[TriLUG] Any Kubuntu/Ubuntu users explain to me why my IDE drives show up as sda?

[Matt Pusateri]

Chess Griffin wrote:
> Alan Porter wrote:
>> It was my understanding that the PATA drivers were completely 
>> rewritten, and
>> than they now use a lot of the underlying code that was developed for 
>> SATA.
>> I think this is a kernel question, and not a (k)ubuntu question.
>
> Yes, this was a kernel change in 2.6.20, IIRC.  I had something to do 
> with the kernel using libATA drivers for PATA as well as SATA from now 
> on.  Since the kernel now uses this new PATA/IDE subsystem, which 
> (like the SATA subsystem) goes through SCSI layer, all drives will 
> show up as /dev/sd*.  I see this same thing on Slackware, Arch Linux, 
> and Debian as well.
>
> That's about the extent of my understanding of the issue.  :-)
>
I believe in 2.6.19 is when the new libata drivers when into play.  This 
changed the ide devices from /dev/hd(x) to /dev/sd(x)  There was a good 
article or blog post explaining converting form hd to sd recently but I 
can't find it right now.  Burried in the libata section of the following 
link is the change from hd to sd:  http://kernelnewbies.org/Linux_2_6_19


Matt P.