Applications of ICT

CSC-101
 Instructor

Arjmand Fatima

Contact:
[email protected]
Office No: 224, 2nd Floor, Academic Block 1
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
COMSATS University Islamabad
 Learning
Objectives
1. Name several general characteristics of storage systems.
2. Describe the two most common types of hard drives and
what they are used for today.
3. Discuss the various types of optical discs available today and
how they differ from each other.
4. Identify some flash memory storage devices and media and
explain how they are used today.
5. List at least three other types of storage systems.
6. Summarize the storage alternatives for a typical personal
computer.

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 Overview

• This chapter covers:

– The characteristics common among all storage systems
– The primary storage for most personal computers—the
hard drive
– How optical discs work and the various types that are
available today
– Flash memory storage systems
– Network and cloud storage, smart cards, holographic
storage, and storage systems used with large computer
systems
– Storage alternatives for a typical personal computer

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 Storage System
Characteristics
• Storage Media and Storage Devices
– Medium
• Hardware where data is stored
• DVD disc, flash memory card, etc.
– Device
• DVD drive, flash memory card reader, etc.
• Medium is inserted into device to be used
– Can be internal, external, or remote
– Storage devices are typically identified by letter

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Storage System
Characteristics

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 Storage System
Characteristics
• Volatility
– Storage media are nonvolatile
• Random vs. Sequential Access
– Random access (direct access) allows data to be
retrieved from any location on the storage medium
– Virtually all storage devices use random access
– Sequential access means retrieval of data can occur only in
the order in which it was physically stored on the storage
medium
• Magnetic tape drive

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 Storage System
Characteristics
• Logical vs. Physical Representation
– File
• Anything stored on a storage medium, such as a
program, document, digital image, or song
– Filename
• Name given to a file by the user
– Folder
• Named place on a storage medium
into which files can be stored

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Storage System
Characteristics

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 Storage System
Characteristics
– Logical file representation
• Individuals view a document stored as one complete
unit in a particular folder on a particular drive
– Physical file representation
• Computers access a particular document stored on a
storage medium using its physical location or locations
• Types of Storage Technology Used
• Magnetic (conventional hard drives, , data is stored
magnetically)
• Optical (optical discs such as CDs and DVDs store data
optically using laser beams)
• Electrons (flash memory media)
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Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 16th Edition
 Hard Drives

• Hard Drive
– Used to store most programs
and data
– Can be internal or external
– Can be encrypted
• Magnetic Hard Drives
– One or more permanently sealed
metal magnetic disks with an access
mechanism and read/write heads
– A magnetic disk uses a magnetization
process to write, rewrite and access
data.
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 Hard Drives

Understanding Computers: Today and

Tomorrow, 16th Edition 12
 Hard Drives
• Hard disks are divided into:
– Tracks
• Concentric path on disk where data is recorded
– Sectors
• A small piece of the track
– Clusters
• One or more sectors; smallest addressable area of
a disk
– Cylinders
• Collection of tracks located in the same location on
a set of hard disk surfaces

Understanding Computers: Today and 13

 Hard
Drives

Understanding Computers: Today and 14

 Wireless Plus
More Storage for Your Tablet
– Media tablets often have
64 GB of storage
– To extend storage, can
transfer content to and
from PCs
– Easier is to use a
wireless hard drive
– Need the appropriate
app

Understanding Computers: Today and 15

 Hard Drives

• Solid State Drives (SSDs)

– Use flash memory
technology
– Use less power and have
no moving parts
– Particularly appropriate for
portable computers and
mobile devices
– Faster than magnetic hard
drives

Understanding Computers: Today and 16

 Internal and External Hard
Drives
• Internal hard drives
– Permanent storage devices located inside the system unit
– Removed only if a problem develops
• External hard drives
– Commonly used to transport large amounts of data from
one computer to another
– Portable external hard drives are smaller and easier to
transport
– Most connect with a USB connection although some
may
be wireless

Understanding Computers: Today and 17

 Internal and External Hard
Drives

Understanding Computers: Today and 18

 Hard Drive Speed, Disk Caching,
and Hybrid Hard Drives
• Disk access time
– Total time that it takes for a hard drive to read or write data
– disk access time and requires the following three steps
– Seek time: : time taken to move to correct track
– Rotational delay: time taken for desired sector to
rotate under read/write head
– Data movement time
Time taken to read the data from the hard disk and
transferring it to memory
Or transferring the data from memory and storing it
on the hard disk
• SSDs don’t require seek time or rotational delays
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• Disk cache
– Cache is a place to store something temporarily
– Memory used in conjunction with a magnetic hard
drive to improve system performance
– Typically consist of memory chips on a circuit
board inside the hard drive case
 Hard Drive Speed, Disk Caching,
and Hybrid Hard Drives
• Hybrid Hard Drive
– Combination of flash
memory and magnetic
hard drive
– Uses flash memory for
cache
– Allows encryption to be
built into the drive

Understanding Computers: Today and 21

 Hard Drive Partitioning
and File Systems
• Partitioning
– Divides the physical capacity of a single drive logically into
separate areas, called partitions
– Partitions function as independent hard drives
– Referred to as logical drives
– Increases efficiency
• Partitions used to create:
– A recovery partition
– A new logical drive for data
– A dual boot system: in which user may partition primary hard
drive is to be able to use two different operating systems on
the same hard drive—such as Windows and Linux 22
 Hard Drive Partitioning and
File Systems
• File system
– Determines the partition size, cluster size, maximum drive size,
and maximum file size
• FAT(File Allocation Table): Oldest, used for USB
• FAT32, updated version of FAT, can handle slightly bigger files
• NTFS (New Technology File): Much larger hard drives and
files ,error-recovery capabilities

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 Hard Drive Interface
Standards
• Hard drive interface standards are the types of connections that
allow a computer to communicate with a hard drive.
• Determine how a drive connects to the computer
• Common standards
– Parallel ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) (PATA) - older, slower
standard
– Serial ATA (SATA)
– eSATA
– SCSI and the newer serial attached SCSI (SAS)
– Fibre Channel
– Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
– Internet SCSI (iSCSI) 24
 Quick Quiz

1. Of the following three options, the storage media that would likely
hold the most data is a(n) .
a. internal hard drive
b. USB flash memory drive
c. portable hard drive

2. True or False: Hard drives typically contain more than one metal
hard disk.

3. The circular rings on a magnetic disk on which data is stored are

called .

Understanding Computers: Today and 25

 Answers

1) Internal hard drive

2) True

3) tracks
 Optical Discs and Drives

• Optical Disc Characteristics

– A type of storage read from and written to using laser
beams
– Today’s standard for software delivery
– Divided into sectors like magnetic discs but use a single
spiral track (groove)
– Have a relatively large capacity and are durable and are
thin
– Used for backup purposes and for storing and transporting
music, photos, video, etc.

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 Optical Discs and
Drives
• Representing Data on an Optical Disc
• Data is written to an optical disc in one of two ways
– Read-only optical disc
• Surface of disc is molded or stamped
• E.g. movie, music, and software CDs and DVDs
– Recordable or rewritable disc
• Optical drive is used and the reflectivity of the disc is
changed using a laser to represent the data
• To accomplish this molded or stamped optical discs,
tiny depressions (viewed from the top side) or
bumps (viewed from the bottom) are created on the
disc’s surface
• These bumps are called pits and area is called land 28
 Optical Discs and
Drives

Understanding Computers: Today and 29

 Optical Discs and
Drives
• Optical Drives
– Three categories of discs: CD, DVD, or Blu-Ray Disc (BD)
– Can be read-only, recordable, or rewritable
– Almost always downward compatible
– Can support single or dual layer discs
– Recording data onto disc is called burning
– Can be internal or external drives
• External drives typically connect
via USB port

Understanding Computers: Today and 30

 Optical Discs and
Drives
• Optical Disc Shapes, Sizes, and Capacities
– Standard size is 120-mm (about 4.7 inches)
• Mini discs are smaller—80-mm
– Theoretically can be made into various shapes—hearts,
triangles, irregular shapes, or a hockey-rink shape
• Patent battle exists about changing optical disc
shapes
• None of these different shapes are currently
available

Understanding Computers: Today and 31

 Optical Discs and
Drives
• Major advantage: large capacity
– CD: a low capacity discs are normally single layer and hold
650 or 700 MB
– DVD: a medium capacity discs hold 4.7 GB (single-layer)
or 8.5 GB (dual-layer
– BD: a high-capacity discs hold 25 GB (single-layer) or 50
GB (dual-layer
– Discs can also be double-sided
– Researchers continually work to
increase the capacity of optical discs

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 Optical Discs and
Drives

Understanding Computers: Today and 33

 Read-Only Optical
Discs
• CD ROM, DVD ROM, and BD-ROM
– Can be read from, but not written to, by the user
• CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory)
• DVD-ROM (digital versatile disc read-only memory)
• BD-ROM (Blu-Ray Disc read-only memory)
– Normally come pre-recorded
• Software programs
• Clip art and other graphics
• Music
• Movies
• Games (PlayStation, Xbox, etc.)

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 Recordable Optical
Discs
• CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R, BD-R Discs
– Can be written to, but cannot be erased and reused
– No physically molded pits
– Most have a recording layer containing organic light-
sensitive dye between disc’s plastic and reflective layers
• Except the BD-R disc, which has inorganic material
– Used for backing up files, sending large files to others, and
creating custom music CDs

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 Rewritable Optical
Discs
• CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and BD-RE Discs
– Can be written to, but cannot be erased and reused
• Uses phase change technology
– Heating and cooling process is used to change
the reflectivity of the disc
• Capacities are identical to the read-only and
recordable
Discs
Appropriate for transferring large files from one
computer to another or temporarily storing TV
shows

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 Quick Quiz

1. The capacity of the typical CD disc is .

a. 50 GB
b. 700 MB
c. 4.7 GB

2. True of False: A DVD-RW disc can be written to and rewritten to.

3. The tiny depressions, dark areas, or otherwise altered spots on an

optical disc that are used to represent data are called

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 Answers

1) 700 MB
2) True
3) pits
 Flash Memory Storage
Systems
• Flash Memory
– Chip-based storage medium that represents data using
electrons
– Used in SSDs and hybrid hard drives
• Embedded Flash Memory
– Flash memory chips embedded into products, such as
• Portable digital media players, digital cameras
• Handheld gaming devices, GPS devices, mobile
phones
• Sunglasses and wristwatches

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Flash Memory Storage
Systems

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 Flash Memory Storage
Systems
• Flash Memory Cards and Readers
– Flash memory card
• Small card containing one or more flash memory chips, a
controller chip, and metal contacts to connect the card to
the device or reader with which it is being used
• Available in various formats that are not interchangeable
• Type of flash memory card used with a device is
determined by the type of flash media card that device can
accept
CompactFlash Secure Digital (SD) xD Picture Card
Memory Stick Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC)
MultiMedia Card (MMC) Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC)

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Flash Memory Storage
Systems

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 Flash Memory Storage
Systems
• General-purpose flash memory card
– Appropriate for most applications
• Specialized flash memory cards
– Professional flash memory cards
• Designed for professional photographers
– Gaming flash memory cards
• Designed for gaming consoles
– HD flash memory cards
• Designed for capturing and transferring high-definition
video

Understanding Computers: Today and 43

 Flash Memory Storage
Systems
• USB Flash Drives
– Sometimes called flash memory drives, jump
drives, or thumb drives
– Flash memory media integrated into a self-contained unit
that plug into and is powered by a USB port
– Designed to be very small and very portable
– Can be built into a consumer product
– Can be used to lock a computer and to issue Web site
passwords
– Can include biometric features, such as a built-in
fingerprint reader

Understanding Computers: Today and 44

Flash Drive Storage
Systems

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 Other Types of Storage
Systems
• Network Storage and Cloud Storage Systems
– Remote storage
• Using a storage device not directly connected to the
computer being used
• Accessed through the Internet or through a network
– Network storage
• Remote storage via local network

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 Network and Cloud Storage
Systems
• Cloud storage (online storage)
– Accessed via the Internet
• Via Web sites ( Facebook, Google Docs, etc.)
• Via online storage sites (Box, Dropbox, etc.)
• Growing in importance because more and more
applications are Web based
• Increasing being used for backup purposes
• Files can be synched between PC and cloud
storage
• Many Web sites providing online storage offer it
free
• Business cloud storage is available 47
Network and Cloud Storage
Systems

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 Smart Cards

• Smart Card
– Credit card-sized piece of plastic that contains some
computer circuitry (processor, memory, and storage)
– Stores small amount of data (about 64 KB or less)
– Commonly used to store prepaid amounts of digital cash or
personal information
– Smart card readers are built into or attached to a
computer, door lock, vending machine, or other device
– Some smart cards store biometric data
– Use of mobile smart cards is an emerging trend

Understanding Computers: Today and 49

Smart Cards

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