Hybrid SSD + HDD storage has been around for awhile, but cost and compatibility have been issues. With the advent of the 2012 iMac, Apple will market and ship its own take on the technology under the Fusion Drive brand. Though shipping product is weeks away, Apple has published a Fusion Drive FAQ and troubleshooting guide, handy for getting up to speed ahead of time.

Although the relevant Knowledge Base article’s name is fairly obtuse, Apple’s Mac mini (Late 2012) and iMac (Late 2012): About Fusion Drive is actually an FAQ and basic troubleshooting guide all in one.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do I need to configure Fusion Drive?
A. When ordered with a Fusion Drive, your iMac or Mac mini is pre-configured.

Q. Can external USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt hard drives be added to Fusion Drive?
A. External drives cannot be added to Fusion Drive.

Q. Can I add a partition to the hard disk with Fusion Drive?
A. Using Disk Utility, you can add one partition to the hard disk on Fusion Drive. Once you add the partition, the “plus” symbol in Disk Utility to add additional partitions will be grayed out. You cannot partition the Flash storage.

And, more…

For what it’s worth, the troubleshooting section only discusses using OS X Mountain Lion’s default Disk Utility to affect a repair, which the rest of us know is a fairly hit or miss proposition.

Apple’s super sexy 2012 iMacs will ship in November (21-inch) and December (27-inch), respectively.

via TUAW

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