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Information Technology Notes

Information Technology (St. Andrew High School for Girls)

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Objective 1.4: Manipulate units of storage.

Content: Bistable devices, bit, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte, word, word
size

Notes: Units of Storage

Memory is made up of bistable devices. Bistable means the components that make up memory
can be set to one of two states either on or off. These two states are represented using binary
digits- 0 for off and 1 for on. As such, the smallest unit of storage of memory is called a binary
digit (bit). The amount of data and instructions that can be stored in primary storage or
secondary storage media is measured in bytes.

Byte
A byte is made up of a combination of 8 bits and has the capacity to represent one character i.e.
a letter, a number, a symbol, a punctuation mark or a blank space.

Word
A word is the amount of bits the computer can process in one operation.

Word size
A word size or word length is the number of bits in a word.

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Larger Units of Storage

Name Symbol Number of bytes Equal to

Kilobyte KB 1024 1024 bytes

Megabyte MB 1,048,576 1024 KB

Gigabyte GB 1073741,824 1024 MB

Terabyte TB 1099511627776 1024 GB

Petabyte PB 1125899906842624 1024 TB

Exabyte EB 1152921504606846976 1024 PB

Zettabyte ZB 1180591620717411303424 1024 EB

Yottabyte YB 120892581961462917470617 1024 ZB

6

Objective 1.5: Compare the types of secondary storage media w.r.t. portability, speed
and capacity.

Objective 1.6: Use terms associated with storage devices.

Content: Magnetic tape, floppy disk, hard disk (fixed head, moving head, external), optical
disks (CD, DVD), flash drive, flash memory cards, sequential access, direct access,
sectors, tracks, read/write head; device interfaces such as : SCSI, IDE, SATA

Notes: Secondary Storage Media

Secondary storage devices are chosen for a particular use based on their:
 Storage capacity (how much data the device can store)
 Access speed ( the time needed to locate the data and transmit it to the CPU)
 Portability ( ability to be easily removed and used on another system)
 Cost
 Size (necessary for storage on shelves or portability)

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Magnetic tape
A magnetic tape looks like an audiocassette tape. Tapes may come in different sizes. It is used
mainly to backup hard disks because it can store large amounts of data at a low cost. Accessing
data on a tape is very slow since data is stored sequentially. Sequentially means that data is
retrieved in the order which it was stored. As of 2008, the highest capacity tape cartridges can
store 1 TB of data. A tape drive is used to read data from and write data to the tape. The tape
drive may be external or built into the system unit.

Magnetic disks (Floppy disk, Hard disk)

All magnetic disks provide direct access to stored data. This means that you can go directly to
specific piece of data without having to access any other either before or after the data you
want.

Floppy disk

This is also called a diskette. It is a removable, flexible plastic disk, coated with a magnetisable
material. The disk is held in a plastic case, usually 3.5 inches by 3.5 inches in dimension. The
plastic case protects the disk from dust and grease. The floppy disk is used to store and transfer
small amounts of data between computers. A 3.5 inch floppy disk holds up to 1.44 MB of data.

Data and information is written to or read from the disk by a read/write head in the disk drive
held in the system unit. Data is stored on both sides of a diskette on tracks and sectors. Tracks
are a set of numbered concentric rings. The tracks are also divided into wedge shaped pieces
known as sectors, which are also numbered. A sector is the amount of data that can be read
from or written to a disk by the computer in one read/write operation.

Sector

Track

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Before data is stored on a floppy disk, it needs to be formatted. Formatting means writing
electronic information on the disk so that the computer can recognize the disk as a valid storage
device where data can be stored. Most floppy disks are already formatted when they are
purchased. If a diskette is formatted after data has been stored to it, the information will be
deleted.

Hard disk

A hard disk is a thin but rigid, inflexible disk made of highly polished metal. The surface of each
side of the disk (also called platters) is covered with a substance that can be magnetized. As of
April 2009, the highest capacity HDDs is 2 TB. There are different types of disk: moveable head,
fixed head and external. Moveable head hard disks have one read/write head per disk. Fixed
head disks have a read/write head for every track on the disk.

The access time (time to get data) from a spinning disk with one read/write head is a
combination of:

 Seek time – how long it takes the head to get to the right track;

 Rotational delay or latency time – how long it takes for the data to rotate under the
head; and

 Transmission time – the time taken to read the data and transmit it to the CPU.

Consequently, the access time for a fixed disk is less than that of a moveable disk, since each
track has a read/write head and this eliminates the seek time.

The external and removeable hard disks are portable hard disks that are connected to the
system unit. External hard disks have very large storage capacities, up to 1.5 TB currently. They
are used mainly by very large computers. Hard disks are more reliable than floppy disks since its
platters are fixed and seal in a unit. Hard disks can store much more data than floppy disk and
optical disks and access and transmission of data is faster.

Like floppy disks, a hard disk must also be formatted before any data can be stored on it.
Formatting sets up the tracks, sectors and cylinders. A cylinder is made up of all the tracks of the
same number from all the disks that make up the hard disk.

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Optical Disks

Optical disks are disks that are read by laser lights. They are made from plastic. The data is
stored on layers inside the plastic. CDs and DVDs are the two main types of optical disks.

Compact Disc

A Compact Disc (CD) is an optical disc used to store digital data. The physical dimension of a CD
is 12 cm or occasionally 8 cm in diameter. CDs can hold up to 750 MB. They are three types of
CDs: CD-ROM, CD-R and CD-RW.

CD-ROM (read only)

This type of CD is used for:

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 Storing multimedia (text, graphics, sound and videos).

 Storing software packages for sale or distribution e.g. application software packages
such as encyclopedias, word processors, training programs, games and graphics
packages.

CD-R (recordable)

This type of CD is used for:

 Storing large volumes of data that does not need to change e.g music CDs.

CD-RW (re-writeable)

This type of CD is used for:

 Storing large volumes of data that change frequently e.g backups copies

DVD

"Digital Versatile Disc" commonly called “DVD” is an optical disc storage media that can be used
for storing movies with high video and sound quality. DVDs look like compact discs, their
physical dimensions are the same (12 cm or occasionally 8 cm in diameter). DVDs are encoded
in a different format to CDs and they have a much higher density (more data is stored per unit
area). Some DVDs are double sided i.e. they can hold data on both sides. DVDs can hold
between 4.7 GB and 17 GB of data. Three types of DVDs are the DVD-ROM (read only), DVD-R
(recordable) and DVD-RW (rewritable).

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USB interface

USB Flash drive

USB Flash drives are storage devices which consist of a small circuit board encased in a plastic or
metal casing built with a USB interface. They are typically small, lightweight, removable and
rewritable. As of November 2006 to present, memory capacities for USB Flash drives range from
32 MB up to 64 GB. Flash drives are more compact, generally faster, hold more data and may be
more reliable (due to their lack of moving parts) than floppy disks.

Common uses

1. Personal data transport

The most common use of flash drives is by individuals to transport and store personal files
such as documents, pictures and video.

2. Computer repair
Flash drives are used to transfer recovery and antivirus software to infected PCs.

3. System administration
Flash drives are used by system and network administrators, who load them with
configuration information and software used for system maintenance, troubleshooting,
and recovery.

4. Application carriers

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Flash drives are used to carry applications that run on the server computer without
requiring installation.

Flash Memory Cards

These come in the form of a card shaped like a stick of chewing gum, with dimensions 21.5 x 50
x 2.8 mm and storage capacities up to 64 GB. They are a special type of EEPROM that can be
erased and reprogrammed in blocks instead of one byte at a time. They are used in PDAs
(personal digital assistants), laptop computers, digital audio players, digital cameras, mobile
phones and video game consoles.

Storage Device – Capacity, Advantages and Disadvantages

Storage Device Storage Advantages Disadvantages

capacity

Magnetic tape Up to 1 TB  Easy to transport and  Provides sequential access

store to data stored
 Cheap  Limited shelf-life (2 years)
 Mostly used for backup  Must be stored in a
or archives suitable environment
(smoke, dust, temperature
and humidity must be
carefully controlled)
 Difficult to update files
(cannot make changes to a
record without writing
over the entire tape)
Floppy disk 1.44 MB  Provides direct access  Small storage capacity
to data stored (unsuitable for storing files
 Small and very containing graphics)
portable  Limited shelf-life (2 years)
 Easy to store  Slow to read/write speeds
 Suitable for backing up
small files
 Data security (e.g. you
can store small files
that you don’t want
other computer users
to see)
Fixed hard disks Up to 2 TB  Direct access  Not portable
 Fast data transfer
speeds

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 Vast storage capacity

Removable hard Up to 1.5 TB  Direct access  computer must have a USB
disks  Fast data transfer port
speeds
 Vast storage capacity
compared to diskettes
 portable
Optical disks CD: up to  Direct access  Data on CD-ROMs cannot
8MB  Fast data transfer be changed
DVD : up to speeds  Access times are slower
 Vast storage capacity than hard drives
17 GB
compared to diskettes
 Portable
 Can be cleaned easily
with a soft cloth
 Unaffected by
magnetic fields
Flash memory Up to 64 GB  Physically very small  May need special software
 Highly portable to be used with PCs
 High data transfer  Limited storage compared
speed to PCs to CD or DVD
 Large storage capacity
compared to diskettes
 Direct access
USB drive Up to 256  Easy to use  May not be easily read
GB  Convenient (small size with computers using
– can be placed in a Windows 98 or older
pocket or on a key operating systems
chain)
 Large storage capacity
compared to diskettes
 Highly compatible -
‘plug and play’ (no
software needed)
 Fast access, direct
access
 Password protection
 Disk write protection
switch (prevents data
from being accidentally
written over)

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Notes: Device Interfaces

These are connectors and cables used to transfer data from the CPU to input, output and
storage devices. There are different standards or technologies used to design these devices.
Three main standards used are:

1. SCSI
2. IDE
3. SATA

Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)

It is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and
peripheral devices. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but can connect
a wide range of other devices, including scanners and CD drives.

SCSI Ribbon cables Two SCSI Connectors

Intelligent Drive Electronics or Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE)

This interface is used specifically for mass storage devices, in which the controller is integrated
into the disk or CD-ROM drive.

A device controller is a part of a computer system that interprets the signals going to, and
coming from the CPU processor. There are many device controllers in a computer system. Any
device connected to the computer is connected by a plug and socket, and the socket is
connected to a device controller. Device controllers play an important role in order to operate
that device. It’s just like a bridge between the device and operating system.

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IDE port connector IDE motherboard

connectors

Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)

This is a computer bus primarily designed for the transfer of data between a computer and mass
storage devices such as hard disks drives and optical drives.

A computer bus (often simply called Bus) is a part of some computers used to transfer data,
signals or power between some of the components that make up a computer. Computer buses
are used to:

 Link between the CPU and on-board Memory.

 Link between multiple CPUs in a multi-CPU system
 Link the Arithmetic logic unit to the rest of the CPU
 Connect hard drives, graphics cards, etc to the main system.
 Connect SATA, USB and Firewire.

SATA power cable SATA ports on a motherboard

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