1.

3 Storage
Lesson 1

What the spec says

Primary and secondary

storage
Discuss with your partner
what you think primary
and secondary storage
is? What are the
differences between
them? Why do we need
secondary storage?

http://
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s/StuVidGCSECSTandL_9781471888458/15a6
4fe3-777d-4164-886a-02178837fefd/Resou
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Three levels of storage

Primary storage memory areas that
the CPU can access quickly, such as
CPU registers, Cache, ROM and RAM.
Primary storage has the fastest
read/write speeds and is mostly volatile.
So what do you now think secondary
storage is for? What do you think
tertiary storage is for?

Three levels of storage

Secondary storage is non volatile. Its
where all data (operating systems,
applications, and user files) are stored
when not in use.
Read/Write speeds are not as fast as
primary storage.
It includes magnetic hard disk drives,
solid state drives, CDs, and SD cards.

Three levels of storage

Tertiary storage is non volatile and
used for storing data more in the long
term.
Its mainly used for backups and
archives i.e huge amounts of data
These can be magnetic tapes due to
the amount of data that can be held on
them

Common types of storage

Optical
Magnetic
Solid State
Can you think of
examples for any of
the above?

Join these up
CD ROM

Used as the storage media for images

from a digital camera.

Flash memory

The media with the highest storage

capacity for a relatively cheap price.

Online Storage

The media which is small and portable

and used to mainly transfer files from
home to work/school.

DVD

The media used mainly for the

distribution of software.

Memory Card

This media can be used to store

backups but requires an internet
connection.

Answers
CD ROM

Used as the storage media for images

from a digital camera.

Flash memory

The media with the highest storage

capacity for a relatively cheap price.

Online Storage

The media which is small and portable

and used to mainly transfer files from
home to work/school.

DVD

The media used mainly for the

distribution of software.

Memory Card

This media can be used to store

backups but requires an internet
connection.

Optical devices and media

The CD (compact disk) was invented in
the mid-1980s.
The DVD (digital versatile disk) was
invented in the late 1990s.
Blu-ray Disc was invented in 2000.

Optical devices and media (cont.)

All use a laser light to modify a dye
layer to store data on the disk.
The data is read by shining a light onto
the surface and detecting the reflection.

Types of CDs
What do the following mean?
CD-ROM
CD-R
CD-RW

Optical devices and media (cont.)

Optical media can be read only or
read/write.
This is shown by the addition of R or RW
after the device, e.g:
CD-RW is a read/write CD.

Optical devices and media (cont.)

The capacities are:
CD
700 megabytes
DVD 4.7 gigabytes
Blu-ray Disc 25100 gigabytes

Optical devices and media (cont.)

CDs are:
relatively cheap with low capacity
used to back up data, transfer data or
distribute programs.

Optical devices and media (cont.)

DVDs are:
relatively low cost with a reasonably
high capacity
used to back up data, transfer data or
distribute programs, games and films.

Optical devices and media (cont.)

Blu-ray Discs are:
relatively cheap with a large capacity
used to distribute games and highdefinition films.

Chapter 4: Secondary storage

Storage devices can hold huge amounts
of data
Some key multiples of the bytes are given
names:
1024 bytes

1 kilobyte

1024 kilobytes

1 megabyte

1024 megabytes

1 gigabyte

1024 gigabytes

1 terabyte

1024 terabytes

1 petabyte

1024 petabytes

1 exabyte

Magnetic storage devices

The magnetic disk drive uses a stack of
rigid plates that rotate.
The read/write head
hovers just above the
surface of the plate
and can move inwards
and outwards over the
platters.

Magnetic storage devices (cont.)

IBM invented the first hard disk drive in
1956; it:
had a stack of 50 platters
was the size of a domestic fridge
could store 5 megabytes of data
cost $50000 (33000).

Magnetic storage devices (cont.)

A typical modern home computer hard disk
drive, e.g. a typical 3.5" drive:
has five platters
is just a few centimetres wide, deep and
high (e.g. 15cm x 10cm x 2cm)
can store up to 8 terabytes of data
costs under 200.

Why does a
computer need
secondary
storage?

Answer
To hold user data and programs. Most computer
systems also require secondary storage for an
operating system and utilities. RAM is volatile
and cannot retain any programs or data when
the power is switched off. Secondary storage is
required to store programs and data that would
otherwise be lost when the power is turned off.
Without secondary storage, all programs would
have to be created each time the computer was
turned on.

Magnetic storage devices (cont.)

The magnetic hard disk drive can be:
an internal drive
on a computer system to provide the
main secondary storage
an external, portable drive
to provide backup
to transfer large amounts of data.

Solid-state drives
Solid-state drives are more costly than
magnetic hard disk drives.
However, because they have no moving
read/write head, they have several
advantages.
Because of these advantages they are
ideally suited to portable devices.

Solid-state drives (cont.)

Advantages of solid-state drives
compared to magnetic disk drives:
Faster read and write operations
Use less power
Do not generate heat or noise
Not susceptible to damage through
sudden movement
Significantly lighter

Hybrid disk drives

A combination of a magnetic hard disk and
some solid-state memory.
The most frequently used data is
transferred from the magnetic disk to
solid-state memory, where it can be
accessed more quickly.

Hybrid disk drives (continued)

They provide:
the capacity of a magnetic hard disk
the speed of the solid-state drive
the lower cost associated with magnetic
disk drives.

Remember Tertiary Storage

Magnetic tapes are used for archiving and
back ups.
Larger storage capacity than hard disk drives.
Low cost per GB
Mainly used by large organisations
Looks like a plastic cassette need a special
device
It is slow at finding the specific information
remember audio cassettes?!

Transfer rates
The transfer rate for each devices is:
Storage type

Transfer rate (typical)

RAM
SSD
Magnetic hard disk

12-20 GB/s
200-550 MB/s
50-120 MB/s

Blu-ray Disc
USB flash drive
DVD
CD

72 MB/s
45-90 MB/s
1.32 MB/s
0.146 MB/s

A 97m super computer

The Met Office

It cost 97m
The met office has 17 petabytes of data
(17 000 terabytes)
It has 48 000 CPU cores (as opposed
to our quad core computers!)
Weighs 140 tonnes
A big data cruncher!

What do you need

to think about when
choosing which
storage media to
use?

CLUE: 6 things

Choosing which storage to use

The choice of device and media for a
particular application is determined by
several factors:
Capacity: How much data does it need
to hold?

Capacity

The choice of media is often determined by the number

and type(s) of files to be stored. The required capacity
can be estimated by adding together the file sizes for all
the files that need to be stored.
A typical text file will often require a few kilobytes of
space, a high resolution video will require many
gigabytes.
A simple text document with 256 characters if saved in
different formats can vary in size considerably:
As a text file (.txt): 257 bytes
As rich text file (.rtf): 601 bytes
As a Microsoft Word document: 36 kilobytes

Some examples of file sizes

(approximate sizes)
File type

Approximate size

1 page word processed file with no images

100KB

Postcard size photo

6MB

3 minute MP3 music track

6MB

3 minute music track on a music CD

50MB

1 minute MPEG video

50MB

DVD film

4GB

High definition film

8-15 GB

Blu-ray film

20-25GB

4k high resolution film

100GB or more

Task:
Calculate the size of the following data
5 minutes of video @ 50MB/minute
12 minutes of video @ 50MB/minute
10 photographs @ 6MB/photograph
TOTAL SPACE REQUIRED
Plus approximately 10% to allow for overheads
This brings the total to around

Will this fit on a standard CD, WHY?

What can we do?

Choosing which storage to

use (cont.)
Speed: How quickly can the data be
transferred?
Storage type

Transfer rate

RAM

12-20GB/s

SSD

200/550 MB/s

Magnetic hard disk

50 120 MB/s

Blu- ray Disc

72 MB/s

USB flash drve

45 90 MB/s

DVD

1.32 MB/s

CD

0.146 MB/s

Choosing which storage to

use (cont.)
Portability: Does the data storage device
need to be transported?
Cost: Will it be used to distribute data? Or
used once and thrown away?
Durability: How robust is the medium? Will
the data be damaged if the device is moved
around? What environment will it be used in?
Reliability: Does it need to be used over and
over again without failing?

Fill in the blanks using the words below

Answer

Summary Video Secondary

Storage

http://
resources.dynamic-learning.co.uk/Ti
tles/StuVidGCSECSTandL_978147188845
8/15a64fe3-777d-4164-886a-02178837f
efd/Resources/GCSE_stuck_video_0054
0.mp4

Task:
Create this summary to help you
remember what is better than what!

Check your knowledge

Using this table, compare the main features of
magnetic, optical and solid-state storage devices.
(Ive filled in one)
Magnetic
Capacity
Speed
Portability
Durability
Reliability

Cost

MOST

Optical

Solid-state

Answer
Magnetic
Capacity

Most

Speed

Optical

Solid-state

Least
Slowest

Fastest

Portability

Least

Most

Durability

Least

Most

Reliability

Least in harsh
conditions,
otherwise
excellent.

Most in
harsh/dirty
conditions

Cost

Least

Most

Portability from table on slide 47

The most portable storage device is the solid
state as it has no moving parts
The least portable storage device is the
magnetic device as it has moving parts
which can break if dropped
Optical storage devices are more portable
than magnetic but less portable compared to
solid state as they can be scratched or
snapped

Check your knowledge

State what type of secondary storage is the most
appropriate for the following and explain the reasons
for your choice.
a) Storing pictures in a digital camera.
b) Distributing photographs in a magazine.
c) Storage for the main file server in an estate
agents business.
d) In hand-held devices used by wardens in a
national park.
e) In a computer used by a graphic designer.

Answer

There are many alternatives to questions like these but the following
are suggestions for what would be included in reasonable answers.

Storing pictures in a digital camera.

Solid-state:
Small
Low power requirements
Robust
Portable

Answer

There are many alternatives to questions like these but the following
are suggestions for what would be included in reasonable answers.

Distributing photographs in a magazine.

CD:
Small
Robust
Inexpensive for low capacity

Answer

Storage for the main file server in an estate agents business.

Magnetic:
High capacity
Reliable
Reasonably fast
Cost per unit at these high capacities is excellent

Answer

In hand-held devices used by wardens in a national park.

Solid-state:
Robust for harsh conditions
Low power consumption for hand-held device operating on a battery

Answer
In a computer used by a graphic designer.
This could be:
Magnetic:
High capacity at relatively low cost for large files
Solid state:
Fast access to large data files since expense is not necessarily
an issue
Hybrid:
The best of both worlds

Storage scenarios.
Drop the device = Solid state
Very large file size (graphics) = Hybrid (solid and
magnetic)
Photos = solid fast access time
Distribute the media = optical
Size of server (files) = magnetic