CHAPTER 3 STORAGE

Reference Books:
Morley, D. and C.S. Parker. Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow,
Comprehensive
STORAGE SYSTEMS CHARACTERISTICS
▪ All storage systems have specific characteristics,
such as:
▪ Having both a storage medium and a storage device,
▪ How portable and volatile the system is,
▪ How data is accessed and represented, and
▪ The type of storage technology used.
 STORAGE MEDIA AND STORAGE DEVICES
▪ There are two parts to any storage system that is the storage medium and the
storage device.
▪ A storage medium is the hardware where data is actually stored (for example, a
DVD or a flash memory card).
▪ A storage medium is inserted into its corresponding storage device (such as a
DVD drive or a flash memory card reader) in order to be read from or written to.
▪ Often the storage device and storage medium are two separate pieces of
hardware (that is, the storage medium is removable), although with some
systems—such as a hard drive or most USB flash drives—the two parts are
permanently sealed together to form one piece of hardware. Storage devices can
be internal (located inside the system unit), external (plugged into an external
port on the system unit), or remote (located on another computer, such as a
network server or Web server).
 HARD DRIVES
▪ All personal computers come with a hard drive that is used to store most programs
and data.
▪ Internal hard drives (those located inside the system unit) are not designed to be
removed, unless they need to be repaired or replaced.
▪ External hard drives typically connect to a computer via an external port (such as a
USB or Thunderbolt port) or a wireless connection and are frequently used for
additional storage.
▪ The users of tablets and other devices with limited internal storage may use external
hard drives to store large amount of data to move files between computers, and for
backup purposes.
▪ Hard drives are also incorporated into other products, such as smartphones, digital
video recorders (DVRs), gaming consoles, digital camcorders, and more, although
some devices today use only flash memory chips for internal storage.
 MAGNETIC HARD DRIVES
▪ A magnetic hard drive (the traditional type of hard drive, also called a hard disk drive or
an HDD) contains one or more metal hard disks or platters that are coated with a
magnetizable substance.
▪ These hard disks are permanently sealed inside the hard drive case, along with the read/
write heads.
▪ These heads are used to store (write) and retrieve (read) data.
▪ Hard drives designed for desktop computers (sometimes referred to as desktop hard
drives) typically use 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch hard disks and notebook hard drives typically
use 2.5-inch hard disks.
▪ Portable digital media players, digital cameras, and other small devices that include a
magnetic hard drive typically use tiny 1.5-inch or smaller hard drives instead.
▪ Regardless of the size, one hard drive usually contains a stack of two or more hard disks;
if so, there is a read/write head for each hard disk surface (top and bottom) and these
heads move in and out over the disk surfaces simultaneously.
 SOLID-STATE DRIVES (SSDS)
▪ A hard drive that uses flash memory chips instead of metal magnetic hard disks.
▪ SSDs have no moving parts and data is stored as electrical charges on the flash
memory media located within the SSD.
▪ These characteristics mean that SSDs are not subject to mechanical failures like
magnetic hard drives, and are, therefore, more resistant to shock and vibration.
▪ They also consume less power, generate less heat, make no noise, and are much
faster than magnetic hard drives.
▪ While SSDs are faster than HDDs, they are more expensive.
▪ SSDs are most often 2.5-inch drives so they can easily be used instead of
conventional magnetic hard drives.
 SOLID-STATE HYBRID DRIVES (SSHDS)
▪ Solid-state hybrid drives (SSHDs), also called hybrid drives, contain both flash
memory chips and magnetic hard drives.
▪ With an SSHD, the data that is most directly associated with performance (such as
boot data and frequently accessed data) is stored in the flash memory.
▪ The flash memory (usually about 8 GB) allows the hard drive to be faster.
▪ SSHDs are considered a good balance between price and performance because
they are nearly as fast as solid-state drives (SSDs) but are just slightly more
expensive per gigabyte than magnetic hard disk drives (HDDs)
 OPTICAL DISCS AND DRIVES
▪ Data on optical discs (such as CDs and DVDs) is stored and read optically; that is, by using laser
beams.
▪ Optical discs are thin circular discs made out of polycarbonate substrate—essentially a type of
very strong plastic—that are topped with layers of other materials and coatings used to store data
and protect the disc.
▪ CD disc is a low capacity (typically 700 MB) optical disc that is often used to deliver music and
software, as well as to store user data.
▪ DVD disc is a medium capacity (typically 4.7 GB or 8.5 GB) optical disc that is often used to
deliver software and movies, as well as to store user data.
▪ Blu-ray Disc (BD) is a high-capacity (typically 25 GB or 50 GB) disc that is often used to deliver
high-definition movies, as well as to store user data.
▪ Optical drive is a drive used with optical discs, such as CD or DVD discs. Optical discs are
designed to be read by optical drives.
 FLASH MEMORY STORAGE SYSTEMS
▪ Flash memory is a chip-based storage medium that represents data
using electrons.
▪ It is used in a variety of storage systems, such as the SSDs and SSHDs.
▪ Embedded flash memory refers to flash memory chips embedded
into products.
▪ Because flash memory media are physically very small, they are
increasingly being embedded directly into a variety of consumer
products—such as smartphones, tablets, smart watches, and even
sunglasses and wristwatches—to provide built-in data storage.
 FLASH MEMORY CARDS AND READERS
▪ One of the most common types of flash memory media is the flash
memory card.
▪ It is a small card containing one or more flash memory chips, a
controller chip, other electrical components, and metal contacts to
connect the card to the device or reader being used.
▪ Flash memory cards are available in a variety of formats, such as
CompactFlash (CF), Secure Digital (SD), MultiMedia Card (MMC), xD
Picture Card (xD), XQD, and Memory Stick (MS).
▪ These formats are not interchangeable, so the type of flash memory
card used with a device is determined by the type and size of flash
media card that device can accept
 USB FLASH DRIVES
▪ A small storage device that plugs into a USB port and contains flash
memory media.
▪ It is integrated into a self-contained unit that connects to a computer or
other device via a USB port and is powered via that port.
▪ USB flash drives are designed to be very small and very portable.
▪ In order to be appropriate for a wide variety of applications, USB flash
drives are available in a variety.
 NETWORK AND CLOUD STORAGE SYSTEMS
▪ Network storage. The use of a storage device that is accessed through a
local network.
▪ Remote storage refers to using a storage device that is not connected
directly to the user’s computer; instead, the device is accessed through
a local network or through the Internet.
▪ To read data from or write data to a network storage device , the user
just selects it (see Figure ) and then performs the necessary tasks in
the normal fashion.
▪ Because of the vast amount of data shared and made available over
networks today, network storage has become increasingly important.
Two common types of network storage used today are network
attached storage (NAS) devices and storage area networks (SANs).
Network attached storage (NAS)
▪ A high-performance storage device individually connected to a network to provide storage for
computers on that network.

Storage area network

▪ (SAN). A network of hard drives or other storage devices that provide storage for a network of
computers

▪ NAS and SAN devices typically require an operating system to function; many also include software
to provide additional features, such as automatic backups or security scans.
▪ If the router used to connect devices to your home network includes a USB port, you can create a
NAS by plugging a USB storage device (such as an external hard drive) directly into the router.
▪ Typically, both NAS and SAN systems are scalable, which means that new devices can be added as
more storage is needed, and devices can be added or removed without disrupting the network
Cloud Storage
▪ Remote storage services accessed via the Internet are often referred to as cloud storage
or online storage.
▪ Cloud storage can be provided either as a stand-alone service or as part of a cloud
computing service. For instance, most cloud applications (such as Google Docs, the
Flickr photo sharing service, and social networking sites like Facebook) provide online
storage for these services.
▪ There are also sites whose primary objective is to allow users to store documents online,
such as Box, Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, or Microsoft.
▪ OneDrive. Cloud storage sites allow users to share uploaded files or folders with others
via an e-mail message or a link to the shared content. For security purposes, cloud
storage sites are usually password protected.
▪ Cloud storage is also increasingly being used for backup purposes—some sites have an
automatic backup option that uploads the files in designated folders on your computer
to your cloud account at regular specified intervals, as long as your computer is
connected to the Internet.
▪ Many Web sites providing cloud storage to individuals offer the service for free (for
instance, OneDrive and Google Drive both give individuals 15 GB of free storage space);
additional storage space can be purchased if needed.
▪
SMART CARDS
A storage medium consisting of a credit card-sized piece of plastic with built-in
computer circuitry and other components.
▪ Smart cards are commonly used worldwide for national and student ID cards,
credit and debit cards to increase security and decrease fraudulent use.
▪ To use a smart card (see Figure), it must either be inserted into a smart card
reader (if it is the type of card that requires contact) or placed close to a smart
card reader (if it is a contactless card) built into or attached to a computer, door
lock, ATM machine.
▪ An emerging trend is the use of mobile smart cards—smart microSD cards that are
designed to add smart card capabilities to any device that contains a microSD
slot— though it is likely that NFC (Near Field Communications) will be the
eventual technology of choice for mobile payments (as well as possibly for mobile
access control).
▪ The SIM cards used with mobile phones today are a special type of smart card.