COMPUTERS AND INFORMATION

PROCESSING (CSC134)

Chapter 4
Secondary Storage
Topics
• Definition, characteristic, types

• Hard Disks

• Optical Disks

• Solid-State-Storage – SSD, Flash Memory, USB drive

• Cloud Storage

• Enterprise Storage

• Other types of Secondary Storage

Lesson Outcomes
• At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:
• Differentiate between primary and secondary storage.
• Identify the important characteristics of secondary storage including media, capacity, storage
devices and access speed.
• Describe hard-disk platters, tracks, sectors, cylinders and head crashes.
• Compare internal and external hard drives.
• Compare performance enhancements including disk caching, RAID, file compression and file
decompression.
• Define optical storage including compact discs, digital versatile discs and Blu-ray discs.
• Define solid-state storage including solid-state drives, flash memory cards and USB drives.
• Define cloud storage and cloud storage services.
• Describe mass storage, mass storage devices, enterprise storage systems and storage are
networks.
• Discuss the other types of storage – magnetic stripe card, smart card, RFID tag, microfilm and
microfiche
• Identify/suggest secondary storage for each category of user
Storage - Definition
• holds data, instructions and information
Storage for future use

Storage medium

• the physical material on which a computer keeps data, instructions, and information

Storage device

• the computer hardware that records and/or retrieves items to and from storage media
• involves two processes:
Reading is the process of transferring items
from a storage medium into memory

Writing is the process of transferring items

from memory to a storage medium
Storage - Comparison
Primary Storage
• Known as internal memory
• Can be accessed by the data bus
• Direct accessed by the
processing unit
• Costlier
• Both volatile & nonvolatile
Secondary Storage
• Known as a backup memory or
auxiliary memory
• Can be accessed by I/O channels
• Cannot be accessed directly by
the processor
• Cheaper
• Always a non-volatile memory
Storage
Secondary Storage

• Provides permanent or nonvolatile storage.

• Items on a storage medium remain intact even when you turn off a
computer or mobile device
Storage - Characteristics
• Important characteristics of secondary storage:
• Media – physical material that holds data & programs
• Capacity – how much a particular storage medium can
hold
• Storage devices – hardware that reads data & programs
from storage media
• Access speed – measures amount of time required by the
storage to retrieve data & programs
Storage - Characteristics
Capacity
the number of bytes a storage medium
can hold
Storage - Types
Hard Disk
• A hard disk contains one or more inflexible, circular platters that use
magnetic particles to store data, instructions and information
Hard Disk
• Hard disks use rigid metallic platters that are stacked one on top of
another
• It stores and organizes files using tracks, sectors and cylinders.
Hard Disk
• Hard disks are sensitive instruments.
• The clearance between a hard disk read/write head and the platter is about 0.000001 inch thick.
• A head crash occurs when a read/write head touches the surface of a platter – resulting in a loss
of data or sometimes loss of the entire disk
Hard Disk
• There are two basic types of hard disks :
• Internal hard disk
• Located inside the system unit
• Fast access to retrieve large quantities of information
• Cannot be easily removed from the system unit
• External hard disk
• Slower access
• Usually connected to a USB or Thunderbolt port on the system unit
• Easily removed
Hard Disk
• Performance enhancement techniques:

Technique Description
Disk catching Uses cache and anticipates data needs

RAID Linked, inexpensive hard disk drives

File compression Reduces file size
File decompression Expands compressed files
Optical Discs
• An optical disc consists of a flat, round, portable disc made of metal,
plastic, and lacquer that is written and read by a laser
Optical Discs
• Use reflected light to represent data
• Lands represent 1s and 0s on the disc
• Pits are bumpy areas on the disc that, when light is reflected,
determine the 1s and 0s
• Use tracks and sectors to organize and store files but only use a
single track unlike the hard drive
Optical Discs
• Optical discs commonly store
items in a single track that
spirals from the center of the
disc to the edge
• Track is divided into evenly sized
sectors
Optical Discs
A CD-ROM can be A CD-R is an optical
read from but not disc on which users
written to can write once, but
• Single-session disc not erase

A CD-RW is an
erasable
multisession disc
Optical Discs

A DVD-ROM is a high-capacity optical disc on which users

can read but not write on or erase

A DVD-R or DVD+R are competing DVD-recordable WORM

formats, on which users can write once but not erase

DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD+RAM are high-capacity

rewritable DVD formats
Optical Discs
Solid-state Storage
• Solid-state memory contains no moving parts
• Data and information are stored and retrieved electronically
• Types of flash memory storage:

USB
Solid-sta Memory
flash
te drives cards
drives
Solid-State Storage
Solid–state devices (SSDs) have no moving parts

• Solid-state drives
• Faster and more durable than hard disks
• Access to slash memory or solid state storage

• Flash memory cards

• Widely used in laptops, smartphones, GPS navigation
systems

• USB Drives (or Flash Drives)

• Connect to USB port
• Capacity of 1 GB to 256 GB
• Portable
Flash Memory Storage

Solid-state drive

• contains its own

processor to
manage its storage

Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 8

Flash Memory Storage
Higher storage capacity
Advantage Faster access times
s of SSDs Faster transfer rates
over Quieter operation
traditional More durable
(magnetic) Lighter weight
hard disks: Less power consumption
Less heat generation
Longer life
Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 8
Flash Memory Storage
Memory card

• a removable flash
memory device
that you insert and
remove from a slot
in a computer,
mobile device, or
card reader/writer

Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 8

Flash Memory Storage
CF (CompactFlash)
Common SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity)

types of SDXC (Secure Digital Expanded Capacity)

miniSD
memory microSD

cards: microSDHC
microSDXC
xD Picture Card
Memory Stick PRO Duo
M2 (Memory Stick Micro)

Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 8

Flash Memory Storage

USB Flash Drives

• plug into a USB port

on a computer or
mobile device

Discovering Computers 2014: Chapter 8

Cloud Storage
• Cloud storage is an Internet service that provides storage to
computer or mobile device users
Supplied by servers that provide cloud storage or online storage
Cloud Storage
• Advantages of cloud storage:
Access files from any computer

Store large files instantaneously

Allow others to access their files

View time-critical data and images immediately

Store offsite backups

Provide data center functions

Cloud Storage
• Disdvantages of cloud storage:

Access Speed

File Security
Cloud Storage Service Companies
Cloud Storage- Making IT Work for You
• Using a cloud storage service makes it easy to upload and share files
with anyone.

Starting Dropbox Dropbox Sharing Dropbox

Step 1 Step 2
Mass Storage Devices
• To meet the needs of organizations
requiring large amounts of secondary
storage requirements
• Enterprise storage system
• Safe use of data across an organizational
network
• Devices include:
• File servers
• Networked attached storage (NAS)
• RAID systems
• Organizational cloud storage
Enterprise Storage
• Enterprise hardware allows large organizations to manage and store
data and information using devices intended for heavy use, maximum
efficiency, and maximum availability
RAID
Network attached storage (NAS)
Storage area network (SAN)
Tape
Enterprise Storage
Enterprise Storage
RAID

• duplicates data, instructions, and

information to improve data reliability
Enterprise Storage
Network attached storage (NAS)

• a server that is placed on a network with the sole purpose

of providing storage to users, computers, and devices
attached to the network
Enterprise Storage
Enterprise Storage
Storage area network (SAN)

• a high-speed network with the sole purpose of

providing storage to other attached servers
Enterprise Storage
Tape

• a magnetically coated
ribbon of plastic
capable of storing
large amounts of data
and information
• A tape drive reads and
writes data and
information on a tape
Other Types of Storage
Magnetic stripe card
• contains a magnetic stripe that
www.indiamart.com stores information

Smart card
• stores data on an integrated
www.innoozest.com circuit embedded in the card
Other Types of Storage
RFID tag
• consists of an antenna and a memory
chip that contains the information to be
transmitted via radio waves
www.cardsdc.com

Microfilm and microfiche

• store microscopic images of documents
on a roll or sheet film
End of Chapter 4