<storage, hardware, standard> (ATA, AT Attachment or "Integrated
Drive Electronics", IDE) A disk drive interface standard based
on the IBM PC ISA 16-bit bus but also used on other personal
computers. ATA specifies the power and data signal interfaces
between the motherboard and the integrated disk controller and
drive. The ATA "bus" only supports two devices - master and
slave. ATA drives may in fact use any physical interface the
manufacturer desires, so long as an embedded translator is
included with the proper ATA interface. ATA "controllers" are
actually direct connections to the ISA bus. Originally called
IDE, the ATA interface was invented by Compaq around 1986, and
was developed with the help of Western Digital, Imprimis, and
then-upstart Conner Peripherals. Efforts to standardise the
interface started in 1988; the first draft appeared in March
1989, and a finished version was sent to ANSI group X3T10 (who
named it "Advanced Technology Attachment" (ATA)) for
ratification in November 1990. X3T10 later e