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Disks are essential storage devices in computer systems, organized into components like platters, tracks, and sectors for efficient data management. They utilize logical structures such as partitions and file systems, and modern addressing methods like Logical Block Addressing (LBA) for data retrieval. Performance metrics include seek time, rotational latency, and data transfer rate.

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17 views2 pages

Untitled Document

Disks are essential storage devices in computer systems, organized into components like platters, tracks, and sectors for efficient data management. They utilize logical structures such as partitions and file systems, and modern addressing methods like Logical Block Addressing (LBA) for data retrieval. Performance metrics include seek time, rotational latency, and data transfer rate.

Uploaded by

middenchopra
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Disks are one of the primary storage devices in computer systems.

They are structured to store,


organize, and retrieve data efficiently. Operating systems manage disk structures to ensure data
integrity, quick access, and efficient storage utilization.

Key Components of Disk Structures

1. Platters:
○ A disk consists of one or more circular platters made of a hard material (e.g.,
aluminum or glass) coated with a magnetic layer for data storage.
2. Tracks:
○ Each platter is divided into concentric circles called tracks. Tracks are where
data is recorded.
3. Sectors:
○ Tracks are further divided into smaller units called sectors. A sector is the
smallest addressable unit of storage, typically 512 bytes or 4096 bytes.
4. Cylinders:
○ A cylinder refers to a set of tracks located at the same position on all
platters. It is used when reading or writing data to avoid moving the
read/write head across platters.
5. Clusters:
○ A cluster is a group of sectors. Operating systems manage data at the
cluster level for efficiency.
6. Read/Write Head:
○ This is a magnetic sensor that moves across the disk surface to read or write
data. It is mounted on an actuator arm.
7. Spindle:
○ The spindle rotates the platters, allowing the read/write head to access
different parts of the disk.
8. Disk Controller:
○ Manages the operation of the disk, including data transfer between the disk
and the system.

Logical Disk Structures

1. Disk Partitions:
○ A disk can be divided into partitions, each appearing as a separate disk to
the operating system. Partitions allow multiple file systems on a single disk.
2. Logical Blocks:
○ Disks are logically divided into fixed-size blocks called logical blocks, which
are the units the OS uses for storage management.
3. File System:
○ File systems are built on top of the disk to organize data into files and
directories. Examples include NTFS, FAT32, and ext4.

Disk Addressing

1. CHS (Cylinder-Head-Sector) Addressing:


○ Early disks used CHS addressing, specifying the cylinder, head (track on the
platter), and sector to locate data.
○ This method is less common today.
2. LBA (Logical Block Addressing):
○ Modern disks use LBA, where each block is given a sequential number. This
simplifies addressing and abstracts hardware details.

Disk Performance

1. Seek Time:
○ Time taken for the read/write head to move to the track containing the
desired data.
2. Rotational Latency:
○ Time for the platter to rotate to the correct sector.
3. Data Transfer Rate:
○ Speed at which data is read or written.

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