A storage unit is a part of the computer system which is employed to store the information and instructions to

be processed. A storage device is an integral part of the computer hardware which stores information/data to
process the result of any computational work. Without a storage device, a computer would not be able to run or
even boot up. Or in other words, we can say that a storage device is hardware that is used for storing, porting,
or extracting data files. It can also store information/data both temporarily and permanently. Computer storage
is of two types: 

 Primary Storage Devices: It is also known as internal memory and main memory. This is a section of the
CPU that holds program instructions, input data, and intermediate results. It is generally smaller in size.
RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory) are examples of primary storage.
 Secondary Storage Devices: Secondary storage is a memory that is stored external to the computer.  It is
mainly used for the permanent and long-term storage of programs and data. Hard Disk, CD, DVD, Pen/Flash
drive, SSD, etc., are examples of secondary storage.

STORAGE DEVICES

1. Primary storage devices

(i) RAM: It stands for Random Access Memory. It is used to store information that is used immediately or we
can say that it is a temporary memory. Computers bring the software installed on a hard disk to RAM to process
it and to be used by the user. Once, the computer is turned off, the data is deleted. With the help of RAM,
computers can perform multiple tasks like loading applications, browsing the web, editing a spreadsheet,
experiencing the newest game, etc. It allows you to modify quickly among these tasks, remembering where
you’re in one task once you switch to a different task. It is also used to load and run applications, like your
spreadsheet program, answer commands, like all edits you made within the spreadsheet, or toggle between
multiple programs, like once you left the spreadsheet to see the email. Memory is nearly always being actively
employed by your computer. It ranges from 1GB – 32GB/64GB depending upon the specifications. There are
different types of RAM, although they all serve the same purpose, the most common ones are: 

 SRAM: It stands for Static Random Access Memory. It consists of circuits that retain stored information as
long as the power supply is on. It is also known as volatile memory. It is used to build Cache memory. The
access time of SRAM is lower and it is much faster as compared to DRAM but in terms of cost, it is costly as
compared to DRAM.
 DRAM: It stands for Dynamic Random Access Memory. It is used to stores binary bits in the form of
electrical charges that are applied to capacitors. The access time of DRAM is slower as compare to SRAM
but it is cheaper than SRAM and has a high packaging density.
 SDRAM: It stands for Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory. It is faster than DRAM. It is widely
used in computers and others. After SDRAM was introduced, the upgraded version of double data rate
RAM, i.e., DDR1, DDR2, DDR3, and DDR4 was entered into the market and widely used in home/office
desktops and laptops.

(ii) ROM: It stands for Read-Only Memory. The data written or stored in these devices are non-volatile, i.e, once
the data is stored in the memory cannot be modified or deleted. The memory from which will only read but
cannot write it. This type of memory is non-volatile. The information is stored permanently during manufacture
only once. ROM stores instructions that are used to start a computer. This operation is referred to as bootstrap.
It is also used in other electronic items like washers and microwaves. ROM chips can only store few megabytes
(MB) of data, which ranges between 4 and 8 MB per ROM chip. There are two types of ROM: 
 PROM: PROM is Programmable Read-Only Memory. These are ROMs that can be programmed. A special
PROM programmer is employed to enter the program on the PROM. Once the chip has been programmed,
information on the PROM can’t be altered. PROM is non-volatile, that is data is not lost when power is
switched off.
 EPROM: Another sort of memory is that the Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory. It is possible to
erase the info which has been previously stored on an EPROM and write new data onto the chip.
MAGNETIC STORAGE DEVICES

(i) Floppy Disk: It is also known as a floppy diskette. It is generally used on a personal computer to store data
externally. A Floppy disk is made up of a plastic cartridge and secures with a protective case. Nowadays floppy
disk is replaced by new and effective storage devices like USB, etc.
(ii) Hard Disk: It is a storage device (HDD) that stores and retrieves data using magnetic storage. It is a non-
volatile storage device that can be modified or deleted number of times without any problem. Most of the
computers and laptops have HDDs as their secondary storage device. It is actually a set of stacked disks, just like
phonograph records. In every hard disk, the data is recorded electromagnetically in the concentric circles or we
can say track present on the hard disk, and with the help of a head just like a phonograph arm (but fixed in a
position) to read the information present on the track. The read-write speed of HDDs is not so fast but decent. It
ranges from a few GBs to a few and more TB.

(iii) Magnetic Card: It is a card in which data is stored by modifying or rearranging the magnetism of tiny iron-
based magnetic particles present on the band of the card. It is also known as a swipe card. It is used like a
passcode (to enter into house or hotel room), credit card, identity card, etc. 
(iv) Tape Cassette: It is also known as a music cassette. It is a rectangular flat container in which the data is
stored in an analog magnetic tape. It is generally used to store audio recordings. 
(v) SuperDisk: It is also called LS-240 and LS-120. It is introduced by Imation corporation and it is popular with
OEM computers. It can store data up to 240 MB. 

FLASH MEMORY DEVICES

It is a cheaper and portable storage device. It is the most commonly used device to store data because is more
reliable and efficient as compare to other storage devices. Some of the commonly used flash memory devices
are:
i) Pen Drive: It is also known as a USB flash drive that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface.
We can directly connect these devices to our computers and laptops and read/write data into them in a much
faster and efficient way. These devices are very portable. It ranges from 1GB to 256GB generally.
(ii) SSD: It stands for Solid State Drive, a mass storage device like HDDs. It is more durable because it does not
contain optical disks inside like hard disks. It needs less power as compared to hard disks, is lightweight, and has
10x faster read and write speed as compared to hard disks. But, these are costly as well. While SSDs serve an
equivalent function as hard drives, their internal components are much different. Unlike hard drives, SSDs don’t
have any moving parts and thus they’re called solid-state drives. Instead of storing data on magnetic platters,
SSDs store data using non-volatile storage. Since SSDs haven’t any moving parts, they do not need to “spin up”.
It ranges from 150GB to a few and more TB.
(iii) SD Card: It is known as a Secure Digital Card. It is generally used with electronic devices like phones, digital
cameras, etc. to store larger data. It is portable and the size of the SD card is also small so that it can easily fit
into electronic devices. It is available in different sizes like 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, etc.
(iv) Memory Card: It is generally used in digital cameras. printers, game consoles, etc. It is also used to store
large amounts of data and is available in different sizes. To run a memory card on a computer you require a
separate memory card reader.  
(v) Multimedia Card: It is also known as MMC. It is an integrated circuit that is generally used in-car radios,
digital cameras, etc. It is an external device to store data/information.

OPTICAL STORAGE DEVICES

Optical Storage Devices is also a secondary storage device. It is a removable storage device. Following are some
optical storage devices:
(i) CD: It is known as Compact Disc. It contains tracks and sectors on its surface to store data. It is made up of
polycarbonate plastic and is circular in shape. CD can store data up to 700MB. It is of two types:
 CD-R: It stands for Compact Disc read-only. In this type of CD, once the data is written cannot be erased. It
is read-only.
 CD-RW: It stands for Compact Disc read Write. In this type of CD, you can easily write or erase data multiple
times.
(ii) DVD: It is known as Digital Versatile Disc. DVDs are circular flat optical discs used to store data. It comes in
two different sizes one is 4.7GB single-layer discs and another one is 8.5GB double-layer discs. DVDs look like
CDs but the storage capacity of DVDs is more than as compared to CDs. It is of two types:
 DVD-R: It stands for Digital Versatile Disc read-only. In this type of DVD, once the data is written cannot be
erased. It is read-only. It is generally used to write movies, etc.
 DVD-RW: It stands for Digital Versatile Disc read Write. In this type of DVD, you can easily write or erase
data multiple times.
(iii) Blu-ray Disc: It is just like CD and DVD but the storage capacity of blu ray is up to 25GB. To run a Blu-ray
disc, you need a separate Blu-ray reader. This Blu-ray technology is used to read a disc from a blue-violet laser
due to which the information is stored in greater density with a longer wavelength.

CLOUD AND VIRTUAL STORAGE

Nowadays, secondary memory has been upgraded to virtual or cloud storage devices. We can store our files and
other stuff in the cloud and the data is stored for as long as we pay for the cloud storage. There are many
companies that provide cloud services largely Google, Amazon, Microsoft, etc. We can pay the rent for the
amount of space we need and we get multiple benefits out of it. Though it is actually being stored in a physical
device located in the data centers of the service provider, the user doesn’t interact with the physical device and
its maintenance. For example, Amazon Web Services offers AWS S3 as a type of storage where users can store
data virtually instead of being stored in physical hard drive devices. These sorts of innovations represent the
frontier of where storage media goes.

The Internet is an increasingly important part of everyday life for people around the world. But if you've never
used the Internet before, all of this new information might feel a bit confusing at first.

What is the Internet?

The Internet is a global network of billions of computers and other electronic devices. With the Internet, it's
possible to access almost any information, communicate with anyone else in the world, and do much more.

You can do all of this by connecting a computer to the Internet, which is also called going online. When someone
says a computer is online, it's just another way of saying it's connected to the Internet.

What is the Web?

The World Wide Web—usually called the Web for short—is a collection of different websites you can access
through the Internet. A website is made up of related text, images, and other resources. Websites can resemble
other forms of media—like newspaper articles or television programs—or they can be interactive in a way that's
unique to computers.
The purpose of a website can be almost anything: a news platform, an advertisement, an online library, a forum for
sharing images, or an educational site like us!

Once you are connected to the Internet, you can access and view websites using a type of application called a web
browser. Just keep in mind that the web browser itself is not the Internet; it only displays websites that are stored
on the Internet.

How does the Internet work?

It's important to realize that the Internet is a global network of physical cables, which can include copper
telephone wires, TV cables, and fiber optic cables. Even wireless connections like Wi-Fi and 3G/4G rely on these
physical cables to access the Internet.

When you visit a website, your computer sends a request over these wires to a server. A server is where websites
are stored, and it works a lot like your computer's hard drive. Once the request arrives, the server retrieves the
website and sends the correct data back to your computer.