Overview
ISO/IEC 9318-2:1990 - Information technology - Intelligent Peripheral Interface - Part 2: Device specific command set for magnetic disk drives - defines the Logical Level 2 (device-level) interface for magnetic disk drives whose physical, electrical and configuration characteristics conform to ISO/IEC 9318-1. The standard specifies the device-specific command set, control/response octets, format specifications and optional features (RPS, ECC, dual-port, power sequencing) to enable interoperable disk slave peripherals and controllers.
Key Topics
- Logical Level 2 interface: Defines device-level commands and responsibilities for masters (controllers) and slaves (disk drives).
- Command/response structure: Bus octets, control octets, status octets and classes of interrupts (Class 1 - command completion; Class 2 - RPS; Class 3 - status pending).
- Data transfer modes: OctetMode, TransferMode, termination, streaming and related transfer settings.
- Format control and specification: Support for Fixed Block (hard/soft sector) and Variable Block formats, format initialization and manufacturer format records.
- Slave functions and controls: DiskFormat, head control, recalibrate, diagnostics, sector marking, enable/disable features and slave-specific functions.
- Optional features: Rotational Position Sensing (RPS), Slave ECC, dual-port accessibility and power sequencing.
- Bus controls and command set: Load Format Specification, Load Slave Specific Information, Read Configuration, Read Status, Read Current Position and many device-specific operations for configuration and control.
Applications and Who Uses It
- Disk drive manufacturers: Implement the device-specific command set and optional features to ensure compatibility with Intelligent Peripheral Interface environments.
- Controller and firmware engineers: Build controller firmware and host drivers that interoperate with compliant disk slaves at Logical Level 2.
- Systems integrators and OEMs: Integrate disk peripherals with controllers, ensuring predictable behavior for interrupts, format control and transfer settings.
- Standards developers and test labs: Validate compliance, design conformance tests and document interoperability for legacy or specialized storage systems.
Practical uses include developing interoperable disk controllers, firmware for magnetic disk drives, diagnostics and conformance testing, and support for legacy IPI-based storage architectures.
Related Standards
- ISO/IEC 9318-1 - specifies the physical, electrical and configuration characteristics referenced by Part 2.
- Complements other Intelligent Peripheral Interface (IPI) standards addressing higher/lower layers or other peripheral classes.
Keywords: ISO/IEC 9318-2:1990, Intelligent Peripheral Interface, device specific command set, magnetic disk drives, Logical Level 2, disk slave peripherals, format specification, RPS, Slave ECC, bus controls.