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Memory and Storage Part 2

Secondary storage devices are non-volatile and larger than primary memory, allowing for long-term data storage, but with slower access times. Hard disk drives (HDD) are common secondary storage devices that use spinning platters and read-write heads to access data, but they suffer from latency and fragmentation issues. Solid state drives (SSD) offer faster access times without moving parts, utilizing NAND technology for data storage, while optical media like CDs and DVDs use laser technology for data reading and writing.

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19 views6 pages

Memory and Storage Part 2

Secondary storage devices are non-volatile and larger than primary memory, allowing for long-term data storage, but with slower access times. Hard disk drives (HDD) are common secondary storage devices that use spinning platters and read-write heads to access data, but they suffer from latency and fragmentation issues. Solid state drives (SSD) offer faster access times without moving parts, utilizing NAND technology for data storage, while optical media like CDs and DVDs use laser technology for data reading and writing.

Uploaded by

NataliaRzonsowska
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Exercise 1: Read the description of Secondary storage devices and Hard disk

drives and summarize it. Use between 50 and 150 words. You can use bullet points.

Secondary storage devices


Secondary storage includes storage devices that are not directly accessible by the
CPU. They are non-volatile devices which allow data to be stored as long as required by the
user. This type of storage is much larger than primary memory, but data access time is
considerably slower than RAM and ROM. All applications, the operating system, device
drivers and general files (for example, documents, photos and music) are stored on secondary
storage. The following section discusses the various types of secondary storage that can be
found on the majority of computers. Secondary storage devices fall into three categories:
magnetic, solid state and optical.

Hard disk drives (HDD)


Hard disk drives (HDD) are still one of the most common methods used to store data
on a computer.
Data is stored in a digital format on the magnetic surfaces of the disks (or platters, as
they are frequently called). The hard disk drive will have a number of platters which can spin
at about 7000 times a second. A number of read-write heads can access all of the surfaces in
the disk drive. Normally each platter will have two surfaces which can be used to store the
data. These read-write heads can move very quickly – typically they can move from the centre
of the disk to the edge of the disk (and back again) 50 times a second.
Data is stored on the surface in sectors and tracks.
A sector on a given track will contain a fixed number of bytes.
Unfortunately, hard disk drives have very slow data access when compared to, for
example, RAM. Many applications require the read-write heads to constantly seek for the
correct blocks of data; this means a large number of head movements. The effects of latency
then become very significant. Latency is defined as the time it takes for a specific block of
data on a data track to rotate around to the read-write head.
Users will sometimes notice the effect of latency when they see messages such as,
‘Please wait’ or, at its worst, ‘not responding’.
When a file or data is stored on an HDD, the required number of sectors needed to
store the data will be allocated. However, the sectors allocated may not be adjacent to each
other. Through time, the HDD will undergo numerous deletions and editing, which leads to
sectors becoming increasingly fragmented, resulting in a gradual deterioration of the HDD
performance (in other words, it takes longer and longer to access data). Defragmentation
software can improve on this situation by ‘tidying up’ the disk sectors.
An HDD is a direct access device; however, data in a given sector will be read
sequentially.
Removable hard disk drives are essentially HDDs that are external to the computer
and can be connected to the computer using one of the USB ports. In this way, they can be
used as back-up devices or as another way of transferring files between computers.

Exercise 2: Read the text below. Fill in the gaps using vocabulary items from the box.

electronically erasable flash memory Solid state drives (SSD)


PROM (EEPROM)

Solid state drives (SSD)


Latency is an issue in HDDs, as discussed earlier. _________________________
reduce this issue considerably. They have no moving parts and all data is retrieved at the same
rate. They do not rely on magnetic properties. The most common type of solid state storage
devices store data by controlling the movement of electrons within NAND chips. The data is
stored as 0s and 1s in millions of tiny transistors (at each junction one transistor is called a
floating gate and the other is called a control gate) within the chip. This effectively produces a
non-volatile rewritable memory.
However, a number of solid state storage devices sometimes use
_______________________________ technology. The main difference is the use of NOR
chips rather than NAND. This makes them faster in operation but devices using EEPROM are
considerably more expensive than those that use NAND technology. EEPROM also allows
data to be read or erased in single bytes at a time. Use of NAND only allows blocks of data to
be read or erased. This makes EEPROM technology more useful in certain applications where
data needs to be accessed or erased in byte-size chunks.
Because of the cost implications, the majority of solid state storage devices use NAND
technology. The two are usually distinguished by the terms ________________________ (use
NAND) and EEPROM (use NOR).

Exercise 3: So, what are the main benefits of using an SSD rather than an HDD? Give
4 to 7 examples.

Optical media: CDs, DVDs and Blue-ray discs


CDs and DVDS are described as optical storage devices. Laser light is used to read
data from, and write data onto, the surface of a disk.
Both CDs and DVDs use a thin layer of metal alloy or light-sensitive organic dye to
store the data. As shown in Figure 3.7, both systems use a single, spiral track which runs from
the centre of the disk to the edge. When a disk spins, the optical head moves to the point
where the laser beam ‘contacts’ the disk surface and follows the spiral track from the centre
outwards. As with an HDD, a CD/DVD is divided into sectors allowing direct access of data.
Also, as in the case of an HDD, the outer part of the disk runs faster than the inner part of the
disk.
The data is stored in ‘pits’ and ‘bumps’ on the spiral track. A red laser is used to read
and write the data. CDs and DVDs can be designated R (write once only) or RW (can be
written to or read from many times).
DVD technology is slightly different to that used in CDs. One of the main differences
is the use of dual layering which considerably increases the storage capacity. This means that
there are two individual recording layers. Two layers of a standard DVD are joined together
with a transparent (polycarbonate) spacer, and a very thin reflector is sandwiched between the
two layers. Reading and writing of the second layer is done by a red laser focusing at a
fraction of a millimetre difference compared to the first layer.

Standard, single layer DVDs still have a larger storage capacity than CDs because the
‘pit’ size and track width are both smaller. This means that more data can be stored on the
DVD surface. DVDs use lasers with a wavelength of 650 nanometres; CDs use lasers with a
wavelength of 780 nanometres. The shorter the wavelength of the laser light, the greater the
storage capacity of the medium.
» Blu-ray discs are another example of optical storage media. However, they are
fundamentally different to DVDs in their construction and in the way they carry out read-
write operations.
» Blu-ray uses a blue laser, rather than a red laser, to carry out read and write
operations; the wavelength of blue light is only 405 nanometres (compared to 650 nm for red
light).
» Using blue laser light means that the ‘pits’ and ‘bumps’ can be much smaller;
consequently, a Blu-ray can store up to five times more data than a DVD.
» Blu-ray uses a single 1.1 mm thick polycarbonate disk; DVDs use a sandwich of two
0.6 mm thick disks.
» Using two sandwiched layers can cause birefringence (light is refracted into two
separate beams causing reading errors); because Blu-ray uses only one layer, the discs do not
suffer from birefringence.
» Blu-ray discs automatically come with a secure encryption system which helps to
prevent piracy and copyright infringement.

Exercise 4: Use the information above and information that you get from other
sources and fill in the table.

Disk type Laser Wavelength of Disk construction Track pitch


colour laser light (distance
between
tracks)
CD
DVD
Blue-ray
nm = 10−9 metres

µm = 10−6 metres
HOMEWROK:

Exercise 1: The length of a track on each disk in an HDD disk pack becomes much
shorter towards the centre of the disk. Find out how manufacturers have overcome this issue
with regards to disk data capacity and data access time.

Exercise 2: The outer part of an optical disk runs faster than the inner part of the disk.
Find out how manufacturers have overcome this issue with regards to disk data capacity and
data access time.

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