Product manual

Glossary
G-4 Maxtor DiamondMax Plus8 20/30/40GB AT
changes per inch (FCI), with typical
values in the thousands.
FLYING HEIGHT – The distance
between the read/write head and the
disk surface caused by a cushion of air
that keeps the head from contacting
the media. Smaller flying heights
permit more dense storage of data, but
require more precise mechanical
designs.
FORMAT – To write onto the disk
surface a magnetic track pattern that
specifies the locations of the tracks
and sectors. This information must
exist on a disk before it can store any
user data. Formatting erases any
previously stored data.
FORMATTED CAPACITY – The
amount of room left to store data on
the disk after the required space has
been used to write sector headers,
boundary definitions, and timing
information generated by a format
operation. All Maxtor drive capacities
are expressed in formatted capacity.
FORM FACTOR – The physical outer
dimensions of a device as defined by
industry standard. For example, most
Maxtor disk drives use a 3 1/2-inch
form factor.
G
GIGABYTE (GB) – One billion bytes
(one thousand megabytes).
GUIDE RAILS – Plastic strips attached
to the sides of a disk drive mounted in
an IBM AT and compatible computers
so that the drive easily slides into
place.
H
HALF HEIGHT – Term used to describe
a drive that occupies half the vertical
space of the original full size 5 1/4-inch
drive. 1.625 inches high.
HARD DISK – A type of storage
medium that retains data as magnetic
patterns on a rigid disk, usually made
of an iron oxide or alloy over a
magnesium or aluminum platter.
Because hard disks spin more rapidly
than floppy disks, and the head flies
closer to the disk, hard disks can
transfer data faster and store more in
the same volume.
HARD ERROR – A repeatable error in
disk data that persists when the disk is
reread, usually caused by defects in the
media surface.
HEAD – The tiny electromagnetic coil
and metal pole piece used to create and
read back the magnetic patterns (write
and read information) on the media.
HIGH-CAPACITY DRIVE – By industry
conventions typically a drive of 1
gigabytes or more.
HIGH-LEVEL FORMATTING –
Formatting performed by the operating
system’s format program. Among
other things, the formatting program
creates the root directory and file
allocation tables. See also low-level
formatting.
HOME – Reference position track for
re-calibration of the actuator, usually
the outer track (track 0).
HOST ADAPTER – A plug-in board that
forms the interface between a
particular type of computer system bus
and the disk drive.
I
INITIALIZE – See low level formatting.
INITIATOR – A SCSI device that
requests another SCSI device to
perform an operation. A common
example of this is a system requesting
data from a drive. The system is the
initiator and the drive is the target.
INTERFACE – A hardware or software
protocol, contained in the electronics