{"id":7556,"date":"2021-08-31T00:52:53","date_gmt":"2021-08-30T22:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tekmart.co.za\/t-blog\/?p=7556"},"modified":"2021-08-31T00:52:55","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T22:52:55","slug":"hot-plugging-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-its-potential-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tekmart.co.za\/t-blog\/hot-plugging-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-its-potential-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"hot plugging-what it is, how it works and it’s potential issues."},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time-approximately:<\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Hot plugging is the addition of a\u00a0component\u00a0to a running computer system without significant interruption to the operation of the system.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Ben<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Ben Lutkevich<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hot plugging a device does not require a restart of the system. This is especially useful for systems that must always stay running, such as a server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common examples of hot-pluggable devices include hard disk drives (HDDs) or solid-state drives (SSDs) which can be added to a storage system; or\u00a0USB\u00a0(Universal Serial Bus) devices, mice, keyboards or printers that can be added to a personal computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hot plugging is not the same as\u00a0hot swapping\u00a0a component into a running computer system. Hot swapping involves the replacement of a component. Hot plugging is the addition or removal of a component that serves to expand the system.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The defining characteristic of hot plugging is that the system is not interrupted. The word hot<\/em> refers to the fact that a machine is running and still hot when a device is being plugged in. The opposite of hot plugging is cold plugging, in which the device is interrupted or powered off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does hot plugging work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hot plugging may involve some administrative action on the part of the user. For example, if the user is plugging a new hard drive in, the system will require the user to mount it after installation. The removal of the hard drive likewise requires the user to eject it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many devices are designed to be hot plugged without much thought to the mechanics of it on the part of the user, like\u00a0HDMI\u00a0(High-Defintion Multimedia Interface) cords and USBs. However, other larger-scale devices or less ubiquitous technologies require the user to know if it is hot-plug capable, as not every device is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, an integrated drive electronics (IDE) storage interface is not a hot-pluggable device, and has largely been replaced by serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) drives, which are.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To hot plug this safely, the device must be designed to protect against electric shocks that may occur from connecting two charged devices. To mitigate this, devices may have a staggered pin design at the point of connection, to ensure the circuit is connected in the right order. The receiving device may also have some sort of shield or covering plate to keep components from generating static when touching each other and, subsequently, shorting out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without protection, electrical shock can damage the component, the computer, the user or all three. Additionally, a mechanism must be in place in the computer’s operating system (OS) and the device to recognize the removal or addition of a device. This mechanism often takes the form of a\u00a0driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n