Implementing Mass Storage Flashcards
Tiny bit of code that takes control of the boot process from the system BIOS
Master Boot Record (MBR)
Table located in the boot sector of a hard drive that lists every partition on the disk that contains a valid OS
Partition Table
Stores information for booting from the partition, such as the location of OS boot files
Partition Boot Sector
Type of partition supported by MBR partition tables that are designed to be bootable
Primary Partition
Type of partition supported by MBR partition tables that are designed to not be bootable
Extended Partitions
On a hard drive, primary partition that contains an OS
Active Partition
Sections of an extended partition on a hard drive that are formatted and (usually) assigned a drive letter, each of which is presented to the user as if it were a separate drive
Logical drive
Special feature of Windows that enables users to span a single volume across 2+ drives. These do not have partitions, they have volumes. Can be striped, mirrored, and striped or mirrored with parity
Dynamic disks
Volume created when setting up dynamic disks. Acts like a primary partition on a dynamic disk
Simple volume
Volume that uses space on multiple dynamic disks
Spanned volume
RAID 0 volumes. Data is spread across 2 drives for increased speed
Striped volumes
Volume that is mirrored on another volume
Mirrored volume
A software-based RAID 5 volume made up of 3+ dynamic disks with equal-sized unallocated space. Created with Windows Disk Management
RAID 5 Volumes (dynamic disks)
Partitioning scheme that enables you to create more than 4 primary partitions without needing to use dynamic disks
Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) Partition Table (GPT)
A recreation of the master boot record from MBR drives so that disk utilities know it is a GPT drive and don’t mistakenly overwrite any partition data
Protective MBR/LBA0
Provides a reference number for an object or process that has an almost impossibly small chance of duplication. The number is unique to a specific object or process
Globally Unique Identifier (GUID)
A primary partition that is hidden from your OS. Used by some PC makers to hide a backup copy of an installed OS that you can use to restore your system if you accidentally trash it
Hidden Partition
Found only on Linux/UNIX systems; its only job is to act like RAM when your system needs more than is installed
Swap Partition
The process of making a partition into something that stores files. Creates a file system and a root directory in the file system to enable the partition to store folders
Formatting
Base storage area for hard drives; each one stores up to 4096 bytes
Block
Hidden table that records how files on a hard disk are stored in distinct clusters; the only way the DOS knows where to access files. The address of the first cluster is stored in the directory file. The entry of the first cluster is the address of the second cluster used to store that file. In the entry for the second cluster is the address of the third cluster, and so on until the final cluster, which gets a special end of file marker. Two of them, mirroring images of each other, in case one is destroyed or damaged. Also refers to the 16-bit one when used by Win2000 and later NT-based OSs
File Allocation Table (FAT)
File allocation table that uses 32 bits to address and index clusters. Commonly used with USB flash-media drives and versions of Windows prior to XP
FAT32
Starting cluster size for FAT32, doubles at 8GB, 16GB, 32GB drive sizes
4 KB
Occurs when files and directories get jumbled on a fixed disk and are no longer contiguous. Can significantly slow down hard drive access times and can be repaired by using the defrag utility included with each version of Windows
Fragmentation
Robust and secure file system introduced by Microsoft with Windows NT, it provides an amazing array of configuration options for user access and security. Users can be granted access to data on a file-by-file basis. Enables object-level security, long filename support, compression, and encryption
New Technology File System (NTFS)
Enhanced FAT used by NTFS. NTFS keeps a backup copy of the critical parts of it in the middle of the disk, reducing the chance that a serious drive error wipes out both it and the copy
Master File Table (MFT)
A clearly defined list of permissions that specifies what actions an authenticated user may perform on a shared resource
Access Control List (ACL)
Storage organization and management service, such as NTFS, that has the capability of applying a cipher process to the stored data
Encrypting File System (EFS)
Application allowing network admins to limit hard drive space usage
Disk Quotas
A Microsoft-proprietary file system that breaks the 4GB file size barrier, supporting files up to 16 exabytes (EB) and a theoretical partition limit of 64 zetabytes (ZB). Envisioned for use with flash media devices with a capacity exceeding 2 TB
exFAT
Classical file system used by older Macs. Still required for Time Machine drives
Hierarchial File System (HFS+)
Replaced HFS+ in nee Macs and existing compatible systems
Apple File System (AFS)
File system used by most Linux distribution
Fourth Extended File System (ext4)
Any removable media that has a bootable OS
Boot Device/Boot Disk
Snap-in available with the Microsoft Management Console that enables techs to configure the various disks installed in a system; available in Computer Management in Administrative Tools
Disk Management
A process that places special info on every hard drive installed in a Windows system
Disk Initialization
Drive that functions like a folder mounted into another drive
Mount Point
A collection of physical drives that enables you to flexibly add and expand capacity
Storage Pool
Virtual drives that are created from storage pool free space. They have resiliency and fixed provisioning
Storage Spaces
Provides 1+ layers of redundancy so you can lose a hard drive or two and not lose any data
Resiliency Mechanism
Feature that allows you to create a space with more capacity than your current physical drive provides
Provisioning Feature
Windows graphical tool that scans and fixes hard drive problems. Often referred to by the name of the executable, chkdsk, or Check Disk. The macOS equivalent is Disk Utility, and Linux offers a command-line tool called fsck
Error-Checking Utilities
Hard drive error detection and, to a certain extent, correction utility in Windows, launched from the command-line interface. Originally, a DOS command; also the executable for the graphical Error Checking tool
chkdsk
Procedure in which all the files in a hard disk drive are rewritten on disk so that all parts of each file reside in contiguous clusters. The result is an improvement in disk speed during retrieval operations
Defragmentationt
Utility built into Windows that can help users clean up their hard drives by removing temp Internet files, deleting unused program files, and more
Disk Cleanup
