Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR)
SearchStorage, Friday, January 12th, 2024
Shingled magnetic recording (SMR) is a technique for writing data to a hard disk drive (HDD) whereby the data tracks partially overlap to increase the areal density and overall storage capacity per disk.
In SMR HDDs, the term derives from the manner in which shingles are installed on a roof, with portions of the shingles overlapping each other. Overlapping shingles on a roof increases the number that can be installed, which helps seal the building and keep it watertight from inclement weather.
Applying a similar principle to HDDs means overlapping data tracks in an HDD platter, which is the circular magnetic plate on which data is stored. By shingling the tracks, the data is written on them sequentially. Also, the gaps between the tracks are removed, which helps to increase the drive's areal density. Because more data tracks can be placed on each magnetic surface, the drive's overall storage capacity increases.