secondary storage

• magnetic storage:

  • example: hard disk drive
  • high speed data access
  • low cost
  • not portable
• optical storage:

  • uses discs on which the data is stored as pits and lands
  • read by a lazer
  • example: cd, dvd
  • slow
  • not durable
  • thin and portable
• solid state storage:

  • non volatile storage
  • no moving parts
  • fastest access speed
  • small and portable
• secondary storage:

  • permanent storage of instructions and data
  • not currently in use by processor
• storage capacity:

  • amount of data a storage device is about to store
• storage durability:

  • how resistant to damage and wear a tear a storage device is
• storage portability:

  • how easy it is to transport a given storage medium
• storage reliability:

  • how prone the storage media is to damage
  • example: scratches
  • number of read/write cycles before the device fails
• storage speed:

  • the read/write access speed of a storage device