Lateral Sweep Algorithm for Moving Arm Disks Under Stationary Request Arrival Process

There are three disk scheduling algorithms, at present, to meet the I/O request: First In First Out (FIFO), Shortest Seek Time First (SSTF) and SWEEP. Among all three algorithms, FIFO is the most inefficient strategy with regards to seek-time or I/O service time and minimizing the time to serve the I/O request is still a major problem. Most modern computers find the SWEEP algorithm to be more efficient and convenient. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of a new disk scheduling algorithm named LATERAL SWEEP. Preliminary simulation results show that Lateral Sweep scheduling uses less seek time than both SSTF and SWEEP algorithms and thus reduces the overall time to serve the I/O request.