and devices that could emulate them. The introduction of ATAPI (ATA Packet Interface) by the Small Form Factor Committee (SFF) allowed ATA to be used for a variety of other devices that require functions beyond those necessary for hard disk drives. For example, any removable media device needs a "media eject" command, and a way for the host to determine whether the media is present, and these were not provided in the ATA protocol.

ATAPI is a protocol allowing the ATA interface to carry