Understanding disks and partitions
Understanding disks and partitions is a key asset for any system administrator. Formatting and partitioning disks is critical, starting with system installation. Knowing the type of hardware available on your system is important, and it is therefore imperative to know how to work with it.
Common disk types used
A disk is a hardware component that stores your data. It comes in various types and uses different interfaces. The main disk types are the well-known spinning hard drives (or HDDs), SSDs, and Non-Volatile Memory express (NVMe). SSDs and NVMes use RAM-like technologies, with better energy consumption and higher transfer rates than original spinning hard drives. The interfaces used are as follows:
- Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) – This is an old standard used on consumer hardware with small transfer rates; now deprecated.
- Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) – Replaced IDEs; with transfer rates of...
