Toshiba 512E Manual

A Guide to the Optimal Performance ofAdvanced Format 512e Hard Drives from ToshibaProperly configured Advanced Format (AF) 512e hard drives 1 may deliver superior performance as compared to legacy512 byte-per-sector drive models. However, some computer operating systems (OSs) and application programs expect tooperate with 512 byte sector disk drives. To provide compatibility in such cases AF 512e drives automatically convert512-byte data blocks from the host and store them in a 4K block on the AF 512e drive. However, for optimal performanceit is important to have proper partition boundary alignment between logical 512 byte data and the physical 4K sectors ofthe AF drive. Otherwise, the misalignment increases the time required to complete the 512 byte emulation writes to thedisk which may result in a noticeable impact on system performance.The Table below outlines which OSs are designed to establish proper 4K partition alignment for AF 512e drives and whichcan benefit from the assistance of an alignment utility for AF 512e drives.To provide the best possible user experience, Toshiba offers the Paragon Alignment Tool for Toshiba AF 512e Drives asa free download at www.toshibastorage.com/alignment.The Paragon Alignment Tool for Toshiba AF 512e Drives (PAT) has been specially optimized for Toshiba AF 512e harddrives. The PAT utility generally needs to be run once during the lifetime of the PC. However, should the OS or harddrive be changed, or if additional partitions are created on the hard drive, or if applications are used that bypass the OSwhen writing to the disk then it may be beneficial to rerun the PAT utility to help maximize system, application and driveperformance.Table – Operating Systems and Paragon Alignment Tool Usage RecommendationsOperating System PAT Usage Guidelines for Toshiba AF 512e DrivesMicrosoft® Windows 7 Family (32- or 64-bit) – factory installed Not necessary*Microsoft Windows 7 Family (32- or 64-bit) – non-factoryinstalledRecommended in case of upgrade to Microsoft Windows 7 from WindowsXP family.*Recommended when installing Windows to partitions pre-created with 4K-unaware third-party application (i.e. if not creating partitions using Windows7 distributive DVD).*Microsoft Windows Vista® Family (32- or 64-bit) – factoryinstalledNot necessary*Microsoft Windows Vista® Family (32- or 64-bit) – non-factoryinstalledRecommended in case of upgrade to Microsoft Windows Vista® fromWindows XP family.*Recommended when installing Windows to partitions pre-created with 4K-unaware third-party application (i.e. if not creating partitions using WindowsVista distributive DVD).*Microsoft Windows XP Family (32- or 64-bit) Recommended*Microsoft Windows 2003 Family Recommended*Microsoft Windows Home Server Recommended*Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Not necessary*Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Not necessary*Other Microsoft Windows OSs not listed above Upgrading to an OS listed in this table is recommended if using AF drivesNOTE: PAT may not be suitable for Toshiba AF 512e drive alignment activities involving multiple client systems or disk image cloning(see PAT FAQ for more detail).NOTE: When encrypting the contents of an entire hard drive or individual partitions, the creation and alignment of partitions should beperformed prior to deploying an encryption solution. There is a risk of data loss if PAT is used to align encrypted partitions1Generation One AF 512e drives are denoted in Toshiba literature as “4096/512e”*Periodic usage of the Paragon Alignment Tool for Toshiba AF 512e Drives (PAT) on systems where software and/or computer programs may issue misaligned, non-buffered writes to the hard drive mayimprove the speed at which data is written by these applications. Once encryption of a hard drive or individual partitions has been performed, periodic use of PAT is not recommended due to the risk ofdata loss.Subject to Change: While Toshiba has made every effort at the time of publication to ensure the accuracy of the information provided herein, specifications, configurations,system/component/options and availability are all subject to change without notice.© 2011 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.Linux is a register trademark of Linus Torvalds. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. All trademarks areproperty of their respective owners.ALIGNMENT GUIDE 03/1/2011

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