SECONDARY MEMORY

Vinita and Gaurav

 WHAT IS SECONDARY MEMORY ??

• Secondary memory , is a computer's method of storing

data and information on a more long-term basis than
primary memory.
• While primary memory (RAM, for example) is concerned
mainly with storing programs currently executing and
data currently being accessed, Secondary memory is
generally intended for storing anything that needs to be
kept even if the computer is switched off or no programs
are currently executing.
 FEATURES OF SECONDARY MEMORY

• Secondary memory (or secondary storage) is the

slowest and cheapest form of memory.
• It cannot be processed directly by the CPU. It must
first be copied into primary storage (also known
as RAM ).
• It can store very large amounts of data for extended
periods of time.
 SECONDARY STORAGE

SEQUENTIAL ACCESS DIRECT ACCESS

MAGNETIC TAPE

MAGNETIC DISK OPTICAL DISK

FLOPPY DISK HARD DISK CD-ROM WORM

 SECONDARY MEMORY

• Sequential Access: Data access in which the

computer system must run through data in
sequence in order to locate a particular piece.

• Direct Access: Data access in which any

piece of data be retrieved in a non-sequential
manner by locating it using the data’s address.
 MAGNETIC TAPES
• Tapes consist of magnetic materials that store data
permanently. It can be 10.5 mm to 25 mm wide plastic film-
type and 500 meter to 1200 meter long which is coated with
magnetic material.
• Magnetic tapes are used for large computers like mainframe
computers where large volume of data is stored for a longer
time.
 DIRECT ACCESS

• Magnetic disks: A form of secondary storage

on a magnetized disk divided into tracks and
sectors that provide addresses for various
pieces of data; also called hard disks.

• Hard Disk
• Floppy disk
 HARD DISK

• Hard disk: Each disk consists of a number of invisible

concentric circles called tracks. Information is recorded on
tracks of a disk surface in the form of tiny magnetic spots.

• The presence of a magnetic spot represents one bit and its

absence represents zero bit. The information stored in a disk
can be read many times without affecting the stored data.
 FLOPPY DISK
• Floppy disks are read and written by a floppy disk drive or
FDD, Invented by the American information technology
company IBM, floppy disks in 8 inch, 5¼ inch and 3½ inch
forms enjoyed nearly three decades as a popular and
ubiquitous form of data storage and exchange, from the mid-
1970s to the late 1990s.
 OPTICAL STORAGE DEVICES

• Optical storage devices: A form of secondary storage

in which a laser reads the surface of a reflective
plastic platter.

• Compact disk, read-only memory (CD-ROM).

• Digital video disk (DVD ROM ).
• Fluorescent multilayer disk (FMD-ROM).
 CD ROM & DVD ROM

• CD ROMS,CD-RWs : A form of secondary storage that can be either only

read and not written on or re-writable where it can be written numerous
times. A standard 120 mm, CD-ROM can actually hold about 700 MB of
data with error correction.
• DVD ROMS,DVD-RWs: An optical storage device used to store digital
video or computer data. A single-layer DVD-ROM can hold 4.7 GB.
 FLUORESCENT MULTILAYER DISK
(FMD) - ROM

• Introduced by Constellation 3D Inc. (C3D), Fluorescent Multi-Layer Disc

holds up to 140 GB of data. This is currently 215 times more than a CD-
ROM(.65 GB) and 23 times more than a DVD-ROM( 6 GB).
• FMD-ROM discs contain fluorescent materials embedded in the pits and
grooves of all 10+ layers. When in contact with a laser, the fluorescent
materials are stimulated to produce coherent and incoherent light; data is
stored in the incoherent light.
 MORE STORAGE DEVICES

• Memory cards

• Expandable storage devices

• Worm
 MEMORY CARDS

• Credit-card-size storage devices that can be installed

in an adapter or slot in many personal computers (i.e.
memory sticks, thumb drives).
 REMOVABLE DISK CARTRIDGES

• Removable disk cartridges, used as backup storage for internal hard

drives of PCs.
• It delivers an easy-to-use, affordable, rugged and removable data
protection .Fast disk based performance provides the ability to store
upto750 GB of data on a single removable disk cartridge at speeds of
up to 108 GB/hr. 
 WORM

• Write-once-read-many-times is a simple, non-volatile memory with

800 GB capacity and 160 MB/sec transfer rate.
• Write-Once, Read-Many (WORM) capability. This feature allows
customers to easily integrate a cost-effective solution to secure,
manage, and archive compliant data records to meet stringent
industry regulations.