Storing Data

Lecture-5
Describing Storage Devices

• Store data when computer is off

• Two processes
– Writing data: recording the data so it can be used later
– Reading data: reading to stored data and then
transferring it in to computer memory
Describing Storage Devices

• Storage terms
– Storage media is physical material on which data is
stored
– Storage devices manage the media
– Categories of Storage Technology
• Magnetic devices use a magnet
• Optical devices use lasers
• Solid-state devices have physical switches
Magnetic Storage Devices

• Most common form of storage

• Hard drives, floppy drives and tape drives
– All are coated with a magnetically sensitive material
(iron oxide) that reacts to a magnetic field
• All magnetic drives work the same
Magnetic Storage Devices

Floppy Disk

Hard Disk

Tape
Magnetic Storage Devices

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Magnetic Storage Devices

• Data storage and retrieval

– Media is covered with magnetic material e.g. iron oxide
– Read/write head is a magnet
– To write data, the head
• Create electromagnetic fields in iron particle on disk
• Magnet writes charges on the media while passing over it
– Positive charge is a 1
– Negative charge is a 0
– To read data, the head
• Passes over the disk while no current is flowing through electromagnetic
• Due to the magnetic field on the disk, head is magnetized
• Causes to flow small current in head in one direction or another depending
on the polarity
– Drive converts charges into binary and then sent to memory
Data Retrieval
Magnetic Storage Devices

• Data organization
– Disk surface must be magnetically mapped
• Computer can go directly to specific point without searching through the
data
– Process of mapping called formatting or initializing
– Format draws tracks on the disk on each side of disk
– Tracks is divided into sectors
• A sector can store 512B (0.5KB) of data
• Computer can only read whole sector at a time
• All sectors are numbered for easy access
• All sectors (innermost to outmost)have same amount of data
– If disk a 80 track on each side and each track contain 18 sectors then
disk have 1440 (80x18) sectors per side
Tracks and Sectors
Magnetic Storage Devices
• Finding data on disk
– OS can locate data on the disk
– Each track and sector is labeled
– Location of all data is placed in special log on the disk
– Labeling of tracks and sectors is called logical formatting
• When the system is formatted with FAT file system, four areas
are created on the disk
– Boot Sector: contains a program that is needed to run computer
– File Allocation Table (FAT): is a log that contains location of each file
and status of each sector
– Root Folder: is a master folder/directory on disk e.g. C:
– Data Area: is area which is remain empty after boot sector, FAT and
root folder. Actual data and program files are stored in this location
Magnetic Storage Devices

• Cluster
– OS groups sectors together into storage units called clusters
– It is smallest space an OS allocate to a single file
– Size of clusters vary from four sector= 1 cluster to 64
sectors = 1 cluster
• File Systems
– FAT: also known as FAT16 used in MSDOS
– FAT32: used in Win95, Win2000 and Win XP
– NTFS: introduced in WIN NT
– NTFS5- also used in WIN XP and WIN 2000
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Magnetic Storage Devices

• Hard disks
– Primary storage device in a computer
– 2 or more aluminum platters
– Each platter has 2 sides
– Spin between 5,400 to 15,000 RPM
– Data found in 9.5 ms or less
– Drive capacity greater than 40 GB
Hard Disks

• Characteristics of a hard
disk include:

Capacity: The capacity of a hard disk is determined from

whether it uses longitudinal or perpendicular recording,
the number of platters it contains, and the composition of
the magnetic coating on the platters

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Platters: A platter is made of aluminum, glass, or
ceramic and is coated with an alloy material that
allows items to be recorded magnetically on its
surface. The coating usually is three millionths of an
inch thick

Read/Write Heads: A read/write head is the

mechanism that reads items and writes
items in the drive as it barely touches the disk’s
recording surface

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Sectors and Tracks: A track is a narrow recording
band that forms a full circle on the surface of the
disk. The disk’s storage locations consist of pie-
shaped sections, which break the tracks into small
arcs called sectors

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Revolutions per Minute: The spinning, which usually is
5,400 to 15,000 revolutions per minute (rpm), allows nearly
instant access to all tracks and sectors on the platters.

Transfer Rate: Transfer rates range from 15 MBps to

320 MBps

Access Time: Access time for today’s hard disks

ranges from about 3 to 12 ms (milliseconds).

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Hard Disks

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Optical Storage Devices

• CD-ROM
– Most software ships on a CD
– Read using a laser
• Lands, binary 1, reflect data
• Pits scatter data
– Written from the inside out
– CD speed is based on the original
• Original CD read 150 KBps
• A 10 X will read 1,500 KBps
– Standard CD holds 650 MB
Optical Discs

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Optical Storage Devices

• DVD-ROM
– Digital Video Disk
– Use both sides of the disk
– Capacities can reach 18 GB
– DVD players can read CDs
Recordable Optical Technologies

• CD Recordable (CD-R)
– Create a data or audio CD
– Data cannot be changed
– Can continue adding until full
• Compact Disc-ReWritable (CD-RW)
– Create a reusable CD
– Cannot be read in all CD players
– Can reuse about 100 times
Recordable Optical Technologies

• Photo CD
– Developed by Kodak
– Provides for photo storage
– Photos added to CD until full
– Original pictures cannot be changed
• DVD Recordable
– Several different formats exist
– None are standardized
– Allows home users to create DVDs
– Cannot be read in all players
Recordable Optical Technologies

• DVD-RAM
– Allow reusing of DVD media
– Not standardized
– Cannot be read in all players
Solid State Devices

• Data is stored physically

• No magnets or laser
• Very fast
Solid State Devices

• Flash memory
– Found in cameras and USB drives
– Combination of RAM and ROM
– Long term updateable storage
Solid State Devices

• Smart cards
– Credit cards with a chip
– Chip stores data
– Eventually may be used for cash
– Hotels use for electronic keys
Solid State Devices

• Solid-state disks
– A solid state drive (SSD) is a storage
device that uses nonvolatile memory
chips to store data.
– SSD consumer products mostly use
electronic interfaces compatible with
traditional hard disk drives (HHDs) which
allows for easy replacement in personal
computers
– such as desktops, laptops, and pads.
Smartphones also use SSDs for their
memory.