Storage Exam Questions 1: Disk Drive

It has been over four months since I wrote anything about storage certification. Previously, I mentioned websites of industry associations, standards organizations and companies that contain material helpful for exam preparation. Here are eight disk drive questions to help you prepare for certification exam:

1. What factors impact performance of disk drive?

A. Seek Time
B. Latency
C. Transfer Time
D. Array Cache

2. Which parameter is not part of internal addressing of disk drive?

A. Cylinder
B. Block
C. Head
D. Sector

3. Which function in a disk drive tries to anticipate the next data block being accessed by the user?

A. Sector
B. Buffer
C. Track
D. Head

4. What is Seek Time?

A. The time disk takes to move head to a particular track on the disk.
B. The time for disk to rotate to place the correct location under the head.
C. The time disk takes to fill the disk buffer memory.
D. The time taken by disk interface in carrying the data from disk.

5. What is true for a Head?

A. Information accessed without undertaking a seek operation.
B. Subdivision of a disk surface.
C. Used to define a single disk surface.
D. Controller overhead.

6. What is not true for a Buffer?

A. Memory
B. Holding space for data until written to surface
C. Located between disk interface and disk electronics.
D. Same size as a sector.

7. Which one in not part of formatting a disk?

A. Divide track into sectors.
B. Repair unusable sectors.
C. Find damaged sectors.
D. Flag bad sectors.

8. What parameter is part of external addressing of disk drive?

A. Block
B. Head
C. Cylinder
D. Buffer Credit

Previous certification related blog entries:

Storage Certification Material

Training Feedback

Backup Tutorial

Storage Training, Certification & Large Archive

And you most probably guessed it by now, I am quite busy with work that pays my bills. So, I haven't got around to reading or writing anything interesting but bear with me. In this business, busy times are followed by down time and vice-versa.

Calling iSCSI target software vendors

Since I wrote blog entries Who will be next? and WinTarget Alternatives, I am receiving steady flow of inquiries about iSCSI target software products available in the market.

I am compiling information on iSCSI target software products to write on this topic in future entries. If you have a software product in this space, get in touch with product information.

You may get some free publicity through this blog.

WinTarget Alternative

Yesterday, I received a query for alternatives to WinTarget product. Just to recap, WinTarget was an iSCSI target software for Windows platform developed by String Bean Software, acquired by Microsoft (See Who will be next?).

The request reminded me of an email, I received from a competitor, soon after WinTarget acquisition by Microsoft. In general, such communications after an M&A event target customers and partners to create FUD aka fear to make them switch. I wonder do these fear based communications after an M&A really work! I usually ignore such messages.

But this specific email was polite and not based on fear. I think it deserves a mention here to help people searching for alternatives to WinTarget.

Subject: Rocket Division Software cooperation offer.
From: "Artem A. Berman"
Date: Fri, Mar 10, 2006 6:25 am

Gentlemen,

We've noticed that your company is mentioned on String Bean Software site as their partner. After acquisition of SBS by Microsoft and with WinTarget leaving the market we thought it would be ethical to contact you and propose the cooperation

Rocket Division Software is iSCSI and AoE software storage solutions vendor. We would be happy to provide you with complete information about our company and software we offer per your request.

We're looking forward to do mutually beneficial business with you. Thank you for taking the time reading this message.

Artem A. Berman
RDS, CIO, CFO
http://www.rocketdivision.com/

I don't know the product, the organization or the people behind the organization, so I can't vouch for these guys. As always, please do your own due diligence.