15th Edition

Understanding Computers Learning Objectives

Today and Tomorrow
Comprehensive
1. Name several general characteristics of storage systems.
2. Describe the two most common types of hard drives and
Chapter 3 what they are used for today.
3. Discuss the various types of optical discs available today and
Storage 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.

Deborah Morley
Charles S. Parker Copyright 2015 Cengage Learning Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 15th Edition 2

Overview Storage System Characteristics

• This chapter covers: • Storage Media and Storage Devices

– The characteristics common among all storage systems – Medium
– The primary storage for most personal computers—the • Hardware where data is stored
hard drive • DVD disc, flash memory card, etc.
– How optical discs work and the various types that are – Device
available today • DVD drive, flash memory card reader, etc.
– Flash memory storage systems • Medium is inserted into device to be used
– Network and cloud storage, smart cards, holographic – Can be internal, external, or remote
storage, and storage systems used with large computer
systems – Storage devices are typically identified by letter
– Storage alternatives for a typical personal computer
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Storage System Characteristics 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 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 Hard Drives

– Logical file representation • Hard Drive

• Individuals view a document stored as one complete – Used to store most
unit in a particular folder on a particular drive programs and data
– Physical file representation – Can be internal or external
• Computers access a particular document stored on a – Can be encrypted
storage medium using its physical location or locations • Magnetic Hard Drives
• Types of Storage Technology Used – One or more permanently
• Magnetic (conventional hard drives) sealed metal magnetic
• Optical (optical discs) disks with an access
• Electrons (flash memory media) mechanism and read/write
heads

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Hard Drives 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

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 Hard Drives How It Works Box

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

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Hard Drives Inside the Industry Box

• Solid State Drives (SSDs) Data Recovery Experts

– Use flash memory – Can recover data from damaged storage devices
technology – Can be used when devices are physically damaged or
– Use less power and have just stop working
no moving parts – Back up to prevent data loss
– Particularly appropriate for
portable computers and
mobile devices

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Internal and External Hard Drives 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

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 Hard Drive Speed, Disk Caching, and Hard Drive Speed, Disk Caching, and
Hybrid Hard Drives Hybrid Hard Drives
• Disk access time • Hybrid Hard Drive
– Total time that it takes for a hard drive to read or write – Combination of flash
data memory and magnetic
– Consists of seek time, rotational delay, and data hard drive
movement time – Uses flash memory for
• SSDs don’t require seek time or rotational delays cache
• Disk cache – Allows encryption to be
– Memory used in conjunction with a magnetic hard drive to built into the drive
improve system performance
– Typically consist of memory chips on a circuit board inside
the hard drive case
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Hard Drive Partitioning and File Hard Drive Partitioning and File
Systems Systems
• Partitioning • File system
– Divides the physical capacity of a single drive logically into – Determines the partition size, cluster size, maximum drive
separate areas, called partitions size, and maximum file size
– Partitions function as independent hard drives • FAT, FAT32, and NTFS
– Referred to as logical drives
– Increases efficiency (smaller drives use smaller clusters)
• Partitions used to create:
– A recovery partition
– A new logical drive for data
– A dual boot system

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Hard Drive Interface Standards Quick Quiz

• Determine how a drive connects to the computer 1. Of the following three options, the storage media that would likely
hold the most data is a(n) __________.
• Common standards
a. internal hard drive
– Parallel ATA (PATA) - older, slower standard b. USB flash memory drive
– Serial ATA (SATA) c. portable hard drive
– eSATA 2. True or False: Hard drives typically contain more than one metal
hard disk.
– SCSI and the newer serial attached SCSI (SAS)
3. The circular rings on a magnetic disk on which data is stored are
– Fibre Channel called __________.
– Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
– Internet SCSI (iSCSI) Answers:
1) a; 2) True; 3) tracks

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 Optical Discs and Drives Optical Discs and Drives

• Optical Disc Characteristics • Representing Data on an Optical Disc

– A type of storage read from and written to using laser – Read-only optical disc
beams • Surface of disc is molded or stamped
– Today’s standard for software delivery – Recordable or rewritable disc
– Divided into sectors like magnetic discs but use a single • Optical drive is used and the reflectivity of the disc is
spiral track (groove) changed using a laser to represent the data
– Have a relatively large capacity and are durable – Pits and lands are used to represent 1s and 0s
– Used for backup purposes and for storing and transporting – The transition between a pit and a land represents a 1; no
music, photos, video, etc. transition represents a 0

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Optical Discs and Drives 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

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Optical Discs and Drives Optical Discs and Drives

• Optical Disc Shapes, Sizes, and Capacities • Major advantage: large capacity
– Standard size is 120-mm (about 4.7 inches) – CD discs are normally single layer and hold 650 or 700 MB
• Mini discs are smaller—80-mm – DVD discs hold 4.7 GB (single-layer) or 8.5 GB (dual-layer
– Theoretically can be made into various shapes—hearts, – BD discs hold 25 GB (single-layer) or 50 GB (dual-layer
triangles, irregular shapes, or a hockey-rink shape – Discs can also be double-sided
• Patent battle exists about changing optical disc shapes – Researchers continually work to
• None of these different shapes are currently available increase the capacity of optical discs
• DL and XL discs
• 4K (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Discs

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 Optical Discs and Drives 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, Wii, Xbox, etc.)

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Recordable Optical Discs Rewritable Optical Discs

• CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R, BD-R Discs • CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and BD-RE Discs
– Can be written to, but cannot be erased and reused – Can be written to, but cannot be erased and reused
– No physically molded pits • Uses phase change technology
– Most have a recording layer containing organic light- – Heating and cooling process is used to change the
sensitive dye between disc’s plastic and reflective layers reflectivity of the disc
• Except the BD-R disc, which has inorganic material • Capacities are identical to the read-only and recordable
– Used for backing up files, sending large files to others, and discs, except BDXL
creating custom music CDs – Appropriate for transferring large files from one computer
to another or temporarily storing TV shows

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Quick Quiz Trend Box

1. The capacity of the typical CD disc is __________. DNA Data Storage

a. 50 GB – Possible data storage medium
b. 700 MB • Long-term, high-density encoding
c. 4.7 GB – Researchers have encoded data in DNA
2. True of False: A DVD-RW disc can be written to and rewritten to.
• Translated into binary 0s and 1s, then to a ternary code,
3. The tiny depressions, dark areas, or otherwise altered spots on an and then as strings of DNA’s chemical bases and stored
optical disc that are used to represent data are called __________.
in DNA
– Biggest obstacle is cost - $12,400/MB
Answers:
– Biggest possibility: archiving
1) b; 2) True; 3) pits

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 Flash Memory Storage Systems 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 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:

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 Flash Memory Storage Systems

• General-purpose flash memory card • USB Flash Drives

– Appropriate for most applications – Sometimes called flash memory drives, jump drives, or
thumb drives
• Specialized flash memory cards
– Flash memory media integrated into a self-contained unit
– Professional flash memory cards that plug into and is powered by a USB port
• Designed for professional photographers – Designed to be very small and very portable
– Gaming flash memory cards – Available in a host of formats including custom shapes
• Designed for gaming consoles – Can be built into a consumer product
– HD flash memory cards – Can be used to lock a computer and to issue Web site
• Designed for capturing and transferring high-definition passwords
video – Can include biometric features, such as a built-in
fingerprint reader
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 Flash Drive Storage Systems Technology and You Box

Thumb Drive PCs

– Portable apps turn USB
flash drives and other small
devices into personal
computers
– Download app and desired
software to the USB flash
drive
– To use, plug into a
computer

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Other Types of Storage Systems Network and Cloud Storage Systems

• Network Storage and Cloud Storage Systems • Network attached storage (NAS)
– Remote storage – High performance storage systems connected individually
• Using a storage device not directly connected to the to a network
computer being used – Designed for small business and home use
• Accessed through the Internet or through a network • Storage area network (SAN)
– Network storage – Separate network of hard drives or other storage devices
• Remote storage via local network which are attached to the main network

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Network and Cloud Storage Systems Network and Cloud Storage Systems

• Cloud storage (online storage)

– Accessed via the Internet
• Via Web sites (Flickr, 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

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 Network and Cloud Storage Systems 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

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Smart Cards Holographic Storage

• Holographic storage
– Holographic drives connect to a computer via a serial
attached SCSI (SAS) or Fibre Channel interface
– Uses multiple blue laser beams to store data in three
dimensions
• Reference beam and signal beam
– Suited to applications in which large amounts of data need
to be stored or retrieved quickly but rarely changed
• Archiving business data, medical records, TV shows,
sensor data , etc.

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Storage Systems for Large Computer

Holographic Storage Systems
• Business storage needs are growing exponentially
– Digital data produced is expected to double every two
years through 2020
• Storage server
– Hardware device containing multiple high-speed hard
drives connected to the computer system or network
– Most are based on magnetic hard discs

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 Storage Systems for Large Computer Storage Systems for Large Computer
Systems Systems
• RAID (redundant arrays of independent discs)
– Method of storing data on two or more hard drives that
work together to do the job of a larger drive
– Mostly used to protect critical data on large storage
systems
– Usually involves recording redundant copies of stored data
– Helps to increase fault tolerance

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Storage Systems for Large Computer Storage Systems for Large Computer
Systems Systems
• Different levels of RAID:
– RAID 0 = disk striping (spread files over two or more hard
drives)
– RAID 1 = disk mirroring (duplicate copy)
– Other level use a combination or striping and mirroring
• Drobo system
– New RAID storage system
– Much easier to use than previous
systems
– Offers continuous data redundancy

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Magnetic Tape Systems Evaluating Your Storage Alternatives

• Magnetic Tape • Product Characteristics to Consider:

– Plastic tape coated with a magnetizable substance that – Speed
represents the bits and bytes of digital data – Compatibility
– Primarily used for backup and archival purposes – Storage capacity
– Sequential access only – Convenience
– Low cost per terabyte – Portability
• Most Users Require:
– Most tapes today are in the
form of cartridge tapes – Hard drive
– Recordable or rewritable optical drive
– Flash memory card reader
– USB ports

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 Quick Quiz

1. An online photo sharing site is an example of __________.

a. RAID
b. cloud storage
c. holographic storage
2. True or False: Flash memory storage systems are called solid-
state storage systems because they are nonvolatile.
3. A type of sequential storage that sometimes used today for
backup purposes is __________.

Answers:
1) b; 2) False; 3) magnetic tape

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