What is Hard Disk Drive(HDD)?
The hard drive is an important component of a computer as it permanently stores all the data that are processed by the CPU. Hard Disk Drive(HDD) is a storage device using rapidly rotating disks coated with magnetic material. An HDD retains its data even when powered off. Data is read in a random-access manner, meaning individual blocks of data can be stored or retrieved in any order rather than sequentially. HDD’s are abundantly used because they are cheaper when compared to other devices.
What is Solid State Drive(SSD)?
A Solid State Drive(SSD) is a data storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies as memory to store data persistently. SSD technology uses electronic interfaces compatible with traditional block input/output (I/O) hard disk drives, thus permitting simple replacement in common applications.Solid State Drive(SSD)’s are expensive but are faster when compared to HDD.
How to identify whether the drive is HDD or SSD?
There are 2 methods to identify whether the drive is HDD or SSD.
Method 1:
On the latest Kernels, the SSD disks are automatically detected. Log into the root via SSH and use the command cat /sys/block/sda/queue/rotational
The result will be either 0 or 1. If the result is 1, you have HDD and if it is 0, you have SSD.
Method 2:
This method needs root access and the Internet.
If you do not have the smartctl tool, you have to install it by using the command sudo apt-get install smartmontools
To find whether it is SSD or HDD, use commandsudo smartctl -a /dev/sd
You will get the output as SSD or HDD