4 ms·

What's wrong with double or triple-height drives?

• rwmj 5y ago
  They don't fit in existing bays. But even if we define a new standard of (say) a hundred 12" platters in 12" high cases, the fixed infrastructure (r/w heads, arms, case, board) does not scale as well as tape.
  • selfhoster11 5y ago
    Couldn't multi-actuator drives alleviate the issue?
    • rwmj 5y ago
      https://blog.seagate.com/craftsman-ship/multi-actuator-technology-a-new-performance-breakthrough/ https://blog.seagate.com/craftsman-ship/multi-actuator-techn... Looks like interesting technology but I don't see how that helps here.
    • wtallis 5y ago
      Multi-actuator drives would be moving in exactly the wrong direction for reducing those costs. A dual-actuator drive is essentially two drives sharing the same spindle—and the same case height, thereby cutting the number of platters per actuator in half.
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  • labawi 5y ago
    Doesn't each platter side have its own r/w head? These days even a microactuator (maybe shared by adjacent plates?).