The first computer with a hard drive, named ‘305 RAMAC’, was introduced by IBM on September 13th 1956. The total hard drive capacity was 5 million 7-bit characters which is approximately 4.4MB according to present storage standards. It was 5 feet in height, a little less than 6 feet broad and 2.5 feet deep. The dimension of the drive was more than the size of two refrigerators kept side by side and weighed over a ton. A heavy duty fork lift was used to transport it. This 350 Disk File, having a stack of fifty 24” discs, allowed random access of data without a determined order. It was rented out for an annual fee of $35,000.
50 years hard drives underwent radical changes in their storage capacity and size. Hard drives are now available from 1GB to 500 GB withrnsize dimensions ranging from 1 inch to 3.5 inches. For a very fast access torninformation they come with an array of spindle speed ranges of 3,600-rpm,rn4,200-rpm, 5,400-rpm, 7,200-rpm, 10,000-rpm and 15,000-rpm. These hard drivesrnserve a number of diverse application needs. They are used in compact musicrnplayers, digital video recorders, game consoles, residential servers, printers,rncopiers, PCs, Laptops, online servers, business networks and data centres, withrnprovisions to use external USB and other connections.
Venture storage or business storage has most benefited by the changes in the size of the hard drives. Currently, 2.5 inch hard drives are replacing the 3.5 inch hard drives enabling increased server space in a 1U rack. With increased RPM the IOPS (input/output operations per second) correspondingly they offer increased performance. It is assessed that a 2U rack accommodating 2.5 inch drives will offer a 150% increase in IOPS than a 3U rack with 3.5 inch drives. These 2.5 inch hard drives save money on the investment of the number of servers, wiring, switches, UPS rack shelves, with easy mirroring and realistic redundancy.
Hard drives of today even come in 1 inch size and 1GB to 5GB memory offering diversified usages in consumer electronics. They are substituting the flash memory in hand carried music players, offering storage options for digital cameras, video game consoles, routing guidance for cars and application rich programs for mobile phones. The hard drive industry has come a long way in these 50 years from a meagre 5 MB to mega 500 GB.
Hard drives of the future will have to meet superior variety of functions and exacting market standards. The whole scenario is exciting.
The first change is anticipated from Intel with its introduction of ‘Robson technology’ in its mother boards from this year. A designated amount of flash memory will be fitted on to the Intel motherboard as an add-on card. All the data and other functions are stored in the flash memory. Robson technology puts the normal hard drive into sleeping mode by cutting off the power supply to it. The essential data can be saved in the hard drive when required. This technology will enable the user to start the work from where it was left by the quicker retrieval of data.
Major hard drive manufacturers like Samsung, Microsoft and Seagate are in the process of bringing out a ‘hybrid hard drive’. This ‘hybrid hard drive’ is expected to come with an optimal 128 to 256MB buffer called flash replacing the present cache. This flash performs all the hard drive functions putting the hard drive into sleep mode by cutting off the power supply. Once the flash memory is full, the hard drive is started to save the data and put it back in sleep mode once again. The big buffer in the flash drive decreases the hard drives power use and increases the battery life in case of a laptop. Reduced use of the hard drive enhances its consistency with reduced wear and tear. Most of these ‘Hybrid Hard Drives’ are designed to work on Microsoft Windows Vista pack and may not work on other OS.
One of the most discussed options of data storing is Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) or Perpendicular Technology. The data is stored vertically on a three dimensional media instead of the present two dimensional flat surface. Its needle shaped read head is made of iridium, manganese, chromium and miniscule of ruthenium. Secure fastening of read head\'s inner magnet by iridium and manganese makes its read sensor less susceptible to heat, cold or shock. While the chromium prevents corrosion, ruthenium aids the read sensor to stay even. Searing in high heat makes the red sensor to get used to magnetic inductions. This technology helps to squeeze more amounts of data in a small hard drive and reduce the risk of disk errors.
This PMR technology is expected to lead the present day conventional hard drives to the next stage and considered as a break point for making changes in their design. The changes in design are so rapid to enable a PMR to store a mass data in 1 TB/inch2 or 5 Terra Bit hard drives.
Pattern Media uses a method to isolate the data storing cells to remain single cells such as dots. The number of grains per bit is reduced from 100 to one and secluded to prevent unwanted signal exchange leading to corruption in data. Primarily the grains in the planned patterned media would be bigger than the present hard drive grains with comparatively smaller sized bits offering a 100 percent increase in mass.
For producing pattern hard drives an original or master pattern is drawn using an electronic beam. This created pattern is reassigned to a cast to draw a pattern on a hard drive disk platter.
Creating of individualised bits in a Pattern media hard drive makes them costly. The reduction in grain size makes them lighter and they start spinning around due to removal of magnetic induction when there is an increase in room temperature leading to corruption of data.
The cell particles in a heat assisted hard drive will have iron grains instead of cobalt-platinum grains. Iron grains will not spin around when the room temperature is increased.
The hard drive will have a laser head to write or remove data. The quick action of the laser will write and remove data by creating on and off heat on the cell grains to keep them cool. The technology of writing bits to the plate exterior through the thin layer continues. More research is continuing to make the heat assisted hard drive technology feasible.
The new web-based services offer more flexibility in storing the data online, shedding a shadow on current day PC usage. They are designed to coordinate with the users Notebook, PC, and Cell phones using online technology. This online storage facility helps to disperse data across the net to download and store on a chosen gadget.
The ever increasing users of broadband internet connections are bound to exploit some of the offered online hard drive services to save data.
Presently, photo sharing web sites offer storing of digital photographs online. In the same approach, facilities to store and share iTunes, MP3, and Video are expected soon. Some of these services even offer online editing and storing facilities and as a value addition will offer automatic updating when edited in a PC connected to net.
Some of the companies have planned to offer a coordinated sharing facility to the users of their client software. By installing this client software the users will have the option to share all the contents or limited contents with other users. Every time a photo, video or audio file is uploaded it sends an alert to other users. The users have the choice to refuse the invite or accept to use the online view facility or download. Most of these online hard drive facilities are available for a small rental payment.
This facility will become a reality only when more users have high speed internet access. Users are worried about the security of storing personal information online with a number of juvenile hackers connected to the net.
Optimistic research continues with technological innovations and ideas, both in the shaping and shunning of hard drive technology. Till a final picture emerges let us continue to store our ideas on the hard drives that have survived all years and are still going strong.