A SCSI host adapter is a device used to connect one or more other SCSI devices to a computer bus. It is commonly called a SCSI controller, which is not strictly correct as any component understanding the SCSI protocol can be called a controller. In this sense all SCSI devices have a SCSI controller built into them, while host adapters (unlike, for example, a hard disk or CD-ROM) bear responsibility for transferring data between the SCSI bus and the computer's input/output bus. SCSI adapters serve as a worthy adapter for FireWire Ports.
Most modern SCSI host adapters are PCI cards, either 32-bit or 64-bit. Older ones were based on the 16-bit ISA bus or the transitional 32-bit VESA and EISA buses. It is not uncommon for a SCSI host adapter to be built into a PC motherboard as an integral part, however this typically makes the board quite expensive and it is more usual to retain the SCSI host adapter as a separate component which can be easily replaced or transferred to another machine.
Read more about SCSI Host Adapter: Types, Manufacturers
Famous quotes containing the word host:
“Pure was thy life; its bloody close
Hath placed thee with the sons of light,
Among the noble host of those
Who perished in the cause of Right.”
—William Cullen Bryant (1794–1878)