Secondary Storage And Embedded Systems Flashcards
What is secondary storage?
Non volatile, long term storage.
Used to keep programs and data indefinitely.
Examples of secondary storage
Magnetic storage devices such as hard disk drives and tapes.
Optical storage devices such as CDs, DVDs and Blue ray discs.
Solid state storage devices such as solid state drives and USB memory sticks.
What is cloud storage?
What can it do?
Storing data at a remote location online is known as cloud storage.
When files and data are sent to the cloud, they are actually being sent to a server that is connected to the internet.
Files can be uploaded to a folder system and downloaded as required.
What are some advantages of cloud storage?
Data can be easily accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.
The business running the cloud storage service manages backups and security.
Additional storage can be easily added without having to invest in additional hardware.
What are some disadvantages of cloud storage?
If you can have access to your data from anywhere with an internet connection, then a hacker can potentially do the same.
If your internet connection fails, then you won’t be able to access your files.
You are relying on other people to correctly secure your data and keep backups.
You don’t know if employees of the cloud service will have access to your data.
What are some factors included in choosing a secondary storage?
Cost-what is the cost per gigabyte?
Capacity-how much data can the medium hold?
Speed of access-how quickly can data be transferred to and from the medium.
Portability-how portable is the medium? Does it need to be portable?
Durability-how long lasting is the medium?
What is an embedded system?
Small computer that forms part of a larger system,device or machine.
What is the purpose of an embedded system?
Control the device and to allow a user to interact with it. They tend to have one or a limited number of tasks that they can perform.
Examples of embedded systems
Central heating system.
Engine management systems in vehicles.
Domestic appliances such as dishwashers,tv’s and digital phones.
Digital watches.
GPS systems.
Electronic calculators.
Fitness trackers.
What are the advantages of embedded systems over general purpose computers?
Limited number of functions means they are cheaper to design and build.
They tend to require less power. Some devices run from batteries.
They do not need much processing power. They can be built using cheaper, less powerful processors.
