Question

In this discussion, post your answer to the question in this thread. Your post should be a minimum of 300 words. Be sure to read any follow-ups to your post and reply to any questions or requests for clarification. Also, post a reply to one of your classmates’ posts. Your required follow-up post to your classmate should be a minimum of 150 words. Thanks! For this Discussion, answer the following question. Distinguish between primary & secondary storage Compare hardware interfaces SATA, PATA, SCSI Solid State Describe ways to improve hard-disk operations, including disk caching, redundant arrays of inexpensive disks, and data compression and decompression Discuss the different types of optical disks; mass storage Describe solid-state storage, Internet drives, and magnetic tape

Answer 1

Difference between Primary and Secondary Storage

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1. Storage

Data storage is the basic functionality of a computer which is divided into primary and secondary storage.

Primary storage refers to the main storage of the computer or main memory which is the random access memory or RAM.

Secondary storage, on the other hand, refers to the external storage devices used to store data on a long-term basis.

2. Access of Primary Vs. Secondary Storage

Primary storage holds data or applications which can be directly accessed by the processing unit with minimum or no delay.

On the contrary, secondary storage is used to store and retrieve data permanently with no delay.

3. Nature of Primary Vs. Secondary Storage

Primary storage is a volatile memory which means data is lost as soon as the device loses power and it cannot be retained. Primary storage is commonly referred to as primary memory such as the RAM.

Secondary storage, commonly known as secondary memory, is a non-volatile memory that is able to retain data even if the device loses power.

4. The device used for Primary Vs. Secondary Storage

RAM is the most common primary storage device which also goes by main memory and is used to store data machine code currently in use. Instructions can be retrieved from the RAM whenever required. It provides fast data access with no delay.

Secondary storage refers to external storage devices such as optical media (CDs and DVDs), hard disk drives (HDD), floppy disks, USB flash drives, etc.

5. Speed of Primary Vs. Secondary Storage

As programs and applications are stored in the main memory, primary storage provides fast and efficient access to the CPU.

On the contrary, secondary storage is more of a long-term storage solution with a substantial data storage capacity which makes them relatively slower than their primary counterparts.

10 ways to increase hard disk life and performance-

1. Remove duplicate files from hard disk

The first step towards enhancing the performance of duplicate files from hard disk. There are several free duplicate file finders that easily find all sort of duplicate files on the disk. Users can then remove all the duplicate copies and just keep a single one. You might use duplicate file finders such as Duplicate Cleaner. It might even find files that have some common content, even if the file names are different.

It is an important step in any hard disk cleaning exercise. Removing all the duplicate files from the hard disk can considerably reduce the space occupied on the hard drive.

2. Defragment Hard Disk

It’s one most widely known that speeds up the hard disk and improves performance.

3. Checking up for disk errors

It’s easy to check the disk errors as another useful tool that is provided by Windows XP. The tool is available in the Tools tab of the hard disk properties sheet. It offers simple check box options to check for file system errors and recover bad sectors. The error checking tool needs complete access to the disk for its work. Sometimes the application is closed and the user needs to reboot before it starts to gain complete access to the disk. In case you use the computer a lot it’s a great idea to run this tool once for a month to ensure your disk is working perfectly.

4. Compression/Encryption

In the NTFS you can compress folders and encrypt folders and files to stop unauthorized access of those files and folders. Given that the compression feature is impressive, compressed files takes longer to open and resave. If you want the maximum possible speed from the system you need to avoid compressing the drives.

Encryption will also reduce the performance in terms of the opening files. The encryption process needs to make sure that you have an authorized view of the file. In general the rule is to follow the encrypt files or folders that are necessary. Don’t get in the habit of encrypting everything.

5. To NTFS overhead disable the 8.3 filenames

NTFS is a feature packed file system that Windows XP users can work with. For compatibility with MS-DOS and old Windows 3.x systems, NTFS supports 8.3 filenames. It implies that the files are named with eight characters, followed by a dot and three-charecter extensions. It’s nothing wrong with it. Overload is unnecessary when you are not supporting older programs and systems. Some other programs depend on 8.3 filenames, so you need to turn off the 8.3 filename feature some programs might not work properly. It is unlikely at this point in time.

6. Master File Table

The NTFS Master File Table (MFT) keeps track of files on disks. This file logs all the files that are stored on a given disk. It includes the entry for the MFT itself. It works like an index of everything on the hard disk in much the same way that the address book. It makes the index of all these files so are easy to locate for defragmentation and for use by application.

7. Stop Hibernation

In Windows systems like XP the Hibernation feature is quite handy. It can be shared with others to optimize Windows XP disk performance to switch off hard disk Hibernation mode in Windows XP.

. Clean up unnecessary files and optimize the Recycle Bin

The number of temporary files, temporary Internet files, recent documents list in Windows start menu, download files and log files which Windows XP generates. In case you want the hard disk to perform in the best possible way, just delete all the junk files from it. It is an overstuffed hard drive that makes Windows XP work harder. Make sure that you have the system in place to keep the old files and junk cleaned up and removed.

9. Convert to NTFS

NTFS is better than FAT/FAT32 and allows users to use some management features of Windows XP that FAT/FAT32 does not support. Try to convert any FAT/FAT32 drives to NTFS. Its only exception is the rule used in a dual-boot system that also boots earlier version of Windows that doesn’t support NTFS, such as Windows 98 or Windows Me.

10. Remove the temporary files

Windows creates a lot of temporary files during the normal operation. They try to clean up those files while some of them stay and keep accumulating. For instance file fragments, browser cache, memory dumps, log files, cookies, Recycle Bin.

Different types of optical drives-

CD-ROM-

Compact Disk Read Only Memory drives were among the first disk-based drives for modern personal computers. CD-ROM drives populate disks with data using ISO 9660, the Compact Disk Filing System. This outlines the structure of saving and reading files from a compact disk, including the memory to be allotted separately for data and for system booting. Modern CD-ROM drives can achieve read speeds of 60 revolutions per second (60x); however, most CD-ROM drives in computers run at a slower speed to improve stability and reduce noise and will only speed up for larger data files and if the drive encounters read errors.

DVD-ROM-

Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory drives are the direct evolution from CD-ROM drives. DVDs had greater capacity and performance than their CD counterparts while retaining the same physical dimensions. The DVD Forum is the organization that oversees the development of DVDs. The organization sets multiple standards for the construction and functionality of DVDs. It regularly publishes DVD books that are released to the public; however, certain DVD specifications are not yet publicly available and must be licensed from the forum for a nominal fee.

BLU-RAY drives-

As of 2011, Blu-ray drives are the latest optical drives available in the commercial market. Sony was one of the founding proponents of developing Blu-ray technology during the early 2000s. Blu-ray drives are typically reserved for devices with high-definition display capabilities, including high-end computers and the PlayStation 3 video game console. Blu-ray drives and disks can process extremely large amounts of data: dual-sided Blu-ray disks can contain more than 50 gigabytes of data. Blu-ray drives also come in mini-disks (4 cm smaller in circumference than standard Blu-ray drives) but can process lesser amounts of data.

RW-Drives-

CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs and Blu-ray drives come in rewritable drive types. RW drives have all the functionality of their read-only counterparts but can also write data on the disk. Write speeds are typically slower than read speeds to maintain stability; write processes are highly sensitive to shock and can corrupt the disk beyond repair when forcibly interrupted. While RW drives can write multiple times, writable disks come in one-time write (R) and multiple-time write (RW) variations.

Solid State Storage-

Solid-state storage (SSS) are flash memory storage devices architected to house data without reading or writing on rotating disks like hard disk drives (HDD) do. SSS is non-volatile and accesses data faster than traditional rotating platter storage. Storing data electronically rather than magnetically, SSS flash media contains no moving parts for faster data transfer and swift input/output (I/O). SSS offers better data integrity, consumes far less energy, and is more resilient than HDD.

Internet Drives-

Online data storage refers to the practice of storing electronic data with a third party service accessed via the Internet. It is an alternative to traditional local storage (such as disk or tape drives) and portable storage (such as optical media or flash drives). It can also be called "hosted storage," "Internet storage" or "cloud storage."

One of the biggest benefits of online storage is the ability to access data from anywhere. As the number of devices the average person uses continues to grow, syncing or transferring data among devices has become more important. Not only does it help transfer data between devices, online data storage also provides the ability to share files among different users.

Magnetic Tapes-

Magnetic tape is one of the oldest technologies for electronic data storage. While tape has largely been displaced as a primary and backup storage medium, it remains well-suited for archiving because of its high capacity, low cost and long durability. If the tape is part of a library, robotic selection and loading the right cartridge into a tape drive can add latency. In an archive, latency is not an issue. With tape archiving, there is no online copy for quick retrieval, as everything is vaulted for the long term.