Lecturer: MR MOHALE

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SKILLS 2:

CHAPTER 5/ STORAGE

In this chapter, will cover:

a) How does the computer’s memory work?

b) How is data stored?
c) Differentiate between the different types of storage (primary and secondary)
d) Describe types of storage (dynamic and persistent)
e) Define cloud storage and discuss its advantages and disadvantages
f) Describe the data storage hierarchy (Bits, Bytes, Kilobytes,
Megabytes, Gigabytes, and Terabytes)

Computer - Memory
A memory is just like a human brain. It is used to store data and instructions. Computer
memory is the storage space in computer where data is to be processed and instructions
required for processing are stored. The memory is divided into large number of small
parts called cells.
Memory is primarily of three types

• Cache Memory
• Primary Memory/Main Memory
• Secondary Memory

Cache Memory
Cache memory is a very high speed semiconductor memory which can speed up CPU.
It acts as a buffer between the CPU and main memory. It is used to hold those parts of
data and program which are most frequently used by CPU. The parts of data and
programs are transferred from disk to cache memory by operating system, from where
CPU can access them.

Advantages
The advantages of cache memory are as follows:

• Cache memory is faster than main memory.

• It consumes less access time as compared to main memory.

• It stores the program that can be executed within a short period of time.

• It stores data for temporary use.

Disadvantages
The disadvantages of cache memory are as follows:

• Cache memory has limited capacity.

• It is very expensive.

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Primary Memory (Main Memory)
Primary memory holds only those data and instructions on which computer is currently
working. It has limited capacity and data is lost when power is switched off. It is generally
made up of semiconductor device. These memories are not as fast as registers. The
data and instruction required to be processed reside in main memory. It is divided into
two subcategories RAM and ROM.

Characteristics of Main Memory

• These are semiconductor memories

• It is known as main memory.
• Usually volatile memory.
• Data is lost in case power is switched off.
• It is working memory of the computer.
• Faster than secondary memories.

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 • A computer cannot run without primary memory.

Secondary Memory
This type of memory is also known as external memory or non-volatile. It is slower than
main memory. These are used for storing data/Information permanently. CPU directly
does not access these memories instead they are accessed via input-output routines.
Contents of secondary memories are first transferred to main memory, and then CPU
can access it. For example: disk, CD-ROM, DVD etc.

Characteristic of Secondary Memory

• These are magnetic and optical memories

• It is known as backup memory.
• It is non-volatile memory.
• Data is permanently stored even if power is switched off.
• It is used for storage of data in a computer.
• Computer may run without secondary memory.
• Slower than primary memories.

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Other types of memory include

• ROM (read only memory): unlike RAM, ROM is non-volatile and only permits the
user to read data. Computers almost always contain a small amount of read-only
memory that holds instructions for starting up the computer.

• PROM (programmable read-only memory): a PROM is a memory chip on which

you can store a program. Once the PROM has been used, you cannot wipe it clean
and use it to store something else. Like ROMs, PROMs are non-volatile.

• EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory): an EPROM is a special

type of PROM that can be erased by exposing it to ultraviolet light.

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 • EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory): an EEPROM
is a special type of PROM that can be erased by exposing it to an electrical charge.

The two most popular types of magnetic storage media are hard disks and diskettes.

Magnetic tape provides a third type of magnetic storage, and optical disk is a new storage
medium.

Following is a discussion of each; the definitions included earlier are repeated.

Hard drive or hard disk storage provides faster access to files than a diskette.

Hard drive: The storage area within the computer itself, where megabytes of space are
available to store bits of information. Also known as a hard disk.

A hard disk platter is a flat, rigid disk made of aluminium or glass and coated with a
magnetic oxide. A hard disk consists of one or more platters and their read-write heads.
A read-write head is the device that reads the data from the disk platter into the computer.
It also records (or ‘writes’) data onto the platters. Hard disk platters in microcomputers
are typically 3½ inches (about 10 centimetres) in diameter: the same size as the circular
mylar disk in a diskette. However, the storage capacity of a hard disk far exceeds that of
a floppy disk. Also, the access time of a hard disk is significantly faster than a diskette.
Unlike diskettes, which begin to rotate when one requests data, hard disks are continually
in motion, so there is no delay as the disk spins up to speed. Like diskettes, hard disks
provide random access to files by positioning the read-write head over the sector that
contains the requested data.

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Diskette. A small, removable, flexible mylar plastic disk covered with a thin layer of a
magnetisable substance, onto which digital data can be recorded and stored. Also known
as a floppy disk.

Diskettes get another name – floppy disk – from the thin mylar disk. If one cuts open the
disk casing (not recommended because the disk will be ruined) one would see that the
mylar disk inside is thin and “floppy”. Diskettes are also called floppies.

Although today’s microcomputers typically use 3½ inch (about 10 centimetre) disks, you
may still find 5¼ inch (about 15 centimetre) disks that were popular many years ago.
Finding a disk drive to read 5¼ inch disks may be very difficult.

Diskettes are generally used for transporting or shipping data files or for making duplicate
copies of data files for back-up purposes. The storage capacity of a diskette varies but is
considerably smaller than that of a hard drive.

Back up: To copy a computer file or collection of files to a second medium, usually on a
diskette or magnetic tape, so that the data are safe in case the original file is damaged or
lost. Backups are usually copied to storage devices that can be removed from the
computer and kept separately from the original.

A tape backup is a copy of the data from a hard disk, stored on magnetic tape and used
to recover lost data. A tape backup is relatively inexpensive and can rescue an
organization from the overwhelming task of trying to reconstruct lost data.

Backing up electronic data is critical to protecting it from loss or damage.

In addition to magnetic storage, there is also optical storage.

Optical disk: A storage device that uses reflecting surfaces and laser technology to read
and write data on a disk. Also known as a laser disk.

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With optical storage, data is burned into the storage medium using beams of laser light.
The burns form patterns of small pits in the disk surface to represent data. The pits on
optical media are permanent, so the data cannot be changed. Optical media are very
durable, but they do not provide the flexibility of magnetic media for changing the data
once they are stored.

There are three types of optical disks.

• CD-ROM’s are the most popular type of optical storage. CD-ROM stands for Compact
Disc Read Only Memory. A computer CD-ROM disk, like its audio counterpart, contains
data that has been stamped on the disk surface as a series of pits. To read the data on a
CD-ROM an optical read head distinguishes the patterns of pits that represent bytes. CD-
ROM disks provide tremendous storage capacity. CD-ROMs usually come with data
already written onto them. These days most applications software is provided on CD-
ROM.

• It is now possible for computer users to write data to an optical disk. These are known
as WORM disks, which stands for ‘Write Once Read Many’. A single CD holds up to 680
megabytes, equivalent to over 300,000 pages of text in character format, and these disks
are quite durable. These CDs are known as CD re-recordable (CD-R). There are other
types of WORM disks, although there is no standard for these.

• There is a third type of optical disk which can be erased and use to rewrite new
information. These are sometimes known as EO (erasable optical) disks and CD-RW (CD
rewritable).

Magneto-optical disks combine magnetic disk and CD-ROM technologies. Like magnetic
media they can read and written to and like floppy disks they are removable.

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They can store over 200 MB of data, and speed of access to this data is faster than a
floppy but slower than a hard drive. There is no universal standard for these yet.

CD-ROMs and magnet-optical disks are very useful for storing images. These take up
much more storage space than data in character format, such as in word-processed files.

Types of Storage

• Dynamic storage (Volatile)

• Persistent Storage (Nonvolatile)

Dynamic storage is storage, loses all information when power is turned off. It is
sometimes referred to as Volatile memory which is a type of storage whose contents are
erased when the system's power is turned off or interrupted. For example, RAM is volatile,
meaning users will lose a document if they do not save their work to a non-volatile
classification of memory, such as a hard drive, before shutting down the computer.

Persistent storage is any data storage device that retains data after power to that device
is shut off. It is also sometimes referred to as non-volatile storage.

Hard disk drives and solid-state drives are common types of persistent storage.

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HOW ARE DATA STORED?

It is very important to distinguish between memory, which refers to the circuitry that has
a direct link to the computer processor, and the storage, which refers to media such as
disks that are not directly linked to the processor. Remember, a storage device is anything
that is used to store computer data. Floppy disks, hard disks, optical disks, CDs and
magnetic tapes are all types of storage device.

Physical storage refers to how data are actually kept on the storage disk. The most
commonly used medium for storage is magnetic storage. With magnetic storage the
computer stores data on disks and tape by magnetising selected particles of an oxide-
based surface coating. The particles retain their magnetic orientation until that orientation
is changed. Thus magnetic disks and tapes are modifiable storage media.

Memory unit is:

• The amount of data that can be stored in the storage unit.

• That in which storage capacity is expressed in terms of Bytes.

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Following are the main memory storage units:

Sr.No. Unit Description

1 Bit (Binary Digit) A binary digit is logical 0 and 1 representing a passive

or an active state of a component in an electric
circuit.

2 Nibble A group of 4 bits is called nibble.

3 Byte A group of 8 bits is called byte. A byte is the smallest

unit which can represent a data item or a character.

4 Word A computer word, like a byte, is a group of fixed

number of bits processed as a unit which varies from
computer to computer but is fixed for each
computer.

The length of a computer word is called word-size or

word length and it may be as small as 8 bits or may
be as long as 96 bits. A computer stores the
information in the form of computer words.

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Few higher storage units are following

Sr.No. Unit Description

1 Kilobyte (KB) 1 KB = 1024 Bytes

2 Megabyte (MB) 1 MB = 1024 KB

3 GigaByte (GB) 1 GB = 1024 MB

4 TeraByte (TB 1 TB = 1024 GB

5 PetaByte (PB) 1 PB = 1024 TB

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Cloud storage
Cloud storage is a cloud computing model in which data is stored on remote servers
accessed from the Internet, or "cloud." It is maintained, operated and managed by a cloud
storage service provider on a storage servers that are built on virtualization techniques.

With the increasing information that we humans access , the storage requirements to
accumulate that information keeps on increasing , May it be a collection of doc files or
some movies or some software’s or some songs, the data requirements keeps on
increasing day by day. What here is more important is that how we access the big data
whether it is for the personal use or professional use. People either prefer upgrading their
hard drives or even sometimes prefer using compact disks as well, but with the
advancement in technology everyone wants access to data on the go, without having the
need to carry physical hardware and hence Cloud Storage requirements fall into place.
Cloud storage means storing data online so that we can access it from any place without
actually carrying the data servers with us.

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Advantages of Cloud Storage

1. Usability: All cloud storage services reviewed in this topic have desktop folders for

Mac’s and PC’s. This allows users to drag and drop files between the cloud storage and

their local storage.

2. Bandwidth: You can avoid emailing files to individuals and instead send a web link

to recipients through your email.

3. Accessibility: Stored files can be accessed from anywhere via Internet connection.

4. Disaster Recovery: It is highly recommended that businesses have an emergency

backup plan ready in the case of an emergency. Cloud storage can be used as a back‐
up plan by businesses by providing a second copy of important files. These files are
stored at a remote location and can be accessed through an internet connection.

5. Cost Savings: Businesses and organizations can often reduce annual operating costs

by using cloud storage; cloud storage costs about 3 cents per gigabyte to store data

internally. Users can see additional cost savings because it does not require internal

power to store information remotely.

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Disadvantages of Cloud Storage

1. Usability: Be careful when using drag/drop to move a document into the cloud storage

folder. This will permanently move your document from its original folder to the cloud

storage location. Do a copy and paste instead of drag/drop if you want to retain

the document’s original location in addition to moving a copy onto the cloud storage

folder.

2. Bandwidth: Several cloud storage services have a specific bandwidth allowance. If

an organization surpasses the given allowance, the additional charges could be

significant. However, some providers allow unlimited bandwidth. This is a factor that

companies should consider when looking at a cloud storage provider.

3. Accessibility: If you have no internet connection, you have no access to your data.

4. Data Security: There are concerns with the safety and privacy of important data stored

remotely. The possibility of private data commingling with other organizations makes

some businesses uneasy. If you want to know more about those issues that govern data

security and privacy, here is an interesting article on the recent privacy debates.

5. Software: If you want to be able to manipulate your files locally through multiple

devices, you’ll need to download the service on all devices.

Bibliography & References