Introduction to Computing | Computer Fundamentals

Secondary Storage Devices

Definition - What does Secondary Storage Device mean?

A secondary storage device refers to any non-volatile storage device that is internal or external to the
computer. It can be any storage device beyond the primary storage that enables permanent data
storage.

A secondary storage device is also known as an auxiliary storage device or external storage.
Secondary storage devices are primarily referred to a storage devices that serve as an addition to the
computer's primary storage, RAM and cache memory. Typically, secondary storage allows for the
storage of data ranging from a few megabytes to petabytes. These devices store virtually all programs
and applications stored on a computer, including the operating system, device drivers, applications and
general user data. Most of the secondary storage devices are internal to the computer such as the hard
disk drive, the tape disk drive and even the compact disk drive and floppy disk drive.

Examples of Secondary Storage Device

HARD DISK DRIVE

A hard disk drive (sometimes abbreviated as Hard drive, HD, or HDD) is a non-volatile memory hardware
device that permanently stores and retrieves data on a computer. A hard drive is a secondary storage
device that consists of one or more platters to which data is written using a magnetic head, all inside of
an air-sealed casing. Internal hard disks reside in a drive bay, connect to the motherboard using an ATA,
SCSI, or SATA cable, and are powered by a connection to the PSU (power supply unit).

All computers have a hard drive installed in them, which is used to store files for the operating system,
software programs, and a user's personal files. A computer cannot function without a hard drive
installed, as it requires one to function properly.

An internal hard drive is connected to the computer using a data cable (IDE, SATA, or SCSI) that connects
to the motherboard and a power cable that connects to the power supply.

A hard drive can be used to store any data, including pictures, music, videos, text documents, and any
files created or downloaded. Also, hard drives store files for the operating system and software
programs that run on the computer.

The hard drive is typically capable of storing more data than any other drive, but its size can vary
depending on the type of drive and its age. Older hard drives had a storage size of several hundred
megabytes (MB) to several gigabytes (GB). Newer hard drives have a storage size of several hundred
gigabytes to several terabytes (TB). Each year, new and improved technology allows for increasing hard
drive storage sizes.
How is data read and stored on a hard drive?
Data sent to and read from the hard drive is interpreted by the disk controller, which tells the hard drive
what to do and how to move the components in the drive. When the operating system needs to read or
write information, it examines the hard drive's File Allocation Table (FAT) to determine file location and
available write areas. Once they have been determined, the disk controller instructs the actuator to
move the read/write arm and align the read/write head. Because files are often scattered throughout
the platter, the head needs to move to different locations to access all information.

All information stored on a traditional hard drive, like the above example, is done magnetically. After
completing the above steps, if the computer needs to read information from the hard drive, it would
read the magnetic polarities on the platter. One side of the magnetic polarity is 0, and the other is 1.
Reading this as binary data, the computer can understand what the data is on the platter. For the
computer to write information to the platter, the read/write head aligns the magnetic polarities, writing
0's and 1's that can be read later.

External and Internal hard drives

Although most hard drives are internal, there are also stand-alone devices called external hard drives,
which can backup data on computers and expand the available disk space. External drives are often
stored in an enclosure that helps protect the drive and allows it to interface with the computer, usually
over USB or eSATA. An excellent example of an external backup device that supports multiple hard
drives is the Drobo.

External hard drives come in many shapes and sizes. Some are large, about the size of a book, while
others are about the size of a cell phone. External hard drives can be very useful since they usually offer
more space than a jump drive and are still portable. The picture to the right is an example of a laptop
hard disk drive enclosure from Adaptec. The user may install a laptop hard drive of any storage capacity
into the enclosure and connect it via USB port to the computer.
SSD
Short for Solid-State Drive (or Solid-State Disk, although it doesn't use a disk mechanism), an SSD is a
storage medium that uses non-volatile memory as a means of holding and accessing data. Unlike a hard
drive, an SSD has no moving parts which gives it advantages such as faster access time, noiseless
operation, higher reliability, and lower power consumption. The picture shows an example of an SSD
made by Crucial.

As the costs have come down, SSDs have become suitable replacements for a standard hard drive in
both desktop and laptop computers. SSDs are also a great solution for netbooks, nettops, and other
applications that don't require a lot of storage.

History of the SSD

The first SSD was implemented in the 1970s and 1980s for use in IBM supercomputers. They have since
been drastically improved upon and offer storage capacities of over 2 TB for home computers.
What kind of connection do SSDs utilize?

SSDs primarily use the SATA connection which has a theoretical maximum transfer rate of 750 MB per
second. However, a newer generation of SSDs is emerging that utilize a PCIe connection, offering speeds
of up to 1.5 GB per second.

JUMP DRIVE (USB Flash Disk)

A jump drive may refer to any of the following:

1. Alternatively referred to as a USB flash drive, data stick, pen drive, memory unit, keychain drive and
thumb drive, a jump drive is a portable storage device. It is often the size of a human thumb (hence the
name), and it connects to a computer via a USB port. Flash drives are an easy way to store and transfer
information. They are available in sizes ranging from 2 GB to 1 TB.

Unlike a standard hard drive, the flash drive has no movable parts; it contains only an integrated circuit
memory chip that is used to store data. Flash drives usually have plastic or aluminum casings
surrounding the memory chip and a USB connector for use with most modern computers.

History of the USB flash drive

The first USB flash drives were developed in April 1999 at M-Systems (now SanDisk), an Israeli company,
by Amir Ban, Dov Moran, and Oron Ogdan. M-Systems announced the USB flash drives in September
2000 and were first sold to the public in December 2000 by IBM with a capability of 8 MB.

The USB flash drive is most often used to store and transfer files between computers. For example, you
could write a report on a school computer, copy the file to a USB flash drive and then connect it to your
home computer to continue working on that same file. USB flash drives are also a great and easy way to
backup your important files. For example, you could copy all of your pictures, documents, music, or
other files to a flash drive and store that flash drive somewhere safe in case something were to happen
to your computer.

How big of flash drive should I get?

Today, even a 16 GB flash drive is not that much money, and we typically recommend buying as much as
you can afford. However, if you are only planning on storing a few document files or not that many files
on the drive, you can save yourself some money by buying a smaller drive.

SD Card

Short for Secure Digital Card, the SD Card is one of the more common types of memory cards used with
electronics. The SD technology is used by over 400 brands of electronic equipment and over 8000
different models, including digital cameras and cell phones. It is considered the industry standard due to
the wide use.

Types of SD cards
The three versions of the SD card, along with their physical dimensions, are shown below.
 SD - 32mm x 24mm x 2.1mm.
 miniSD - 21.5mm x 20mm x 1.4mm.
 microSD - 15mm x 11mm x 1.0mm.

How can I read an SD card on a computer?

A desktop and laptop computer can read any SD card as long as it has a card reader capable of reading
the desired size of SD card. If your computer does not have an SD card reader or the desired slot size an
external USB card reader can be connected to your computer to give it the ability to read the SD card.

COMPACT DISC

Abbreviated as CD, a compact disc is a flat, round, optical storage medium invented by James Russell.
The first CD was created at a Philips factory in Germany on August 17, 1982. The opposite side of the
disc has a label to help indicate what is on the disc.
What is a CD used for in a computer?
As we mentioned above, compact discs are used to store data so that may be retrieved or executed at a
later date. CDs can store software programs so that you may load them onto your computer. They save
files for backup or transfer to another computer, as well as hold music to play in a CD player.

How much data does a CD hold?

The standard CD is capable of holding 72 minutes of music or 650 MB of data. An 80-minute CD is
capable of holding 700 MB of data.

DVD

Short for Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc, a DVD or DVD-ROM is a disc capable of storing large
amounts of data on one disc the size of a standard Compact Disc. CD/DVD drives were first sold in 1997.
They are widely used for storing and viewing movies and other data. The picture of the Matrix DVD
movie disc is an example of a DVD movie.

How much data can a DVD hold?

There are several capacities a single DVD is capable of holding. Below is a listing of the different types of
DVD's and each of their total capacity.

One of the most common DVD's is the single-sided, single-layer disc, capable of holding 4.7 GB.
The single-sided, double-layer disc is capable of holding between 8.5-8.7 GB.
The double-sided, single-layer disc is capable of holding 9.4 GB.
Although rare, the double-sided, double-layer disc is capable of holding up to 17.08 GB.

What is the difference between a DVD and a CD?

Physically, a DVD and CD look the same. Both discs are the same size and typically have one side with a
label and the other side that the laser reads, unless it is a double-sided DVD. However, the technology
that makes up a DVD allows for the same size disc to hold a lot more data than a CD.

What types of information can be stored in a DVD?

A DVD is capable of holding any data and are most often used to store movie data, games, and install
data for programs.

The history of DVD

In 1993, there were two video disc formats being developed: the Multimedia Compact Disc (MMCD) and
the Super Density (SD) disc. To avoid a video format war, Philips and Sony, the backers of the MMCD,
decided to partner with SD disc proponents (Hitachi, JVC, Mitsubishi, Pioneer, and Toshiba. Together,
the unified industry group developed and agreed upon the DVD digital video format.
What was the first DVD?

The movie Twister became the first feature film put on DVD on March 25, 1996.
The future of DVD

DVD's are still very popular and widely used. However, due to more recent technologies like Blu-ray
discs and streaming services like Netflix and other cloud services, DVD sales and usage have been on a
steep decline.

FLOPPY DISKS

Alternatively referred to as a floppy or floppy disk, a floppy diskette is a type of storage media, capable
of storing electronic data, like a computer file. The floppy diskette was first created in 1967 by IBM as an
alternative to buying hard drives, which were extremely expensive at the time.

How were floppy disks used?

Early computers did not have CD-ROM drives or USB, and floppy disks were the only way to install a new
program onto a computer or backup your information. If the program was small (less than 1.44 MB for
the 3.5" floppy disk) the program could be installed from one floppy disk. However, since most programs
were larger than 1.44 MB, most programs required multiple floppy diskettes. For example, the diskette
version of Windows 95 came on 13 DMF diskettes and had to be installed one disk at a time.
Are floppy diskettes still used today?

There are still a few diehards who are still using floppy diskettes, some governments still even use 8"
floppy diskettes. However, since the early 2000s computers began no longer shipping with floppy disk
drives as users moved to CD-R and Zip drives to store their information. All of the latest versions of
Microsoft Windows also no longer have support for floppy drives.
How does a floppy disk store data?

A floppy disk is a magnetic media and stores and reads data on the floppy disk using a read head. With a
3.5" floppy diskette when it is inserted into the drive the metal slide door is opened and exposes the
magnetic disk within the floppy diskette. The read/write head uses a magnetic polarity of 0 or 1. Reading
this as binary data, the computer can understand what the data is on the platter. For the computer to
write information to the platter, the read/write head aligns the magnetic polarities, writing 0's and 1's
that can be read later.

Below is a brief history of each of three major floppy diskettes.

8" Floppy Disk

The first disk was introduced in 1971. The disk was 8" in diameter with a magnetic coating, enclosed in a
cardboard case with the capacity of one megabyte. Conversely to hard drives, the heads touched the
disk, like in a cassette or video player that wears the media down over time.
5.25" Floppy Disk

First started development in 1976 and later became a standard in 1978, these disks were first released
with only 160 KB of disk space. These diskettes were commonly used in 1980's and began stop being
used in the early 1990's. See our 5.25" floppy diskette definition for further information, pictures, and
related links.

3.5" Floppy Disk

Created by IBM in 1984, these diskettes were first introduced with a total capacity of 720 KB. The 1.44
MB floppy diskettes were used widely in the 1990's and were seldom found or used by 2000. See our
3.5" floppy diskette definition for further information, pictures, and related links.

Why does a computer need secondary storage?

It is possible for a computer not to have or use secondary storage (e.g., dumb terminal). However, for
most computers and users, secondary storage is required because of the need to permanently store
some data to a computer. Without primary storage, if you were working on a document and the power
turned off, everything would be lost because primary storage is temporary. However, a computer with
secondary storage that saved the file before the power turned off would be able to recover the last
saved version of the file.

How much secondary storage is required for a computer?

The computer only needs enough secondary storage for the operating system and hardware drivers.
However, we always recommend getting as much secondary storage as you can afford since any
installed programs, pictures, music, or other data requires secondary storage.

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