Commodore A 2091-40 - Page 73

Some
Useful
Terms
Et
Appendix E: Some Useful Terms
block
The
smallest
unit
of
storage
used
with
a
file
system.
512
bytes
under
Fast
File
System.
boot To start or initialize the system from a reset condition,
loading part of the operating system into memory.
buffer A temporary data storage space used to increase
device access speed.
cylinder Used with a hard drive with multiple heads. The
Same numbered track on each disk surface.
daisy-chained A method of connecting multiple peripherals from a
single connector, where each peripheral is
connected to the previous one.
file system Software that controls how data is organized on a
disk.
format To prepare a disk for storing data. A low-level format
creates sectors of the proper size and writes the
control information needed to later access each
sector, rewriting the entire hard disk surface. A high
level format writes the information within each sector
to indicate a volume without files contained in it, and
tests each sector of the partition for errors.
head The device that reads, writes and erases data on a
magnetic surface.
partition An area of storage space created on a hard disk.
SCSI
Small
Computer
Standard
Interface—as
defined
by
the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
X3T9.2. A high level interface where the drive
communicates via high level commands such as
format drive, read data sector, etc.