Storage Flashcards
What is storage media?
Storage media is the physical media that holds non-volatile data
Non-volatile data refers to data that remains stored even when the power is turned off.
What is the primary function of storage devices?
Storage devices have a specific read/write mechanism built in to interact with a particular storage media
Storage devices include hard disks, optical drives, and flash drives.
What is an example of magnetic storage media?
Magnetic tape media
Magnetic tape is often used for backups and archival storage.
What analogy is used to differentiate between storage devices and storage media?
Think of storage devices as large pieces of furniture in your home e.g. bookshelf, chest of drawers etc.
Storage media is what you store in the furniture, such as books or clothes.
What are hard disks made up of?
Platters that spin on a central spindle
The spinning platters allow for data to be read and written by the read/write head.
What influences the time taken to read/write data on hard disks?
Also what is it measured in?
The speed of the platters and the speed of the head moving across the platter
Platter speed is measured in revolutions per minute (RPM).
In what types of devices are hard disks commonly used?
Personal computers, servers, and backups
Hard disks are a popular choice for both consumer and enterprise storage solutions.
What type of storage media is used with an optical storage device?
Optical media
Examples of optical media include CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays.
What is the difference between recordable and rewritable optical media?
Recordable media (CD-R, DVD-R, BD-R) can be written once, while rewritable media (CD-RW, DVD-RW, BD-RE) can be erased and rewritten
This distinction is important for data management and storage efficiency.
What is the maximum data capacity of a single-sided Blu-ray disc?
25 GB for single-sided
Blu-ray discs can also come in double-sided formats with up to 50 GB of storage.
What is flash media and its primary advantages?
Where is it commonly used?
Flash media is a solid state storage media that is more reliable than hard disks and has very fast read/write speeds
Flash media is commonly used in mobile devices and laptops.
What is a characteristic of magnetic tape technology?
It is an old technology primarily used for recording sound and now used for storing vast amounts of data
Magnetic tape is often utilized for system backups and archival purposes.
What is a disadvantage of magnetic tape in terms of performance?
Very slow read/write speeds
This can limit its effectiveness for certain applications compared to other storage media.
How much data can a CD hold?
Up to 700 MB
How much data can a DVD hold?
4.7 GB - single sided
18 GB - double sided
