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Topic  Secondary
Storage
4
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Describe five advantages of secondary storage;
2. Explain two types of magnetic storage;
3. Identify four types of optical storage; and
4. Identify other types of storage devices.
 INTRODUCTION
After discussing about input and output in the previous topic, we shall now move
on to another computer component device secondary storage. You will be
introduced to various types of secondary storage in the market together with their
comparisons.
4.1 THE BASICS OF STORAGE

Storage in a computer holds data and information to be retrieved for future use.
Users normally store digital photos, videos, audios and documents. As a student,
the capacity of a computer to store your learning materials such as digital notes
and assignment works is very crucial. Besides the usage by users, the computer
itself does need storage to store its system and application software.
While primary storage holds data temporarily, secondary storage does otherwise.
Secondary storage is the physical material on which a computer stores data,
instructions and information. A storage device has been designed to store data and
instructions in a permanent form and to retrieve them back. The process of
Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

TOPIC 4 SECONDARY STORAGE  65
transferring data, instructions and information from computer memory to a

secondary storage is called Writing. Reading, on the other hand, is the process of
transferring these items from storage medium into memory.
Figure 4.1 shows some common types of secondary storage which are widely used
today. It is also a method of storing data, information and instructions outside the
computer.
Figure 4.1: Variety of secondary storage devices
On the latest technological development, primary storage is moving towards a

large capacity using small micro electrical circuits while secondary storage is
moving towards a large capacity using magnetic and optical media. Examples of
secondary storage are hard disks, solid state drives, memory cards, universal serial
bus (USB) flash drives, optical disks, smart cards, magnetic strip cards and
microfilm. Cloud storage is another latest storage option in which the storage
media is not visible to the users.

66  TOPIC 4 SECONDARY STORAGE
Capacity of a storage medium refers to the number of bytes (characters) that can
be held by a storage medium. Table 4.1 shows the capacity of a storage medium.
Table 4.1: Storage Capacity
Approximate
Storage Term Exact Number of Bytes
Number of Bytes
Kilobyte (KB) 1 thousand 210 or 1,024

Megabyte (MB) 1 million 220 or 1,048,576
Gigabyte (GB) 1 billion 230 or 1,073,741,824
Terabyte (TB) 1 trillion 240 or 1,099,511,627,776
Petabyte (PB) 1 quadrillion 250 or 1,125,899,906,842,624
Exabyte (EB) 1 quintillion 260 or 1,152,921,504,606,846,976
Zettabyte (ZB) 1 sextillion 270 or 1,180,591,620,717,411,303,424
Yottabyte (YB) 1 septillion 280 or 1,208,925,819,614,629,174,706,176
Storage requirements among users vary greatly. While enterprise users require a
very large storage capacity such as 20 to 40PB (petabytes), home users may only
need 1 to 2TB (terabytes) of storage capacity. As the capacity differs among storage
medium, the speed of transferring data to and from the storage also differs.
The speed of storage devices and memory is defined by access time. Access time
measures the amount of time it takes to locate the required data on a storage
medium.
The five advantages of secondary storage are shown in Table 4.2.
Table 4.2: Five Advantages of Secondary Storage
Characteristic Advantage
Size Can accommodate large amounts of data.

Data stored can reach gigabyte (GB) or terabyte (TB).
Reliability It can be considered safe.
Comfort Data can be accessed immediately.
Economic Storage costs can be reduced.
Lifetime It is permanent and can be used for archiving.

Some storage has a lifespan of up to 100 years.

ACTIVITY 4.1
Explain why we need storage inside a computer.
4.2 MAGNETIC STORAGE DEVICES

A magnetic storage device refers to equipment which uses a magnetic head to read
and write data. It gets the data to and from a magnetisable medium. The medium
may be a plastic tape coated with fine particles of a metal. The two magnetic
storage devices are magnetic tape and hard disk.
4.2.1 Magnetic Tape

A magnetic tape is a secondary storage medium whereby its data is stored inside
the tape roll. To be specific, a magnetic tape is a thin plastic tape that has been
covered with materials, which can be magnetised. Data on the tape is represented
by magnetic particles which are digital data in discrete forms of „0‰ and „1‰.
A tape contains a number of tracks or channels which are normally used to store
data. Usually, there are seven or nine tracks. Data on the tape will be deleted before
new data is written on it. The number of tracks on the tape depends on the number
of read/write heads that are present on the tape drive unit.
As the tape is in roll form, data will be stored serially. Every tape column (seven
or nine tracks) will represent one character. For data that is stored serially,
the storage method used is serpentine where data is stored one by one along one
or two tracks at one time. Data will be written from the beginning to the end of the
track concerned, and this will continue onto the part that has not yet been used as
graphically explained in Figure 4.2.

Figure 4.2: Diagram of a magnetic tape
Besides that, there is also data that is stored in parallel. For the parallel type, data
will be written block by block or record by record. Every block of data will be
separated by a space, which is called inter-block gap. For record by record, the
space is called inter-record gap. The space is required because the tape cannot stop
immediately after it has been rolled. Normally, the use of tape is only 35 70
per cent, depending on the blocking factor.
A magnetic tape drive is measured by how much data can be stored on the
magnetic tape as well as the speed of the tape passing through the read/write
head. The combination of these two determines the rate of transfer or the number
of characters per second that can be sent to the primary storage. Tape density is
measured by character per inch or bit per inch. Data density varies from 800 to
7,000bpi. The tape length is normally 600m, 366m or 731m.
Therefore, a tape of 366m with 6,250bpi can store up to 180MB of data. The size of
data that can be stored is normally between 40MB to 5GB. The drive that can
upgrade its maximum loading is digital audio tape (DAT). A digital audio tape
drive consists of two read heads and two write heads which read/write one type
of magnetic pole only. Data on the tape will be accessed and written serially.
There are two types of magnetic tape magnetic tape unit for large computers and
tape cartridge unit for personal computers. Currently, most tapes are used for safe
storage and copy storage because they are portable and cheap. Storage size of a
normal magnetic tape is between 20 and 40GB.
The disadvantage of a magnetic tape is the slow rate of serial data access. Its
advantages include low cost (cheap), portable and long lasting.

SELF-CHECK 4.1
1. State two advantages of secondary storage.
2. Various types of storage are available in the market. State three

types of magnetic storage which are commonly available for
consumers to choose from.
4.2.2 Hard Disk

A hard disk, also called a hard disk drive, is a storage device that contains one or
more inflexible, circular, thick and strong metallic platters, which use magnetic
particles to store data, instructions and information. The disk is enclosed in an
airtight, sealed case to protect it. A hard disk that is mounted inside the system
unit of a computer is called an internal hard disk (refer Figure 4.3). It is not as
portable as the external hard disk.
Figure 4.3: Internal hard disk
The hard disk can store and access data faster and has a higher capacity. The hard
disk is a very sensitive device. Its read/write head floats on the disk surface at a
distance of less than 0.03 micrometre. This very close gap would not even fit a
small bacteria and therefore, it is possible for dusts, atoms of smoke, human hair
and fingerprints to cause destruction to the read-write head. This damage can
cause some or all the data on the hard disk to be destroyed as well.

An external hard disk is a separate hard disk that connects with a cable to a USB
port on the system unit or communicates wirelessly. Meanwhile, a removable hard
disk is a hard disk that you insert and remove from a drive. Compared to internal
hard disk, external and removable hard disks (Figure 4.4) are better in terms of:
(a) Transporting a large number of files;
(b) Storing large audio and video files easily;
(c) Securing the data; and
(d) Adding storage space to a notebook and desktop computer, without having
to open the system unit.
Figure 4.4: External and removable hard disk
ACTIVITY 4.2
How does it look like in a hard disk drive? Visit the following link to
discover the components of a hard disk drive:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdmLvl1n82U
Can you briefly explain the components?

4.2.3 Optical Storage

An optical storage device provides an alternative for the need to store a lot of data.
This device uses the principle of light rather than the magnetic principle of storing
data. The emission of a laser beam determines the data to be written or read.
During the writing of data onto the surface of an optical device, a high-powered
laser beam is used to form microscopic holes (pits) on the disc. Each pit represents
data „0‰ while part of the disc without a pit represents data „1‰. During the
reading of the optical disc, a low-powered laser beam is directed on the disc
surface. A reflection of the laser beam depends on the holes on the surface. If there
are holes, the reflection of the beam disperses and cannot be detected by the light
detector. This portrays the „0‰ state. If there is no hole or if the surface is flat (land),
a reflection of the beam focuses and can be detected by the light detector. This
portrays the „1‰ state.
There are four optical disc technologies used by computers as shown at Table 4.3.
Table 4.3: Types of Optical Storage
Optical Storage Description
Compact Disc- It is similar to the music compact disc (CD) in the market. Read
Read Only only means it cannot be written or erased by users. A user can
Memory only access data that has been written by the writer. CD-ROM is
(CD-ROM) also used for distributing databases, application software
packages and large references.
Compact Disc- It is so called write once, read many (WORM). CD-R means a
Recordable compact disc that is recordable, a disc that enables us to record
(CD-R) data or information. We can only write once onto the disc. It is
appropriate for use as multimedia storage and for archival.
A special drive is required for recording data onto CD-R.
Compact Disc- It is also known as erasable optical disc, as can be seen in Figure
Rewriteable 4.5. This disc is similar to the other CD-R except that its surface is
(CD-RW) altered whenever data is recorded. Since it can be altered, CD-RW
is normally used in building and editing multimedia
presentations.
Digital Versatile An all-digital disc with a type of storage which is almost the same
Disc (DVD) as the CD-ROM. It has the ability to store 135 minutes of video
data in digital form. It can also be used as storage for computers.
The DVD drive can read a CD-ROM but the CD-ROM drive
cannot read a DVD. Each DVD can store as much as 17GB of data.

Figure 4.5: Compact Disc-Rewriteable
4.2.4 Flash Memory Storage

Flash memory storage is a type of solid-state media which consists entirely of
electronic components such as integrated circuits. It contains no moving parts.
Flash memory storage is more durable and shock resistant compared to other types
of media such as magnetic hard disks or optical disks, due to lack of moving parts.
Examples of flash memory storage are solid-state drive, memory card and USB
flash drive (see Figure 4.6).
Figure 4.6: Flash Memory Storage
(a) Solid-state drive (SSD) is a storage device that uses flash memory to store
data, instructions and information. It is used in all types of computers and
portable devices.
Solid state drive is better than magnetic hard disk in terms of the following:
(i) Access time is 80 times faster than hard disk;
(ii) Transfer rate is faster;
(iii) Generates less heat and consumes less power; and
(iv) Lasts three to five years longer than a hard disk lifespan.
(b) Memory cards allow users to easily transport the digital content of their
camera, audio or video player and other devices to a computer or vice versa.
A memory card is a removable flash memory device that you normally insert
and remove from a slot in a computer, mobile device or card reader/writer.
(c) USB flash drive is a flash memory storage device that plugs into a USB port
on a computer or mobile device. It is one of the most popular portable storage
nowadays, due to its size and weight. It is small and light, with a storage
capacity ranging from 8GB to 256GB.
4.2.5 Cloud Storage

Cloud storage is an Internet service that provides hard disk storage to computer
users. The types of services offered by cloud storage providers vary.
Unlike other types of storage, cloud storage is preferred to:
(a) Access files from any device that has Internet access;
(b) Share files with other users; and
(c) Store offsite backups of data.
Some of the widely used cloud storage providers are shown in Figure 4.7.
Figure 4.7: Cloud storage providers

4.2.6 Other Types of Storage

Besides the types of storage that we have discussed, there are other options
available for storing data, instructions and information for specific uses. They
include magnetic stripe cards and smart cards, microfilm and microfiche.
(a) A magnetic stripe card is a card with a stripe of material that can be
magnetised to store information on the card (see Figure 4.8). Information
stored in the stripe normally includes your name, account number and the
cardÊs expiration date. A magnetic stripe card reader reads the information
stored on the stripe. Examples of magnetic stripe cards include club
membership cards, petrol loyalty cards and bank automated teller machine
(ATM) cards.
Figure 4.8: Magnetic stripe card (left) and smart card
(b) A smart card stores data on a thin integrated circuit embedded in the card
(see Figure 4.8). Smart card contains a processor and has input, process,
output and storage capabilities. When a smart card is inserted into a
specialised card reader, the information on the card is read, and if necessary,
updated. Examples of smart cards include MyKad, credit card and mobile
subscriber identification module (SIM) card.
(c) Microfilm and microfiche (see Figure 4.9) store microscopic images of
documents on roll or sheet film. A computer output microfilm recorder is the
device that records the images on the film. Microfilm and microfiche are
normally used in libraries to store back issues of newspapers and magazines.
The use of microfilm and microfiche greatly reduces the number of papers.
They are inexpensive and have the longest lifespan amongst all storage
media.

Figure 4.9: Microfilm (left) and microfiche
(d) RFID is a technology that uses radio signals to communicate, with a tag
placed in or attached to an object or a person. The RFID tag consists of an
antenna and a memory chip that contains the information to be transmitted
via radio waves. A RFID reader reads the radio signals and transfers the
information to a computer or computing device.
ACTIVITY 4.3
What is the history of computer storage? Visit the following link:
http://www.zetta.net/history-of-computer-storage
Note down the main points. Compare your notes with your coursemates.

4.3 DATA ORGANISATION HIERARCHY

Data is stored in secondary storage based on hierarchy. We can also see how much
capacity various storage types have as illustrated in Table 4.4.
Table 4.4: Comparison of Storage Types, Costs and Capacities
Type of Cost/Storage Device

Cost per GB Lifespan
Storage Size Capacity
* Hard disk RM180/1TB 18 sen 3 5 years 500GB 6TB
CD-R RM0.60/700MB 86 sen 100 years 700MB
CD-RW RM3/700MB RM4.28 100 years 700MB
DVD+R RM1/4.7GB 21 sen 100 years 4.7 8.5GB
DVD+RW RM4/4.7GB 85 sen 100 years 4.7 8.5GB
** Magnetic RM300/15TB 2 sen 5 10 years 100GB 30TB

tape
USB flash RM20/32GB 94 sen 5 10 years 8GB 1TB

drive
Note:
 Based on average cost of typical or common size for each storage type available in
the market.
 * Non-SSD type hard disk.
 ** Magnetic tape quoted is based on Linear Tape-Open (Ultrium) cartridge
technology.
Adapted from https://www.lazada.com.my/
Data organisation hierarchy is divided into five levels, which are:
(a) Bit
It is represented by „0‰ and „1‰ and operated with hardware.
(b) Character/Byte
A byte is formed by eight bits. A character is formed by a group of bits but is
not necessarily made up of eight bits. Rather, it depends on the type of coding
system such as ASCII and EBCDIC. Examples are the characters A, B, D, U
and L.

(c) Field
It is a unit of data that is made up of one or more characters. This is the lowest
logical level of the data unit. Examples of fields are:
(i) Name It is fixed at 40 characters, for example, MOHD AKIL; and
(ii) Identity Card (IC) Number It is fixed at eight characters (old IC) and
12 digits/characters (new IC), for example, 740820-03-1233.
(d) Record
It is a collection of several related fields. It can also explain a certain event,
that is, a number of related fields of a certain event is combined together
logically to form a record. An example of a student personal record is made
up of several fields of student personal information, for example:
(i) Registration number: 7192
(ii) Name: Mohd Najmuddin bin Kamal
(iii) Faculty: Faculty of Information Technology and Multimedia
Communications
(iv) IC number: 780402-11-1438
(v) State/Place of birth: Johor
(vi) Current address: First College, Open University Malaysia
(e) File
It is a collection of several related records. An example of this is the student
personal file, containing several studentsÊ personal records.
4.4 UPGRADING THE PERFORMANCE OF

HARD DISKS
Three ways to upgrade the performance of hard disks are racking the disk,
redundant arrays of independent disks (RAID) and compressing/decompressing
the files.
(a) Racking the Disk
This can upgrade the performance of a hard disk by predicting the data that
are wanted. This is a combination of hardware and software. While the
processor is quiet, data which is always used will be read from the hard disk
into the cache memory. When the data is required, it will be accessed directly
from this memory. The rate of transfer from memory is faster than that of the
hard disk. The result is that the system performance normally goes up by
30 per cent.
(b) Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks (RAID)

This increases the performance by having more external storage. A collection
of cheap hard disks is arranged by using a special network and software. This
group of disks is considered like a large hard disk. However, it performs
better than a single disk of the same capacity. RAID duplicates the data,
instructions and information to improve data reliability.
Figure 4.10: RAID can make disk volumes more reliable and performs faster
(c) Compressing/Decompressing Files

This procedure is required to remove excessive spaces from the computer
files that have reduced total available storage space. This procedure is
important because:
(i) It will save time while sending files through the network;
(ii) It will reduce the size of the file storage; and
(iii) It serves the purpose of archiving.

Data files that have been compressed need to be decompressed before they can be
used. This technique is called „data decompression‰. Normally data that has been
compressed has a special suffix such as .zip, .tgz, .Z, .gz, .lha, .arc, .zoo, and .rar.
Compression and decompression techniques are called „codec‰. Sometimes, this
process is also called „zip‰ and „unzip‰.
The two main techniques of data compression are shown in Table 4.5.
Table 4.5: Two Main Techniques of Data Compression
Technique Details
Lossless Data compression is done by preserving all input data. In other words,
Technique all input data will be used in the compression process. This enables
data that have been decompressed to be the same as the input data.
This technique only repackages the data for storage or transmission

purpose. Examples of software products that use this technique are
WinZip, Stacker, Superstor and DriveSpace. Graphic image in graphic
interchange format (.gif) is in the form of lossless compression.
Lossy This is a compression technique that removes data permanently

Technique during the compression process but users will not feel any loss. Data
lost is not important and can be regenerated by using special
functions. Examples include removing some colours or minor sounds
that will not felt by users.
These colours and sounds are overshadowed by a clearer colour or

sound.
Data in the joint photographic experts group (.jpeg), mpeg level 3

(.mp3) and moving picture experts group (.mpeg) formats are in the
lossy format.
SELF-CHECK 4.2
1. State the five levels of data organisation hierarchy.
2. Name three types of flash memory storage.
3. Explain two data compression techniques.

 Secondary storage is a storage device that has been designed to store data and
instructions in a permanent form.
 Secondary storage has five advantages which are size, reliability, comfort,
economic and lifetime.
 There are two types of magnetic storage, namely magnetic tape and hard disk.
A magnetic tape is a secondary storage medium whereby its data is stored in

the tape roll.
The hard disk uses a thick and strong metallic plate. The hard disk can store
and access data faster and has a higher capacity.
An optical storage device provides an alternative for the need to store a lot of
data. This device uses the principle of light rather than the magnetic principle
of storing data.
Three ways to upgrade the performance of hard disks are racking the disk,
redundant arrays of independent disks (RAID) and compressing/
decompressing the files.
Bit Lossless
Compact disc-read only memory Lossy
(CD-ROM)
Magnetic storage
Compact disc-recordable (CD-R)
Optical storage
Compact disc-rewriteable (CD-RW)
Racking the disk
Compressing/decompressing
Record
Digital versatile disc (DVD)
Redundant arrays of independent
Field disks (RAID)
File Secondary storage
Hard disk Write once, read many (WORM)

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Topic  Secondary

4.1 THE BASICS OF STORAGE

Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

transferring data, instructions and information from computer memory to a

Figure 4.1: Variety of secondary storage devices

On the latest technological development, primary storage is moving towards a

Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

Table 4.1: Storage Capacity

Kilobyte (KB) 1 thousand 210 or 1,024

The five advantages of secondary storage are shown in Table 4.2.

Table 4.2: Five Advantages of Secondary Storage

Size Can accommodate large amounts of data.

Reliability It can be considered safe.

Comfort Data can be accessed immediately.

Economic Storage costs can be reduced.

Lifetime It is permanent and can be used for archiving.

Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

Explain why we need storage inside a computer.

4.2 MAGNETIC STORAGE DEVICES

4.2.1 Magnetic Tape

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Figure 4.2: Diagram of a magnetic tape

Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

1. State two advantages of secondary storage.

2. Various types of storage are available in the market. State three

4.2.2 Hard Disk

Figure 4.3: Internal hard disk

Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

(a) Transporting a large number of files;

(b) Storing large audio and video files easily;

(c) Securing the data; and

Figure 4.4: External and removable hard disk

Can you briefly explain the components?

Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

4.2.3 Optical Storage

Table 4.3: Types of Optical Storage

Optical Storage Description

Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

Figure 4.5: Compact Disc-Rewriteable

4.2.4 Flash Memory Storage

Figure 4.6: Flash Memory Storage

(i) Access time is 80 times faster than hard disk;

(ii) Transfer rate is faster;

(iii) Generates less heat and consumes less power; and

4.2.5 Cloud Storage

Unlike other types of storage, cloud storage is preferred to:

Figure 4.7: Cloud storage providers

Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

4.2.6 Other Types of Storage

Figure 4.8: Magnetic stripe card (left) and smart card

Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

Figure 4.9: Microfilm (left) and microfiche

What is the history of computer storage? Visit the following link:

Copyright © Open University Malaysia (OUM)

4.3 DATA ORGANISATION HIERARCHY

Table 4.4: Comparison of Storage Types, Costs and Capacities

Type of Cost/Storage Device

* Hard disk RM180/1TB 18 sen 3 5 years 500GB 6TB

CD-R RM0.60/700MB 86 sen 100 years 700MB

CD-RW RM3/700MB RM4.28 100 years 700MB

DVD+R RM1/4.7GB 21 sen 100 years 4.7 8.5GB

DVD+RW RM4/4.7GB 85 sen 100 years 4.7 8.5GB

** Magnetic RM300/15TB 2 sen 5 10 years 100GB 30TB