VERITAS Volume Manager 3.1 Administrator's Guide

Introduction to Volume Manager
How Data is Stored
Chapter 128
How Data is Stored
There are several methods used to store data on physical disks. These
methods organize data on the disk so the data can be stored and
retrieved efficiently. The basic method of disk organization is called
formatting. Formatting prepares the hard disk so that files can be
written to and retrieved from the disk by using a prearranged storage
pattern.
Hard disks are formatted, and information stored, in two ways:
physical-storage layout and logical-storage layout. Volume Manager uses
the logical-storage layout method. The types of storage layout
supported by Volume Manager are introduced in this chapter and
described in detail in “Storage Layout”.