Stuff Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 32 (0.02/day) Thanks: 7 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts System Specs	Some A+ certification questions are pretty much not well made.. I don't know what was harder when I took the test.. the test or the way the Comtia wrote all those questions.. some of them does not make sense... I barely hit the 80% of the questions, because I did not understand some incoherent questions... lol Yeap we will have some advices here about A+ Certification (also N+ and S+).. would be great source of technical enrichment, you know coming from TPU is good trusted! Last edited by Salvadorian Stuff; Mar 9, 2010 at 02:58 AM. Reason: adding some more ideas

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Mar 9, 2010, 02:55 AM	#5
freaksavior To infinity ... and beyond! Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: H-Town Texas Posts: 6,780 (2.89/day) Thanks: 1,031 Thanked 852 Times in 581 Posts System Specs	Im in a A+ certification right now, and im bored out of my mind in it. __________________ Heat My HTPC Guide freak's F/S thread Fill Out you sp here.

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Mar 9, 2010, 03:04 AM	#6
Jstn7477 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Sarasota, Florida, USA Posts: 3,112 (2.29/day) Thanks: 384 Thanked 1,175 Times in 797 Posts System Specs	That is a poorly worded question. Can't SCSI have many drives on a controller (like 7 drives and 1 host on a cable)? That would make it able to have two drives on a controller as one of many cases, and not fulfill the question in that case? Am I right about what I'm explaining? __________________ Intel Crunchers (30 threads): 2x 3770K 4.3GHz, 2600K 4GHz, X3210, P-M 735A, P4 3GHz, AMD Crunchers (20 cores):FX-8150 (4t), 1100T 3.6GHz, 1045T 3.4GHz, X3 8550 2.5GHz, T64 ML-37 AMD Folders (6272 GCN cores): 2x 7950 1125/1475, 7970 1150/1650, 7770 NV Folders (2336 GF10x + 1344 GK104 cores):GTX 470 & 465 720/1715, 4x 460 768MB 825/2000, GTS 450, 660Ti 1228/6000 HEATWARE

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Mar 9, 2010, 03:16 AM	#8
FordGT90Concept "I go fast!1!11!1!" Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: IA, USA Posts: 10,564 (6.29/day) Thanks: 1,751 Thanked 2,594 Times in 1,959 Posts System Specs	SATA is the most likely answer. How many channels per controller can vary greatly pending on controller design. Basically: SCSI = 8 or 16 (- 1 for terminator) SATA = 1 IDE/ATA/PATA = 2 SAS = 65,636 (via expanders) A single controller can support multiple channels (e.g. two is common for PATA) so yeah, the wording is bad. __________________ Golden Rule of Programming: Never assume. try { SteamDownload(); } catch (Steamception ex) { RageQuit(); }

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Mar 9, 2010, 01:54 PM	#11
W1zzard Benevolent Dictator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Stuttgart, Germany Posts: 13,758 (4.18/day) Thanks: 184 Thanked 10,207 Times in 3,156 Posts System Specs	you have as only choices SCSI and SATA ? then both

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Mar 9, 2010, 02:16 PM	#13
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Mar 9, 2010, 02:47 PM	#18
TIGR Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Minnesota, USA Posts: 2,098 (1.21/day) Thanks: 739 Thanked 1,030 Times in 598 Posts System Specs	That is not just poorly worded, it's inaccurately worded as they seem to have meant the connectors/ports. Which once again is arguably inaccurate since, as was previously mentioned, you can use port multipliers to connect multiple SATA devices to a single SATA host port much in the same way USB hubs work. This is assuming you consider the disk controller to that which actually manages the physical disks and presents them to the OS as logical units, between the front-end interface (to the computer's host adapter) and back-end interface (to disks, via ATA, Fiber Channel, PATA, SCSI, SAS, or SATA). Which is the accepted, common usage. A certifications forum would be a good idea here at TPU, although I personally wouldn't be in it. Beauty of running your own business and not having to show off any certs.

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Mar 9, 2010, 03:20 PM	#23
brandonwh64 Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!! Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chatsworth, GA Posts: 13,560 (10.04/day) Thanks: 2,138 Thanked 5,338 Times in 3,695 Posts System Specs	ran through the test real quick and passed if i sat down and studied alittle I would be able to pass way better than this __________________ Cruncher's: All GPU's GPU's: 7970 3GB Unlocked = 8 Threads 5770 1GB OCed = 2 Threads

Mar 9, 2010, 03:52 PM	#24
DanTheBanjoman Señor Moderator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Utrecht, Utrecht, The kingdom of the Netherlands Posts: 8,498 (2.59/day) Thanks: 41 Thanked 1,453 Times in 1,077 Posts System Specs	That is quite some outdated test. Took me just over 10 minutes, did not know some things about the printers corona and gave only one answer to questions that wanted 2 :P Either way I passed easily, can't imagine this being of much value though.

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