scope:

This standard defines a scalable interface for use with memory-mapped storage units and other devices. The term "storage unit" can encompass rotating, non-rotating, volatile, and non-volatile storage. Issues of concurrency, latency, bandwidth, extensibility, and negotiation will be addressed. The interface is intended for use with either a single storage unit or with many coordinated storage units.

Purpose

This standard provides an efficient physical-layer independent interface architecture for storage units that attach directly to memory access buses. In this interface model, storage units have an attachment to main memory, rather than an attachment to an input/output (I/O) channel. This simplifies the storage unit design and supports scheduling of data transfers spanning large numbers of units.