Newsgroups: comp.arch
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Disk drives.
Message-ID: <1990Aug1.194105.26093@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <V%6$_&|@rpi.edu> <10058@pt.cs.cmu.edu> <36331@masscomp.ccur.com>
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 90 19:41:05 GMT

In article <36331@masscomp.ccur.com> arun@tinton.ccur.com (Arun Kandappan) writes:
>	If I remember right, the SMD disks of CDC had a head which would 
>literally "take-off" and land. It was designed in such a way that any abrupt
>shutdown of the disk would not cause a crash because the head glides down.

Essentially all modern disk drives do startup and shutdown that way.  But
the clearance has to be maintained during operation, which is why you need
an air cushion under the head.
-- 
The 486 is to a modern CPU as a Jules  | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
Verne reprint is to a modern SF novel. |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry
