Host adapter

Updated: 09/12/2023 by Computer Hope
Host controller

A host adapter, HBA (Host Bus Adapter), or host controller is a part of a computer that allows communication with devices such as hard drives, Ethernet, fibre, FireWire, IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics), SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), or USB (Universal Serial Bus). It allows the main computer processor to communicate and process information between itself and the device or the network. The picture shows a VIA VT6308S chip on a computer motherboard and is an example of a Host Controller for IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394 (FireWire).

While some host adapter can be added to a computer, like a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) card, others are integrated into the computer motherboard (e.g., hard drive host adapter). Integrated host adapter are commonly called IDE ports or SATA (Serial AT Attachment) ports on a motherboard.

Computer acronyms, Hardware terms, HC, IDE, SATA, SCSI, TLA