INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Storage
LECTURE 3 part 2

Objectives

Discuss why people and businesses use secondary storage, not just the computers main memory, to store information. Distinguish between the two main types of magnetic storage, and identify three types of magnetic disk storage. Describe two alternatives for extending disk storage capacity in enterprises.
3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 2

Objectives (Continued)

Explain why optical storage is of growing importance in computing and describe the most commonly used forms of optical storage.

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

storage
Storage: The computer process of retaining information. Storage can be classified into two; Primary storage Secondary storage Primary storage: The computer's storage area for instructions and data currently being used by programs. Secondary Storage: A medium (magnetic or optical) that permanently stores computer information for future re-use. This type of storage holds data, even when the computer is turned off.

3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 4

Storage contd

Storage media. The physical components or material on which data is stored. For example;
Floppy disk Hard disk Zip disks Compact disk

Storage device. The hardware component that writes data to and reads data from a storage media. For example;
Floppy disk drive Hard disk drive Zip disk drive
3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 5

Secondary storage technologies

The two secondary storage technologies are magnetic and optical. The types of magnetic storage are;

Diskettes (floppy disks)

Hard disks
High-capacity floppy disks Magnetic tape etc
3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 6

Secondary storage technologies

The types of optical storage are;

Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM)

Digital Video Disk Read-Only Memory (DVD-ROM)

CD-Recordable (CD-R) CD-Rewritable (CD-RW) etc

3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 7

Storage contd

The primary types of optical storage are as follows;

Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM) Digital Video Disk Read-Only Memory (DVD-ROM) CD-Recordable (CD-R) CD-Re-Writable (CD-RW)

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

Magnetic Storage devices

The purpose of storage devices is to hold data even when the computer is turned off so that the data can be used whenever it is needed. Storage involves the processes of writing data to the storage medium and reading data from the storage medium. Writing data means recording data on the surface of the disk where it is stored for later use. Reading data means retrieving data from the disks surface for later3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles use. 9

Magnetic storage devices

Because they all use the same medium (the material on which data is stored), diskette drives, hard disk drives, and tape drives use similar technique for writing and reading data.

The question is; how do magnetic storage devices work?

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

10

How magnetic storage works

The surface of disks and magnetic tapes are coated with millions of tiny iron particles so that data can be stored on them. Each of these particles can act as a magnet taking on the magnetic field when subjected to electromagnet (Magnetic force that is generated by electricity). The read/write heads of a hard disk drive, floppy drive, or tape drive contain electromagnets, which generate magnetic fields in the iron particles on the storage medium as the head passes over the disk or 3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 11 tape.

How magnetic storage works

As the read/write head passes on the surface of the disk or tape, each iron particle is arranged in a direction representing a 1 (on) or 0 (off), representing each bit of data that the CPU can recognize. See illustration diagrams on the next slide..

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

12

Write head Medium

Random particles (no data stored)

Current flow (write operation)

Organized particles (represent data)

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

13

As the medium rotates, the head writes the data.

3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 14

Magnetic Storage Devices Diskettes

Diskette drives, also known as floppy disk drives, read and write to diskettes (called floppy disks or floppies). Diskettes are used to transfer files between computers, as a means for distributing software, and as a backup medium. Diskettes come in two sizes: 5.25-inch and 3.5inch

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

15

3.5 inch floppy and drive

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

16

Diskette (Floppy disk)

The figure on the previous slide shows a diskette and a diskette drive. The drive includes a motor that rotates the disk on a spindle and read/write heads that can move to any spot on the disks surface as the disk spins. This capability is important because it allows the heads to access data randomly rather than sequentially. In other words, the heads can skip from one spot to another without having to scan through all the data in between. 3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 17

Three most common uses of diskettes

Moving files between computers that are not connected through network. Data can be copied to a diskette, remove the diskette from the first computers hard drive, and insert in in another computers drive. Loading new programs onto a system. Backing up Data or Programs. Backing up is the process of creating a duplicate set of programs and/data for safe keeping. Diskettes have small storage capacity so they are often used to back up small data files other than programs.

3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 18

Types of Diskettes
During the 1980s, most PCs used 5.25 inch diskettes. Today, the 3.5 inch diskettes have completely replaced its 5.25 inch diskette. In fact, you will encounter 5.25-inch disks only when using older computer systems. New systems use the smaller diskette almost exclusively, unless a 5.25 inch disk drive has been added.

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

19

5.25 inch floppy disk

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

20

3.5 Inch floppy disk

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

21

Hard disk

Hard disk: A form of secondary storage that stores data on platters divided into circular tracks and sectors, which can be read by a read/write head that spins around the rotating disks.

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

22

Hard disk platter

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

23

Hard disk
Track: The area in which data and information are stored on a disk. Sector: A subdivision of a track on a magnetic disk; used to improve access to data or information.

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

24

Hard disk & floppy disk compared

Unlike diskettes, where the disk and drive are separate, the hard disk and drive are a single unit. It includes the hard disk, the motor that spins the platters, and a set of read/write heads. Hard disks have become the most common storage device because they are convenient and cost effective. In both speed and capacity, they out perform diskettes. A high density 3.5-inch diskette can store 1.44MB of data. Hard disks in contrast, offer capacities from about several hundred 3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles megabytes to Gigabytes, Terabytes and more. 25

Hard disk contd

Hard disks also hold more data because they usually include multiple platters, stacked on top of one another on a spindle. Each platter has two read/write heads, one for each side except for the bottom side of the bottom platter.

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

26

Hard disk

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

27

Hard disk head crash

Hard disks have one major draw back; to achieve optimum performance, the read/write head must be extremely close to the surface of the disk without actually touching it. In fact, the read/write heads fly so closely to the surface of the disk that if human hair, dust particle, or even a finger print were placed on the disk, it would bridge the gap between the head and the disk and cause the head to crash. A head crash in which the head touches the disk, can destroy the data stored in the area of 3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 28 the crash.

Hard disk

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

29

Storage
Hard Disk (Continued)
Disk Controller Interfaces Hard Disk Controller: A hardware interface that may be built into the hard drive itself, in the form of an expansion board, or a connection on the system board. Hard disks access types: ATA (IDE, EIDE) Serial ATA (SATA) SCSI External access types: IEEE 1394/FireWire USB 3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 30

Storage
Hard Disk (Continued)

Disk Controller Interfaces Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE): A standard electronic interface used between the bus or data path on a computer system board and the computers disk storage devices. SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) offers advantages over the older IDE interface: primarily faster data transfer, the ability to remove or add devices while operating (hot swapping), thinner cables that let aircooling work more efficiently, and more reliable operation Small Computer System Interface (SCSI): A device 3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles

31

Storage
Hard Disk

Disk Controller Interfaces

Universal Service Bus (USB): A recent addition to PCs that can connect up to 128 devices, ranging from computer disk storage to a variety of multimedia devices. Fire Wire: One of the fastest peripheral interface standards ever developed.

Disk Cache: Disk caching allows the system to store

information that is frequently read from a disk in RAM.

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

32

Optical storage
Refers to storage systems that use light beams to read data from the surface of optical disk. Since the mid 1990s, nearly all new PCs have been sold with a built-in CD-ROM drive. However, consumers are buying more and more systems with DVD-ROM drives rather than the standard CD-ROM units. These devices fall into the category of optical storage because they store data on a reflective surface so it can be read by a beam of light. 3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 33

How the CD ROM drive reads data

The CD ROM drive for music or data reads 0s and 1s from a spinning disk by focusing a laser on the disk surface. Some of the areas of the disk surface reflect the laser beam into the sensor, and other areas scatter the beam of light. A spot that reflects the laser beam into the sensor is interpreted as 1, and the absence of a reflection is interpreted as 0. Data is stored in form of lands which are flat areas on a disk surface and pits which are depressions or hollows. 3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 34

CDs contd
A land reflects the laser light into the sensor (indicating a data bit 1), and a pit scatters the light (indicating a data bit of 0). (see next slide for illustration) A standard compact disk can store between 650MB and 700MB of data.

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

35

3/2/2013

Asiimwe Charles

36

Optical storage technologies

CD-ROM. Short for compact disk-read only memory, When u buy such a CD from the shop, you can only read from it but you cannot save anything on it.
CD-R. Short for Compact Disk Recordable which allows users to write data on this disk and once it has been written, that data cannot be changed (or over written). CD-R disks can be read by CD-ROM drive. CD-RW. Short for Compact Disk Re-Writable which allows users to write data on a disk, and this data can be over-written, meaning that the data can be 3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles updated after it has been placed on the disk. CD- 37

Optical storage technologies contd

DVD. Short for Digital Video Disk or Digital Versatile Disk. This is a high density optical medium capable of storing a full-length movie on a single disk the size of a standard compact disk (CD). Unlike a standard CD, which stores data on only one side, a DVD-format disk stores data on both sides by use of compression technologies. Newer DVDs can store several gigabytes of data. 3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles A DVD drive has the capability of reading a

38

Optical storage technologies

Blu-Ray: A medium designed to supersede the standard DVD format. Its main purpose is to store high-definition video and other types of data with up to 25GB per single layer and up to 50 GB per dual layered disk. The disk has the same physical dimensions as standard DVDs and CDs. It has a major advantage of huge storage capacity, more clear than a DVD and can play in DVD player. Its major disadvantage is that its very 3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 39

Optical Media Are Susceptible to Damage..

Unlike hard disks, which are in a sealed unit, and floppy disks, which are in a protective housing, optical discs have no protection once they are removed from their storage case. Optical discs are vulnerable to scratches, dirt, breakage and fingerprints, although fingerprints can usually be removed by wiping with a soft, damp cloth. Therefore, do not touch the surface of optical discs, hold them by the outer edges and the hole in the middle.

3/2/2013 Asiimwe Charles 40