Maxtor ATLAS 10K IV User Manual page 249

S.M.A.R.T. – Self-Monitoring and Analysis
Reporting Technology. The continual
monitoring of the drive's operating condition
with reports sent to the host computer. Similar
to Maxtor's EWS (Early Warning System) used
in some drives.
SOFT ERROR – A faulty data reading that does
not recur if the same data is reread from the
disk, or corrected by ECC. Usually caused by
power fluctuations or noise spikes.
SOFT-SECTORED – Old time-based method
of indicating the start of each sector on a disk.
Soft-sectored drives require that location
instructions be located in the data fields. (See
also .)
hard-sectored
SPINDLE – The drive's center shaft, on which
the hard disks are mounted. A synchronized
spindle is a shaft that allows two disks to spin
simultaneously as a mirror image of each other,
permitting redundant storage of data.
SPUTTER – A special method of coating the
disk that results in a hard, smooth surface
capable of storing data at a high density. Maxtor
disk drives use sputtered thin film disks.
STEPPER – A type of motor that moves in
discrete steps with each electrical pulse.
Stepper were originally the most common type
of actuator engine, since they can be geared to
advance a read/write head one track per step.
However, they are not as fast, reliable, or
durable as the voice coil actuators found in
Maxtor disk drives. (See also
SUBSTRATE – The material underneath the
magnetic coating of a disk. Common substrates
include aluminum or magnesium alloys for
hard drives, glass, for optical disks, and mylar
for floppy disks.
SURFACE – The top or bottom side of a disk,
which is coated with the magnetic material for
recording data. On some drives one surface
may be reserved for positioning information.
SYNCHRONOUS DATA TRANSFER – Data
transfer that allows transfer of multiple blocks
of data between request or acknowledgment
signals, since request and acknowledgment
signals need not be sent before and after each
block. This method is faster than asynchronous
data transfer.
TARGET – An SCSI device that performs an
operation requested by an initiator.
TARGET ROUTINE – An I/O process directed
to a target and not to a logical unit.
THIN FILM – A type of coating allowing very
thin layers of magnetic material, used on hard
disks and read/write heads. Hard disks with thin
film surfaces can store greater amounts of data.
THIRD-STROKE SEEK – A method of
evaluating the power requirements of a hard
drive. It involves monitoring drive current
while seeking to a selected track, waiting for 1/
2 a revolution, then seeking to a track that is 1/
3 of the total actuator stroke from the first. The
seek/wait cycle is usually repeated three times.
TPI – Tracks Per Inch. The number of tracks
written within each inch of disk's surface, used
as a measure of how closely the tracks are
packed on a disk surface. Also known as track
density.
TRACK – One of the many concentric
magnetic circle patterns written on a disk
surface as a guide for storing and reading data.
Also known as
TRACK DENSITY – How closely the tracks
are packed on a disk surface. The number is
specified as tracks per inch (TPI).
.)
voice coil
TRACK-TO-TRACK SEEK TIME – The time
required for the read/write heads to move to an
adjacent track.
TRANSFER RATE – The rate at which the disk
sends and receives data from the controller. The
sustained transfer rate includes the time
required for system processing, head switches
and seeks, and accurately reflects the drive's
true performance. The burst mode transfer rate
is a much higher figure that refers only to the
movement of data directly into RAM.
TRUE – Refers to the logical-one (or
"asserted") state of a binary number. See also,
signal assertion.
T
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Maxtor Atlas 10K IV
Glossary
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