This section describes the requirements for any floppy disk controller (FDC) provided with a PC 97 system.
A floppy disk controller is not a requirement for a PC 97. Although most systems include some form of floppy disk drive, some systems such as diskless workstations do not need one.
17. Floppy disk capabilities provided through expansion card or external bus
| Recommended |
To support migration away from legacy devices for PC 97, it is recommended that support for floppy disk drives be provided by using a solution based on an external bus such as USB, PC Card, or an expansion card for SCSI or IDE.
18. Legacy floppy disk controller built into system
| Optional |
If a legacy FDC is included on a PC 97 system, it must meet the requirements listed in this section.
19. FDC compliant with all general storage device requirements
| Required |
These are defined in the "System Requirements for Storage Peripherals" section earlier in this chapter.
20. Resource configuration for legacy FDC device
| Required |
The resource requirements must be met for each device of this type on the system, not shared among devices of the same type.
21. Conflict resolution and dynamic disable capabilities for legacy FDC
| Required |
The FDC must be capable of being disabled. For example, if the FDC is located on the system board and an adapter card that includes an FDC is added to the system, the system-board FDC must be capable of being disabled to prevent conflicts with the new card. If the FDC is located on an expansion card, the expansion card must allow independent dynamic disabling of the FDC and the hard disk controller (HDC). In this case, the adapter will continue to function if the FDC is disabled because of conflicts, and vice versa.