INSTALLATION OF DISK DRIVES

INTRODUCTION
The storage device is the most important component in
the computer system. A storage device uses magnetic or
solid state media. Disks, tapes, and diskettes use magnetic

Hard disk drive (HDD) is the most popular storage

medium used in modern computers for storing and
accessing data. HDD has a large storage capacity and is

supports rapid access to random data locations, meaning

number of simultaneous users or applications.

OVERVIEW OF HARD DISK DRIVE (HDD)

braces and screws to prevent it from being jarred as it

disk moves at an accelerated rate, allowing data to be

accessed immediately. Most hard drives operate on high
speed interfaces using serial attached technology (SATA).
When the platters rotate, an arm with a read/write head

to the platters and reads data from them. Most hard

including cables and connectors to the motherboard. All

data is stored magnetically, allowing information to be
saved when power is shut off.
A hard drive is divided into one or more partitions,
which can be further divided into logical drives or

the beginning of the hard drive, which contains a table

of partition information. Each logical drive contains
a boot record, a File Allocation Table (FAT) and a root

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 storage device of computers since it provides instant and
random access to data with high access speed.

Fig. 10.1: Hard disk drive

data and easy to use in computer just by plugging it in

Physical Components of HDD

A hard disk drive uses a rapidly moving arm to read

particles. Data is transferred from the magnetic platter

through the read/write (R/W) head to computer. Several
platters are assembled together with the R/W head
and controller. Data can be recorded and erased on a
magnetic disk any number of times.
Key components of a disk drive are platter, spindle,
read/write head, actuator arm assembly, and controller
(Figure 10.2).
Hard disk mounted
inside a laptop
Platter
Motor
Read/write
Head Close-up of laptop
Actuator hard disk

Hard disk mounted

Actuator arm inside a desktop
Controller

HDA
Close up of
desktop hard
disk
Power connector Fig. 10.2: Disk drive component

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 Platters

platters. The data is recorded on these platters in binary

codes (0s and 1s). The set of rotating platters is sealed
in a case, called a head disk assembly (HDA). A platter
is a rigid, round disk coated with magnetic material on
top and bottom surfaces. Data can be written to or read
from both surfaces of the platter. The number of platters
and the storage capacity of each platter determines the
total capacity of the drive.

Spindle

as shown in Figure 10.3. The motor of the spindle

rotates with a constant speed. The disk platter spins at
a speed of several thousands of revolutions per minute
(rpm). Disk drives have spindle speeds of 7,200 rpm,

Spindle

Platter
speed of the platter is increasing with improvements
Fig.10.3: Spindle and platter
improved is limited.

Read/write head
Read/write (R/W) heads, read and write data from or
to a platter. Drives have two R/W heads per platter,
one for each surface of the platter. The R/W head
changes the magnetic polarisation on the surface of
the platter when writing data. While reading data, this
head detects magnetic polarisation on the surface of the
platter. During read and write, the R/W head senses
the magnetic polarisation and never touches the surface
of the platter. When the spindle is rotating, there is a
microscopic air gap between the R/W heads and the

is removed when the spindle stops rotating and the

R/W head rests on a special area on the platter near
the spindle. This area is called the landing zone. The
landing zone is coated with a lubricant to reduce friction

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 between the head and the platter. The logic on the disk NOTES
drive ensures that heads are moved to the landing zone

and the R/W head accidentally touches the surface

of the platter outside the landing zone, a head crash

platter is scratched and may cause damage to the R/W

head. A head crash generally results in data loss.

Actuator arm assembly

The R/W heads are mounted on the actuator arm
assembly, which positions the R/W head at the location
on the platter where the data needs to be written or read.
The R/W heads for all platters on a drive are attached
to one actuator arm assembly and move across the
platters simultaneously. There are two R/W heads per
platter one for each surface.

Controller
The controller is a printed circuit board, mounted at the

manages communication between the drive and the host.

the actuator arm and switching between different R/W

heads and performs the optimisation of data access.

Logical Components of HDD

Tracks
Each platter of the hard disk is logically divided into
many concentric circles known as tracks. The data gets

are thousands of tracks. The tracks are numbered,

starting from zero, from the outer edge of the platter.
The outermost track is 0 and the innermost track has
the highest number. When the head is positioned over
a track, it can read or write data on the track as the
platter spins.

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 Spindle Sector Cylinders
A cylinder is the set of identical tracks on both surfaces of
each drive platter. The location of drive heads is referred
Disk

disk, the data is stored in a cylinder by cylinder method.

Cylinder cylinder consists of all the tracks at the innermost edge

of each side. The tracks near the outer portion of the
disk are less densely populated than the tracks located
near the center of the disk.
Sectors
Each track is logically divided into sections known as
Platter sectors. A sector is the smallest physical storage unit
Fig. 10.4: Disk structure: sector,
tracks, and cylinders

same number of sectors.

Sectors

Track information, such as sector number, head number or

Cluster platter number, and track number. This information
helps the controller to locate the data on the drive,
but storing this information consumes space on the
disk. Hence, there is a difference between the capacity

Clusters

Fig. 10.5: Tracks and sectors

Files

clusters. However, if other data is already written on an

another available cluster.

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 Working of Hard Disk How a hard disk works
Step 1: Step 2:
The data on the hard disk is stored The circuit board A small motor
controls the movement of spins the platters
in the magnetic domains on the the head actuator and a while the computer
small motor. is running.
Step 3:
the recording function through its When software
concentric circles or tracks. access, the read/
write heads
When you initiate a command determine the
current or new
to store some data on the disk, location of the
data.

there, the data is encoded using

mathematically derived formulae.
This is done to detect and correct
the possible errors from the data.
Further, free sectors on the disk Step 4:
are selected. Then the actuator The head actuator
positions the
moves the heads over those free read/write head
arms over the
sectors. These processes are followed correct location
on the platter to
just before the writing function. read or write data.
W h e n t h e w r i t i n g time Fig. 10.6: Working of hard disk
arrives, a pattern of electrical
pulses pass t h rou gh t he wr i t i ng element coil. This

a result, the bits represent the data.

The reading process continues in a reverse direction.
After consulting the locations of the stored data, the
actuator moves the head over those tracks, wherein
the chosen data is located.
When the sectors receive the correct sensors, the

The changes locate the reading elements. The elements

are further connected to electronic circuits. When the

decoding the data stored in the disk.

Disk Drive Performance

A disk drive is an electromechanical device that
governs the overall performance of the storage system
environment. The various factors that affect the
performance of disk drives are seek time, rotational
latency, and data transfer rate.

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 NOTES Seek time
The seek time, also called access time, describes the
time taken to position the R/W heads across the platter
with a radial movement moving along the radius of the

more impact on the read operation of random tracks

rather than adjacent tracks. To minimise the seek time,
data can be written to only a subset of the available
cylinders. This results in lower usable capacity than the

This is known as short-stroking the drive.

Rotational latency
To access data, the actuator arm moves the R/W head
over the platter to a particular track while the platter

head. The time taken by the platter to rotate and position

the data under the R/W head is called rotational latency.
This latency depends on the rotation speed of the spindle
and is measured in milliseconds. The average rotational
latency is one-half of the time taken for a full rotation.
Similar to the seek time, rotational latency has more
impact on the reading/writing of random sectors on the
disk than on the same operations on adjacent sectors.

Data transfer rate

The data rate is the number of bytes per second that the

megabytes per second are common.

to R/W heads, and then it moves to the drive’s internal

buffer to the R/W heads. Finally, it moves from the R/W

heads to the platters.

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 The data transfer rates
rate measured here rate measured here
during the R/W operations are
measured in terms of internal

shown in Figure 10.7. Host bus Head

adapter disk
Types of HDD
The various types HDD such Controller
Disk
Fig. 10.7: Data transfer rate

PATA cables were used to connect these drives.

SATA drives
SATA (serial advance technology attachment) are new
and currently used drives. These drives have generally
seven pins made available with 1 meter data cable. our
of seven, four pins are used for sending and receiving

mV. Three generations of SATA are currently in use. The

table below outlines the different versions and their speeds.

Table 10.1 Different versions of SATA hard disks

Generation Bit speed Byte Speed Names
SATA1

SATA2 3.0 Gbits/s SATA 3G,

SATA 3Gb/s,
SATA 3 Gbit/s,
SATA 300
SATA3

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 NOTES

the fastest drives. These drives can be installed both

SCSI-1 (also called narrow SCSI)

SCSI-2

Single connector attachment (SCA)/SCSI-3

different versions.

SAS drives

interface in which controllers are linked directly to

disk drives. These drives rotate much faster than
SATA drives. Generally, they work twice as fast as
the SATA drives. SAS is a performance improvement

connected simultaneously with thinner and longer

3.0 Gbits/sec.

Hard Drive Characteristics

As you know that the HDD comes in various sizes,
storage capacity, and different types of connectivity. This
factor forms the characteristics of HDD. The following
are some of the important characteristics of HDD:

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 Storage capacity NOTES

Hard drive speeds

The hard drive’s speed is measured in terms of its
rotation per minute (rpm). Most commonly, the HDDs

Drives with 7,200 rpm are used in standard desktop

of time it takes to move the read/write head from one

track to another track, and lower seek times are better.

due to a higher seek time, resulting in overall slower

performance. The interface can also limit the speed.

hard drive, but it is limited as to how much data can

actually be transferred between the hard drive and other
computer components. The following sections describe
common interfaces.
Interface
The interface is how HDD is connected to the system.

end of the connector is connected to the HDD and other

versions. Some are ribbon cables similar to the cables

used with PATA drives, and other cables are round.

second row of 12 pins.

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 NOTES
have been used. Some have two rows, and some

has connectors lined up in slots.

attachment (SCA) connection, and it is used as

pins for both data and power and supports hot-

swapping.

Practical Activity
Connect external HDD in different ways to the computer.

Fig. 2: Fire wire connector with

external HDD

Fig. 1: USB connection HDD

Fig. 3: eSATA Port to connect HDD

Fig. 4: RJ-45 Ethernet port to
connect HDD

eSATA
Fig. 5: eSATAP port
to connect HDD eSATAp

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