STORAGE DEVICES

STORAGE

MAIN MEMORY SECONDARY MEMORY

(PRIMARY STORAGE) (BACKING STORAGE)

ROM RAM
MAGNETIC Optical FLASH MEMORY
(Solid State)

CD
Tape Disc DVD Pen Drive
BLU- RAY
Reel to Reel Tape DVD-RAM SSD
Floppy Disk
Cassette Tape Hard Disk
Tape Cartridges

Serial Access Direct Access

Storage Devices Storage Devices

Computers store data either in chips inside the main processor in what is called Main
Memory (Primary memory), or on other media such as magnetic disk or magnetic tape, in
what is called as Secondary memory or Backing storage.

MAIN MEMORY
1. ROM - Read Only Memory
 ROM is a chip inside the computer and is used to hold programs, which cannot be
changed by the user. The program is called BIOS or Firmware of a system.
 The programs are generally stored in ROM chips at the manufacturing stage.
 The ROM chips contain the instructions that tell the computer how to load the
operating system (called the boot program) and search for all devices including RAM.
 Since data is permanently stored on ROM it stays forever, even when the power is off
and hence it is often referred as Non-Volatile memory.
PROM: Programmable read only memory Ex: Television; CD players etc
EPROM: Erasable programmable read only memory Ex: Mobile Phones
EEPROM: Electrically erasable programmable read only memory. Ex: Smart Phones

2. RAM - Random Access Memory

 RAM is also held on a chip but data is held temporarily i.e., when the power is off the
data disappears. Hence, it is also called as Volatile memory.
 It holds both working data and running programs temporarily.

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Both ROM and RAM are fully electronic.
Buffer Memory: A storage area where data (input / output data) is stored temporarily.
Buffer memory is especially found in printers, scanners etc.
The main use of a buffer is to hold data temporarily, and also compensates the speed
between devices. Ex: Compensate speed between a computer and a printer when a print is
given; compensate speed between a computer and a scanner when an object is being
scanned.
If the size of a buffer is increased, the speed of data transfer between devices can be
increased as more space is available to store data before processing.
If buffer memory in a printer is increased from 1 MB to 10 MB, then:
 large files can be sent to the printer for printing
 Many prints can be given at a time
In this case the computer is free to do other jobs, and the system doesn’t really get stuck.

SECONDARY MEMORY (BACKING STORAGE DEVICES)

Although Main memory holds data and programs, we know it is not enough for our needs.
So we need a secondary storage device, which can store data permanently i.e., even when
the power is off.
Uses:
Secondary storage devices are used to store:
 Operating system files, Application software and User’s data files

There are two types of secondary or backing storage devices.

 Serial access storage devices
 Direct access storage devices

Serial access storage devices Ex. Magnetic tape.

Serial access: Accessing the data in a series (one after the other).
In these storage devices, data records are stored from beginning to end of the storage
medium, in a series or a sequence. In this type of storage medium searching for a particular
record becomes difficult. Say for example, that a file or some information is at the end of
the tape, then the whole tape has to be run, which is time consuming and sometimes
inconvenient.
Magnetic Tape
Features of magnetic tape:
The tape is made of a plastic base coated with metal oxide film. Data is stored as
magnetized spots, each one representing a binary digit. Using read and write heads data is
stored and read off the tape.
Advantages:
High transfer rate; Very high storage capacity 200TB; used to copy large files especially as a
backup; Very convenient to store and handle reels as they can be kept in cupboards; Very
cheap.
Disadvantages:
Tape is a serial medium and hence searching is necessary to find a particular piece of
information; Updating is not immediate; The tape has to be stored in a suitable
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environment otherwise read and write errors occur; The tape material has limited life, 2
years and hence not suitable for long term storage of historical files.
Uses:
Offline storage of large sequential files.
Very widely used as a backup device copying data from disks to prevent any loss of data.
Applications:
Libraries, Banks, Factories processing payroll of workers, scientific departments storing
historic data.

Direct Access Storage Devices Ex: Magnetic Disc

Direct Access: Accessing the data directly and not in a sequence.
In these devices data is stored at a location on the disk surface which has a unique address
and this provides a direct access to the file or information, which is required. This takes less
time, as there is no searching involved like it is required in magnetic tape. Ex. Magnetic disc.

Magnetic Disc
Features of magnetic disc:
Each disc is a thin metal or plastic coated with magnetic material; Data is recorded in the
form of magnetized spots; the surface of the disc is divided into concentric tracks, which are
further divided into sectors;
Uses: Most commonly used backing storage device.

1. Floppy Disc
A floppy disc is a single flexible disk held in a protective plastic case coated with magnetic
material.
Features:
It is a plastic disc coated with magnetic material on both the sides; it is small and light
weight and its capacity is 1.44 MB; it is mainly used to have a backup and transfer data
between computers.
Applications: schools, homes, etc.

2. Hard Disk Drive

Hard drives usually consist of several discs on a single spindle (rod). The disc is made of hard
metallic material and comes in an Aluminium case. Now a days every computer comes with
a Hard Disk Drive in it as a backing storage device.
Features:
Each disk surface has its own read/write heads, which makes data transfer faster.
Advantages:
A very reliable backing storage device; Data retrieved very fast as it provides direct access
and the drive contains separate read/write heads; Stores a fairly large amount of data,
including the operating system and all application software and the user’s data.
Disadvantages:
If there is a hard disk crash, then all the data will be lost, and hence regular backups are
necessary.

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Optical Discs
Optical discs are special discs that use laser technology to read and write data. Ex. CD, DVD,
Blu-ray disc. Most of them consist of a single spiral track.
Features:
Made up of a thin metal film with a protective polymer coating; A Laser is used to read and
write data off them.

1. Compact Disc
It is used to store a vast amount of data, around 700 MB and once data is stored new data
cannot be re-written onto it; A CD drive is used to operate (read data from) the disc. Uses
red laser to read / write data. It consists of a single spiral track.
Advantages:
Large storage capacity; the disc has a long life; the disc is light weight and highly portable.

Applications:
Historic data can be stored by Libraries and newspaper agents; Used in Financial application
for audits etc; Used in Computer based training: Audio – visual software; Product / service
display and selling; for storing Maps, encyclopaedias etc.
CD – ROM = Compact disc– read only memory;
CD – R = Compact disc – recordable; CD – RW = Compact disc re-writable

2. Digital Versatile Disc

A DVD can store 4.7 GB of data, equal to 6 CDs. It is made up of two layers, hence dual layer
disc. It has a single spiral track.
Applications: Used to store software. Used to store films, clip arts, thousands of
photographs, images, encyclopaedia etc. Uses red laser to read / write data.
DVD – ROM = Digital Versatile Disc– read only memory;
DVD – R = Digital Versatile Disc– recordable; DVD – RW =Digital versatile disc re-writable

3. DVD RAM disc: The DVD RAM disc consists of several concentric tracks. Data on the disc
can be read and written at the same time.
Applications: Used in Satellite TV decoders to record a live match in the instance of the user
using the pause feature on the decoder.

4. Blu-ray disc: A new kind of disc using same CD technology. High storage capacity up to 50
GB on a double sided blu-ray disc. It uses Blue Laser light of a different wavelength to read /
write data on to the disc.

Flash Memory (Solid State): It is a non-volatile ROM otherwise called as NAND EEPROM. It
stores data permanently. It is fully electronic, made of millions of transistors. It is light
weight and has high data transfer rate. It is not very sensitive as it has no moving parts.
A technology used in memory cards, smart phones and pen drives.

Solid State Drive: Several solid state memory chips are being integrated to make a Solid
State Drive which eventually is replacing Hard Disk Drives. High transfer rate and no moving
parts are the best advantages of using solid state drives.

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