Richard,

I have heard that some disks have more sectors on the outside cylinders
that on the inner ones. The geometry on the disk, i.e. the ratio of the
circumference of the outer and inner tracks, affects the recording
density. When the ratio is large, using the same number of sectors per
track across the entire disk wastes space on the outer tracks.

On Thu, 4 Jan 2001, Richard Rauch wrote:
> > I remember overhearing that with newer hard drives, the "real cylinders"
> > might not truly be "real", and that it does not make a difference whether
> > one respects cylinder boundaries or not.
> 
> I've heard something along those lines, too.  Whether that's a common
> situation, or only applies to certain drives, I'm not sure.

-- 
Claude Marinier, Information Technology Group    claude.marinier@dreo.dnd.ca 
Defence Research Establishment Ottawa (DREO)    (613) 998-4901  FAX 998-2675
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