Chapter (3):

Storage devices
and media
 Contents

• Magnetic media and magnetic storage devices

• Optical media and optical storage devices
• Solid-state media and solid-state storage devices
• The future of storage devices
 Secondary Storage

• Secondary storage includes all non-volatile devices that are not

part of primary memory.
• They allow data to be stored as long as required by the user.
• This type of storage is much larger than RAM and ROM (primary
memory), but data access time is considerably longer.
• All applications, the operating system, device drivers and general
files (for example, documents, photos and music) are stored in
secondary storage.
 Secondary Storage

• There are three different categories of secondary storage which

are based on technology that uses the following media:
• magnetic
• optical
• solid state
 Secondary Storage

• Storage media is the hardware on which the data is actually

stored (for example, a CD or a DVD).
• Storage device is the hardware used to read from or write to
the media (for example, a CD/DVD reader or writer).
 Secondary Storage Media

Secondary storage devices ensure Storage sized are measured in Number of bytes
that data is stored permanently.
Magnetic disk, Optical disk, Solid State disk Kilobytes (KB) 1 KB = 103 bytes
Megabytes (MB) 1 MB = 106 bytes
Gigabytes (GB) 1 GB = 109 bytes
Terabytes (TB) 1 TB = 1012 bytes
Petabytes (PB) 1 PB = 1015 bytes
 Types of access: Serial Access
• Serial access (sequential access)
• It is necessary to start at the beginning of the file
• Then, access each record in turn until the required record is
found
• Primarily used in magnetic tape
• It is a very slow form of data access
• Used for utility billing, clearing bank cheques, pay slips
 Types of access: Direct Access
• Direct access (random access)
• Used with magnetic disks, optical media and solid-state media
• The computer uses key field to calculate where data should be stored.
• Direct access is much faster than with serial access
• Used in real-time system, online system (booking system, stock control)

Magnetic Disks
Optical Disks Solid-state disk Flash
 Magnetic media and magnetic storage
devices
• Magnetic media rely on the property that an iron oxide coating can
be magnetised to represent a binary 1-value and demagnetised to
represent a binary 0-value.
• Advantages of this technology is the magnetic state of the iron oxide
is permanent unless it is written over again.
 Magnetic storage media

• The two most common devices that use these magnetic properties to
store data are
1. magnetic tape drives
2. hard disk drives (HDD)
 1. Magnetic tape drives
• It is a very thin strip of plastic that has been coated in a magnetic layer.

• Uses
• Clearing Bank cheques, utility bills (gas, electricity, water), producing pay slip (batch
processing)
• Backup media
• Long-term archiving of data
• Huge data storage capacities
• Very Stable

• Advantages
• Less expensive
• Robust technology
• Huge data storage capacity
• Data transfer rate is fast

• Disadvantages
• Very slow data access times
• Affected by magnetic fields
• Data transfer rate is the rate at which data can be sent from a storage device to a computer (or
vice versa).
• Data access time is the time it takes to locate specific data stored on the storage media.
 2. Hard disk drives (HDD)

• HDD with read and write with moving heads allowing data to be written to or read from the disk
surface
• The HDD store the operating system, system software, application software, and files
• Used in real-time system, online system
• Advantages
• Fast data transfer rate
• Large storage capacities

• Disadvantages
• Can be easily damaged
• Quite noisy compared with SSDs
platters: made up of more than one disk
 3.Portable hard disk drives

• Uses
• Backup systems
• Transfer data between computers

• Advantages
• Data access time is fast
• Data transfer rate is fast

• Disadvantages
• Can be easily damaged if dropped or subjected to a strong magnetic
 Optical media and optical storage devices

1. CD/DVD disks
2. CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
3. CD-R and DVD-R
4. CD-RW and DVD-RW
5. DVD-RAM
6. Blu-ray Discs
lands are the gaps between pits
 (1) CD/DVD disks

• Optical storage media

• Red Laser light is used to read data and to write data
• They use a single spiral track
• DVD used dual-layering technology
• CD uses laser with 650 nanometers
• DVD uses laser with 780 nanometers
 (2) CD-ROM and DVD-ROM

• These optical disks are read-only memory (ROM)

• Uses
• To store music files, software, games

• Advantages
• They hold more data than floppy disk
• Less expensive

• Disadvantages
• Data transfer rate is slower than for HDD
 (3) CD-R and DVD-R

• The letter "R" means the disk is recordable once only.

• Uses
• Home recordings of music and films

• Advantages
• Cheaper than RW disk
• Once burned and finalize they are like ROM

• Disadvantages
• Not all CD/DVD players can read CD-R and DVD-R
 (4) CD-RW and DVD-RW

• Rewritable media and can be written over serval times

• The recording layer uses a special phase-changing metal alloy.
• Uses
• To record TV programmed
• CCTV systems, PCs

• Advantages
• Can be written over many time

• Disadvantages
• Relatively expensive
• Possible to overwrite data
 (5) DVD-RAM
• They use a number of concentric tracks
• Read and write operations up to 100,000 times
• Longevity over 30 years
• Uses
• Satellite receiver, Camcoders
• Advantages
• 30 years minimum life
• Very fast access
• Disadvantages
• Relatively Expensive
 (6) Blu-ray discs
• Blue laser is used to read and write data
• 405 nanometers wavelength
• Blu-ray use only one layer (1.1 mm thick ploy carbonate disk)
• Uses
• Home video console
• PCs

• Advantage
• Very large storage
• Very fast data transfer rate

• Disadvantage
• Expensive
• Encryption problems
 Main differences between DVD and Blu-ray

• A blue laser is used to carry out Blu-ray read and write operations; the wavelength of blue light is
only 405 nanometers (compared to 650 nm for red light).
• Blu-ray can store up to five times more data than normal DVD. (Pits and lands can be much smaller)
• Single-layer Blu-ray discs use a 1.2 mm thick polycarbonate disk; dual-layer Blu-ray and normal DVDs
both use a sandwich of two 0.6 mm thick disks (i.e. 1.2 mm thick).
• Blu-ray disks automatically come with a secure encryption system which helps to prevent pirvacy and
copyright infringement.
• The data transfer rate for a DVD is 10 Mbps and for a Blu-ray disc it is 36 Mbps.
 Comparison of the capacity and interactivity of DVDs
and Blu-ray discs
• DVD has a storage capacity of 4.7 GB.
• Single-layer Blu-ray disc has a storage capacity of 27 GB.
• Dual-layer Blu-ray disc has a storage capacity of 50 GB.
Solid-state media and solid-state
storage devices
 Solid state drives (SSD)
• They have no moving parts
• All data is retrieved at the same rate no matter where it is stored
• SSD devices store data by controlling the movement of electrons
• The data is stored by 0s and 1s in millions of tiny transistors within the chip.
• Non-volatile rewriteable memory
• Use EEPROM technology (read or erased in single bytes at a time)
• EEPROM: Electronically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
• Flash (use NAND technology) - only allows blocks of data to be read or erased
• EEPROM (use NOR technology)
 AND & NAND
Input -1 Input -2 Output (AND) Output (NAND)
0 0 0 1
0 1 0 1
1 0 0 1
1 1 1 0
 OR & NOR
Input -1 Input -2 Output (OR) Output (NOR)
0 0 0 1
0 1 1 0
1 0 1 0
1 1 1 0
 Advantages of SSD

• More reliable (no moving part)

• Considerably lighter
• Lower power consumption
• Much cooler than HDD
• They are very thin
• Considerably read/write access is faster than HDD
 Disadvantages of SSD

• SSD is the questionable longevity of the technology

• Conservatively rated at only 20GB write operations per day over a three-year
period this is known as SSD Endurance.
 Memory sticks/Pen Drive
• Used SSD technology
• Usually connected to a computer through USB port
• Uses
• Transporting files between computers or used as a backup store.
• Used as a security device to prevent software pirvacy (known as a dongle).

• Advantages
• Very compact, very robust, no need additional software to use it
• They are not affected by magnetic fileds.

• Disadvantages
• Easy to lose
• Can't write-protect the data
 Memory card

• memory card makes use of solid-state technology

➢ XD cards (exteme digital card) : removable memory card designed for use in digital cameras
➢ SD cards (secure digital card) : very small card with a very high-capacity memory
➢ CFast card (compactfast card): to be used in a very small portable device
 Memory card

• Uses EEPROM technology (uses NOR)

• Uses
• Storing photos on digital camera
• Mobile phone memory card
• MP3 player

• Advantages
• Very compact, very robust
• Can be easily removed

• Disadvantages
• Expensive
• Lower storage capacity
 The future of storage devices

• on hard disk drive systems

• in MP3 format on:
– a computer/tablet
– their mobile/smartphone
– a portable music player (such as an iPod)

• using the cloud to store all their files so they can access their music from anywhere in the world
• by streaming their music from the internet; provided the user has an internet connection, they can access
music through a laptop computer, smartphone, tablet or any other receiving device.
 QUIZ
• There are many types of data storage. Tick whether the following statements are examples of
read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM) or a hard disk drive (HDD).

ROM RAM HDD

It loses its data when the computer is switched off.

It is classed as backing storage.

It stores the start-up instructions of the computer.

It temporarily stores the current work of the current user.

 QUIZ
• Data can be stored on Magnetic, Optical or Solid state media. Tick the most appropriate type of
medium for each of the examples

Magnetic Optical Solid state

Blu-ray disc

Hard disk

Pen drive

Flash memory card