Chapter – 3: Storage Devices and Media
Book Summary
Magnetic tape drives:
Read or written to by a read/write head in magnetic tape
storage device
Data read from using serial access
Uses:
In applications where batch processing is used
In applications where data access speed is not essential
In long-term archiving of data
Advantages:
Less expensive per byte than the equivalent HDD.
Huge data storage capacity
Fast data transfer rate
Disadvantages:
Very slow data access time (because they use serial access)
It has a slow way of updating, because they require another
tape to store the final updated version
Affected by magnetic fields (makes data corrupted)
Hard Disk Drives (HDD):
Data stored in digital format on surfaces of hard disks
May have more than on disk(platter) depending on capacity
Read/write heads access all data on both sides of platter
Read/write heads can move very quickly
They use direct access
Can be fixed or portable
Uses:
To store operating system and working data files
Storing application software
Used in file servers for computer networks
Advantages:
Very fast data transfer rate and fast data access time
Very large memory capacities
Disadvantages:
Can be easily damaged (especially if incorrect shut down
procedure carried out)
Have moving parts which affects overall reliability (makes it less
robust)
Read/write operation can be quite noisy compared to SSD
Portable HDDs:
Connected to computer through USB port
Uses:
As backup systems to prevent loss of data
To transfer data/files/software between computers
Advantages:
Very fast data access time and data transfer rate
Large memory capacity
Used as a method to transfer info. between computers.
Disadvantages:
Easily damaged if dropped or incorrect shut-down procedure
carried out
Date transfer rate not as fast as to that of fixed HDDs
3.1(Magnetic Media and Magnetic Storage
Devices) Done
CD/DVD optical disks:
Described as optical media
Read from or written to by optical storage devices
Can be designated as: ‘R’ (write once only), ‘RW’ (can be
written to or read from many times), or ‘ROM’ (read-only)
[Link]-R and DVD-R:
Uses:
Home recordings of music(CD-R) and films(DVD-R)
Used to store data for later use or for transfer to another
computer
Advantages:
Cheaper medium than RW disks
Once burned(and finalized) they behave like ROM
Disadvantages:
Can be recorded only once(if error occurs then disk has to be
thrown away)
Not all CD/DVD players can read CD-R/DVD-R
[Link]-RW and DVD-RW:
Uses:
As backup for data and files
Used in CCTV systems
Advantages:
Can be written over many times
Can use different file formats each time used
Not as wasteful as R format because files can be added at a
later stage
Disadvantages:
Can be relatively expensive media
Possible to accidentally overwrite data
[Link]-ROM/DVD-ROM:
Uses:
A method for permanent data storage as data cannot be
written to and only read from
Used in applications where data is important to prevent
deletion or overwriting of data.
Advantages:
Less expensive than HDD systems
Disadvantages:
Slower data access time and data transfer rate than of HDDs
Blu-ray disks:
They are read from or written to using a Blu-ray optical storage
device
Can come in single layer or dual layer format
Single layer has storage capacity of 27GB
Dual layer has storage capacity of 50GB
Uses:
Home video consoles
Used by computers for data storage or backing up hard drives
Advantages:
Very large storage capacity
Very fast data transfer rate
The data access speed is also greater than with other optical
media
Blu-ray discs automatically come with a secure encryption
system; helps prevent piracy and copyright infringement
Disadvantages:
Relatively expensive discs
Encryption problems when used to store video
Introduction of High Definition DVD players reduced
advantages of using Blu-ray disc technology
Comparison of CD, DVD, and Blu-ray
Disk Type Laser Wavelength Disk Distance
color of laser light Construction between
tracks
CD Red 780nm Single 1.2mm 1.60µm
polycarbonate
layer
DVD(dual- Red 650nm Two 0.6mm 0.74 µm
layer) polycarbonate
layers
Blu-ray(single- Blue 405nm Single 1.2mm 0.30 µm
layer) polycarbonate
layer
Blu-ray(dual- Blue 405nm Two 0.6 0.30 µm
layer) polycarbonate
layers
3.2(Optical Media and Optical Storage
Devices) Done
Solid State Drives (SSDs):
Don’t have the issue of latency because data is retrieved at the
same time
Has no moving parts
No magnetic parts
Allowed laptops to be thinner and lighter
Taking over HDDs as the main type of backing storage
Uses:
To store files, applications and operating systems
Advantages Compared to HDDs:
More reliable (no moving parts)
Lower power consumption
Data access time is faster
Data transfer speed is faster
Thin because there are no moving parts
Disadvantages:
Longevity of the technology: Most SSD devices are rated at only
20GB write operations per day (SSD endurance). This is why it is
not used in all servers, like in for example big servers where
huge number of write operations take place every day.
Pen Drives:
Connect to computer through USB port.
Any device that uses solid-state technology can be referred to
as flash drive. A pen drive(memory stick) is a flash drive with a
USB connector. Therefore, the terms pen drive and flash drive
are not the same thing
Uses:
Transporting files between computers or used as small backup
devices for music or photo files
As security device to prevent software piracy
Advantages:
Very compact and portable media
Very robust
Does not need additional software to work on most computers
Not affected by magnetic fields
Disadvantages:
Cannot write protect data/files by making it ‘read-only’
Easy to lose (due to small physical size)
User needs to be careful when removing a memory stick from a
computer. Incorrect removal will corrupt the data and make
the memory stick useless
Memory Cards:
They use solid-state technology
Inserted into a device which can read the card or allow data to be
written to it
Some different memory cards formats:
SD cards (secure digital card)
XD cards (extreme digital card)
CFast cards (compactfast card)
XD card:
Removable card designed for use in digital cameras
Can be written to or read from the camera or other suitable XD
card reader
SD card:
Type of very small card with high capacity memory
Primarily used in portable devices such as smartphones and tablets
CFast card:
Developed to allow solid-state technology to be used in a very
small portable device
No moving parts
No battery needed to retain data
Mainly used as removable memory for higher-end photo and video
cameras
Uses:
Storing photos on digital cameras
Used as backing storage in hand-held computer devices
Advantages:
Very compact – can be easily removed for usage in another
device or for transferring photos directly
Very durable as they are solid-state memories and have no
moving parts
Can hold large amounts of data
Disadvantages:
Expensive per GB compared to hard disk drives
Have lower storage capacity than hard disks
Memory cards, specifically micro SD card, are the smallest
storage devices which means they can be lost easily
Not all computers have memory card readers built-in which
requires them to buy a reader or USB converter to read the
data on the card
3.3(Solid-State Media and Solid-State
Storage Devices) Done
Key Terms:
Data transfer rate is the rate at which data can be sent from
storage device to computer (or vice versa).
Data access time is the time it takes to locate specific data
stored on the storage media.
Latency is defined as the time it takes for a specific block of
data on a data track to rotate around to the read/write head.
SSD endurance is a measure of how long an SSD will last,
expressed in terms of daily writes per day.
Note that not all data might be correct so
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Author: Omar Ala’ 8A