CHAPTER 3

List features of the Main Memory List features of Backing Storage

They are non-volatile hence store

These are semiconductor memories.
information permanently.

It is known as the main memory. They have have a fairly high storage
capacity.
Usually volatile memory.
Most of them are cheaper.

Compare the differences between Serial and Direct Access?

Serial access means going through everything one by one, starting at the beginning, until you
reach the item you want. Direct access means going straight to the item you want without
having to go through other ones. If you wanted to print all the names in a database, using
serial access would be fine because you are starting at the first and going right through to the
end.

In terms of storage units, magnetic tape is a form of serial access, where a disk provides
direct access. If you think of a cassette tape, you would have to fast forward or rewind to get
to a piece of music you wanted. A CD enables you to go direct to what you want, without
having to pass through anything else.

List the different types of storage Medium:

Magnetic Storage Devices Optical Media Solid ‘state’

Hard drive, floppy disc,
tape, lomega.
Optical media - such as the
compact disk (CD) -
are storage media that hold content
in digital form and that are written
and read by a laser; these media
include all the various CD and DVD
variations, as well as optical
jukeboxes and autochangers
Solid-state refers to electronic
components, devices, and
systems based entirely on
the semiconductor . The
expression was especially
prevalent in the late 1950s and
early 1960s, during the
transition from vacuum
tube technology to the
semiconductor diode
and transistor.

Compare the differences between Magnetic, Optical and Solid State storage medium?

The key difference between optical storage media, such as CDs and DVDs, and magnetic storage
media, such as hard drives and old-fashioned floppy disks, is in how computers read and write
information to them. One uses light; the other, electromagnetism

Storage Medium (Magnetic)

Name Use Advantages Disadvantages

Fixed Internal A hard disk More affordable than HDD is slower than SSD
Hard drive (sometimes SSD
Drive abbreviated as hard Higher power
drive, HD, or HDD) is Higher storage consumption
a non-volatile capacity than SSD
Produces noise while in
memory hardware device
HDD is easier to buy operation
that permanently stores
in most stores
and retrieves data on a
computer.

Portable Hard A portable storage device

External hard drive is External drives have the
Drive that can be attached to a
computer through a USB portable and operates same data loss risks as
or FireWire connection, or on plug and play internal drives. External
wirelessly is called
basis. It can be used hard drives can be
external hard disk drive.
These drives have high as a storage device for attacked by viruses,
storage capacities and any computer with a worms, corruption, etc .
are often used to back up USB or Fire Wire They can also be affected
computers or serve as a
capability. by sunlight, heat,
network drive.
humidity, liquids, dust and
2- An external hard magnetic fields.
drive can be used as
an emergency backup 2- Most external hard
drive. Sometimes hard drives have no password.
drives crash, so If your hard drive or flash
having a backup is drive is lost or stolen, your
essential if you information is available to
depend on your anyone who plugs the
computer for work or device into a computer.
for personal needs.

Magnetic Tapes Magnetic tape has both A single magnetic tape Special equipment must
advantages and cartridge can store be purchased and set up
disadvantages depending large amounts of data for recording and storing
on the needs of users. A up to 1 Terabyte. data. The data can only
major advantage is that it Large cartridges are be read on the special
has the capacity to store used by big equipment.
companies and
 large amounts of data institutions that require
very easily. continuous recording
and backup of data.

Storage Medium (Optical)

Name Use Advantages Disadvantages

CD-ROM

DVD-ROM

Blu-Ray

Compare the differences between CD/DVD R, CD/DVD RW and DVD RAM

Storage Medium (Solid ‘state’)

Name Use Advantages Disadvantages

USB Memory
Stick
Memory Card