Lecture 5

Storage System & Technology

Outline

• Physical type
• Physical characteristics
• Organisation

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Physical Types

• Semiconductor
– RAM

• Magnetic
– Disk & Tape

• Optical
– CD & DVD

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Physical Characteristics

• Decay
• Volatility
• Erasable
• Power consumption

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Hierarchy List

• Registers
• L1 Cache
• L2 Cache
• Main memory
• Disk cache
• Disk
• Optical
• Tape
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Cache

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Cache/Main Memory Structure

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 Cache operation – overview
• CPU requests contents of memory location
• Check cache for this data
• If present, get from cache (fast)
• If not present, read required block from main memory to cache
• Then deliver from cache to CPU
• Cache includes tags to identify which block of main memory is
in each cache slot

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Cache Read Operation - Flowchart

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Typical Cache Organization

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Semiconductor Memory Types

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Semiconductor Memory

• RAM
– Misnamed as all semiconductor memory is random access
– Read/Write
– Volatile
– Temporary storage
– Static or dynamic

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Memory Cell Operation

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Dynamic RAM
• Bits stored as charge in capacitors
• Charges leak
• Need refreshing even when powered
• Simpler construction
• Smaller per bit
• Less expensive
• Need refresh circuits
• Slower
• Main memory
• Essentially analogue

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DRAM Operation
• Address line active when bit read or written
– Transistor switch closed (current flows)
• Write
– Voltage to bit line
– The signal address line
• Read
– Address line selected
– Charge from capacitor fed via bit line to sense amplifier
– Capacitor charge must be restored

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Static RAM
• Bits stored as on/off switches
• No charges to leak
• No refreshing needed when powered
• More complex construction
• Larger per bit
• More expensive
• Does not need refresh circuits
• Faster
• Cache
• Digital

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Static RAM Operation

• Transistor arrangement gives stable logic state

• State 1
• State 0

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Read Only Memory (ROM)

• Permanent storage
• Microprogramming
• Systems programs (BIOS)
• Function tables

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Types of ROM

• Written during manufacture

• Programmable (once)
• Read “mostly”
– Erasable Programmable (EPROM)
– Electrically Erasable (EEPROM)
– Flash memory

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Types of External Memory

• Magnetic Disk
• Optical
• Magnetic Tape

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Magnetic Disk

• Disk substrate coated with magnetizable material

• Substrate used to be aluminium
• Now glass
– Improved surface uniformity
– Reduction in surface defects
– Better stiffness
– Better shock/damage resistance

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Read and Write Mechanisms

• Recording & retrieval via conductive coil called a

head
• May be single read/write head or separate ones
• During read/write, head is stationary, platter rotates
• Write
• Read

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Data Organization and Formatting

• Concentric rings or tracks

• Tracks divided into sectors
• Minimum block size is one sector
• May have more than one sector per block

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Disk Data Layout

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Disk Velocity

• Bit near centre of rotating disk passes fixed point

slower than bit on outside of disk
• Increase spacing between bits in different tracks
• Rotate disk at constant angular velocity (CAV)
• Can use zones to increase capacity

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Disk Layout Methods Diagram

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Finding Sectors

• Must be able to identify start of track and

sector
• Format disk
– Additional information not available to user
– Marks tracks and sectors

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Characteristics

• Fixed or movable head

• Single or double (usually) sided
• Single or multiple platter
• Head mechanism
– Contact
– Fixed gap
– Flying

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Fixed/Movable Head Disk

• Fixed head
– One read write head per track
– Heads mounted on fixed ridged arm

• Movable head
– One read write head per side
– Mounted on a movable arm

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Removable or Not
• Removable disk
– Can be removed from drive and replaced with another disk
– Provides unlimited storage capacity
– Easy data transfer between systems

• Non removable disk

– Permanently mounted in the drive

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Multiple Platter

• One head per side

• Heads are joined and aligned
• Aligned tracks on each platter form cylinders
• Data is striped by cylinder
– reduces head movement
– Increases speed (transfer rate)

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Multiple Platters

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Tracks and Cylinders

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 RAID
• Redundant Array of Independent Disks
• Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks
• 6 levels in common use
• Not a hierarchy
• Set of physical disks viewed as single logical drive by O/S
• Data distributed across physical drives
• Can use redundant capacity to store parity information

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Optical Storage CD-ROM
• Originally for audio
• 650Mbytes giving over 70 minutes audio
• Polycarbonate coated with highly reflective coat, usually aluminium
• Data stored as pits
• Read by reflecting laser
• Constant packing density
• Constant linear velocity

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CD Operation

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CD-ROM Format

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Random Access on CD-ROM

• Difficult
• Move head to rough position
• Set correct speed
• Read address
• Adjust to required location

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Other Optical Storage

• CD-Recordable (CD-R)
• CD-RW
• Digital Video Disk
• Digital Versatile Disk

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Magnetic Tape

• Serial access
• Slow
• Very cheap
• Backup and archive

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