Computer storage

refer to computer components, devices and recording media that

retain data for some interval of time. Computer storage provides one of
the core functions of the modern computer, that of information
retention. It is one of the fundamental components of all modern
computers.

CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTER STORAGE

Primary storage - is directly connected to the central processing
unit of the computer. It must be present for the CPU to function
correctly.
Secondary storage is typically of much greater capacity than
primary storage but it is also very much slower. In modern
computers, hard disks are usually used for mass storage.
Tertiary storage - is a system where a robotic arm will "mount"
(connect) or "dismount" off-line mass storage media according to
the computer operating system's demands
Off-line storage is a system where the storage medium can be
easily removed from the storage device. Off-line storage is used
for data transfer and archival purposes.

Primary Storage typically consists of three kinds of

storage:
Processor registers - contain information that the
arithmetic and logic unit needs to carry out the current

instruction. They are technically the fastest of all forms of

computer storage.
Main memory - contains the programs that are currently
being run and the data the programs are operating on.
Cache memory - is a special type of internal memory used
by many central processing units to increase their
performance or "throughput".
Virtual memory is implemented by many operating
systems using terms like swap file or "cache file". The main
historical advantage of virtual memory was that it was much
less expensive than real memory.
Characteristics of storage
I. Volatility of information
Volatile memory requires constant power to maintain the
stored information. Volatile memory is typically used only for
primary storage.
Non-volatile memory will retain the stored information
even if it is not constantly supplied with electric power. It is
suitable for long-term storage of information, and therefore
used for secondary, tertiary, and off-line storage.
Dynamic memory is volatile memory which also requires
that stored information is periodically refreshed, or read and
rewritten without modifications.
II. Ability to access non-contiguous information
Random access means that any location in storage can be
accessed at any moment in the same, usually small, amount
of time

 Sequential access means that the accessing a piece of

information will take a varying amount of time, depending on
which piece of information was accessed last.
III. Ability to change information
Read/write storage, or mutable storage, allows
information to be overwritten at any time. A computer
without some amount of read/write storage for primary
storage purposes would be useless for many tasks.
Read only storage retains the information stored at the
time of manufacture, and write once storage (WORM) allows
the information to be written only once at some point after
manufacture.
Slow write, fast read storage is read/write storage which
allows information to be overwritten multiple times, but with
the write operation being much slower than the read
operation.
IV. Capacity and performance
Storage capacity is the total amount of stored information
that a storage device or medium can hold. It is expressed as
a quantity of bits or bytes.
Storage density refers to the compactness of stored
information. It is the storage capacity of a medium divided
with a unit of length, area or volume
Latency is the time it takes to access a particular location in
storage. The relevant unit of measurement is typically
nanosecond for primary storage, millisecond for secondary
storage, and second for tertiary storage.
Throughput is the rate at which information can read from
or written to the storage. In computer storage, throughput is

usually expressed in terms of megabytes per second or

MB/s, though bit rate may also be used.

Technologies, devices and media

Magnetic storage storage uses different patterns of
magnetization on a magnetically coated surface to store
information. Magnetic storage is non-volatile
Forms of Magnetic Surface
Magnetic disk
Hard disk, used for secondary storage
Optical Disc, used for off-line storage
Floppy disk, used for off-line storage
Magnetic tape, used for tertiary and off-line storage
Hard Disk Drive Components
Disk platters
Read/Write Heads
Spindle motor
Cables and Connectors
Head actuator mechanism
Logical Board
Configuration items (such as jumpers or switches)
Nonvolatile Storage or permanent storage

Hard Disk Platters (Disks) Recording Media

Hard Disk Drive Components

 Hard Disk Platters (Disks)

5 -inch (actually 130mm, or 5.12 inches)
3 -inch (actually 95mm, or 3.74 inches)
2 -inch
1.8-inch
1-inch (MicroDrive)
Recording Media
Oxide Media
Thin-Film Media
Disk Formatting
Partitioning
FAT (File Allocation Table)
Standard file system use by DOS, win9x, win NT
Support filenames of up to 11 characters max.
2Gb maximum volume, because of 12-16bit
numbers to identify clusters.
FAT32 (File Allocation Table, 32-bit)

supported by win95 OSR2, Win2k

2TB or 2,048GB maximum volume, because of 32bit numbers to identify clusters

Partitioning
NTFS (Windows NT File System)

supports filenames of up to 256 characters long

Provides extended attributes and file system

security
Logical or High-Level Formatting

writes the structures necessary for managing files and

data on the disk.

The magnetic surface and how it operates

Hard Disk Drive Components Read/Write Heads

Read/Write Heads

Hard Disk Drive Components

 Head actuator mechanism

Two Basic categories:
Stepper Motor Actuator & Voice Coil
an electrical motor that can step, or move
from position to position.
affected by a variety of problems such as
temperature.
Stepper Motor

Forms of Optical Disc Storage

Magneto-optical disc storage is optical disc storage
where the magnetic state on a ferromagnetic surface stores
information. The information is read optically and written by
combining magnetic and optical methods. Magneto-optical
disc storage is non-volatile, sequential access, slow write,
fast read storage used for tertiary and off-line storage.
Tracks & Sectors

 Track- is a single ring of data on one side of a

disk.
Sectors- represent a portion of a track.
7,200rpm

Other early methods

Paper tape and punch
cards have been used to
store information for
automatic processing since
the 1890s, long before
general-purpose computers
existed. Information was
recorded by punching holes
into the paper or cardboard
medium, and was read by
electrically (or, later, optically) sensing whether a particular
location on the medium was solid or contained a hole.
Williams tube used a cathode ray tube, and Selectron tube
used a large vacuum tube to store information. These
primary storage devices were short-lived in the market, since
Williams tube was unreliable and Selectron tube was
expensive.