sector interleave

1 definition found

sector interleave - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  sector interleave
  interleave
  interleaving
  sector interleaving
  sector map
  
     (Or sector map) The mapping from logical to physical sector
     numbers on a magnetic disk designed to optimise sequential
     reads and writes.  Data is usually transferred to and from the
     disk in blocks or sectors where one sector lies within a
     continuous range of rotational angle of the disk.  If logical
     sectors are assigned sequentially to physical sectors
     (0,1,2,...) then by the time one sector has been read and
     processed (e.g. writen to main memory) the start of the next
     logical sector will have passed the read/write head and will
     not be accessible until the disk's rotation brings it back
     under the head.
  
     Staggering the physical sectors (e.g. 0,3,6,1,4,7,2,5,8) aims
     to allow just enough time deal with one sector before the next
     is accessible.  This obviously depends on the relative speed
     of the rotation of the disk, sector size, sectors per track
     and the speed of transfer of sectors to main memory.