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Chapter 13: Problem 7

Why is accessing a disk block expensive? Discuss the time components involved in accessing a disk block.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Accessing a disk block is expensive because it involves mechanical movements which are slower and consume more energy than electronic processes. The key time components involved in accessing a disk block are seek time, rotational latency, and transfer time.

Step by step solution

01

Define Disk Access

Disk access refers to the time taken by a computer system to read or write data from or to a disk. It is a measure of the speed of the storage device.
02

Explain Why Disk Access Is Expensive

Accessing a disk block is considered expensive because the operation is fundamentally mechanical. Mechanical movements are slower and require more energy compared to purely electronic processes. This makes disk access less efficient and slower compared to accessing data in memory.
03

Discuss the Time Components Involved in Disk Access

There are three main components of disk access time: seek time, rotational latency, and transfer time. (1) Seek time is the time it takes the read/write head to move to the track where the data is stored. (2) Rotational latency is the time it takes for the disk to rotate until the required block of data is under the read/write head. (3) Transfer time is the time it takes for the data to be read from or written to the disk.
04

Conclusion

All these components add up to make disk access slower and more resource-intensive. However, advancements in technology such as the use of solid-state drives (SSDs) are significantly reducing these issues.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Suppose that we have an unordered file of fixed-length records that uses an unspanned record organization. Outline algorithms for insertion, deletion, and modification of a file record. State any assumptions you make.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using (a) an unordered file, (b) an ordered file, and (c) a static hash file with buckets and chaining. Which operations can be performed efficiently on each of these organizations, and which operations are expensive?

Suppose that we have an ordered file of fixed-length records and an unordered overflow file to handle insertion. Both files use unspanned records. Outline algorithms for insertion, deletion, and modification of a file record and for reorganizing the file. State any assumptions you make.

What are the reasons for having variable-length records? What types of separator characters are needed for each?

What are the components of a disk block address?
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