A soft storage medium for computer files. Storage media – external and internal
Information carriers – material that is intended for recording, storage and subsequent reproduction of information.
Storage medium - a strictly defined part of a specific information system, used for intermediate storage or transmission of information.
Storage medium is the physical environment in which it is recorded.
The media can be paper, photographic film, brain cells, punched cards, punched tapes, magnetic tapes and disks or computer memory cells. Modern technology offers more and more new varieties storage media. They use the electrical, magnetic and optical properties of materials to encode information. Media are being developed in which information is recorded even at the level of individual molecules.
IN modern society There are three main types of storage media:
1) Perforated - have a paper base, information is entered in the form of punches in the corresponding row and column. The volume of information is 800 bits or 100 KB;
2) Magnetic – they use flexible magnetic disks and cassette magnetic tapes;
3) optical.
Information carriers include:
- magnetic drums- an early type of computer memory, widely used in the 1950-1960s. Invented by Gustav Tauschek in 1932 in Austria. Later, the magnetic drum was replaced by memory on magnetic cores.
- floppy disks- a portable magnetic storage medium used for repeated recording and storage of relatively small data. Writing and reading is carried out using a special device - a disk drive;
- magnetic tapes- a magnetic recording medium, which is a thin flexible tape consisting of a base and a magnetic working layer;
- optical discs - an information carrier in the form of a disk with a hole in the center, information from which is read using a laser. The compact disc was originally created for digital audio storage, but is now widely used as a general-purpose storage device;
- flash memory - a type of solid-state semiconductor non-volatile rewritable memory. Flash memory can be read as many times as desired, but it can only be written to limited number times (usually about 10 thousand times). Erasing occurs in sections, so you cannot change one bit or byte without overwriting the entire section.
All media can be divided into:
1. Human readable (documents).
2. Machine-readable (machine) - for intermediate storage of information (disks).
3. Human-machine-readable – combined media for highly specialized purposes (forms with magnetic stripes).
However, the rapid development of computer technology has erased the line between the 1st and 3rd groups - a scanner has appeared that allows you to enter information from documents into the computer memory.
All currently available storage media can be divided according to various criteria. First of all, it is necessary to distinguish volatile And non-volatile information storage devices.
Non-volatile drives used for archiving and saving data arrays are divided into:
1. by type of record:
– magnetic storage (HDD, floppy disk, removable disk);
– magnetic-optical systems, also called MO;
– optical, such as CD (Compact Disk, Read Only Memory) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk);
2. by construction methods:
– a rotating plate or disk (like hard drive, floppy disk, removable disk, CD, DVD or MO);
– drives without moving parts (for example, Flash Card, RAM (Random Access Memory), which have a limited scope due to the relatively small volumes memory compared to the above).
If you want to fast access to information, such as when outputting or transmitting data, media with a rotating disk are used. For archiving performed periodically (Backup), on the contrary, tape media are more preferable. They have large amounts of memory combined with a low price, although at relatively low performance.
Based on their purpose, storage media are divided into three groups:
1. Spread of information: Pre-recorded media such as CD ROM or DVD-ROM;
2. archiving: media for one-time recording of information, such as CD-R or DVD-R (R (record able) - for recording);
3. backup or data transfer: media with the ability to record information reusably, such as floppy disks, hard disks, MO, CD-RW (RW (rewritable) - rewritable and tapes.
Information media are classified according to four parameters: the nature of the media, its purpose, the number of write cycles and durability.
By nature, information carriers are material-objective and biochemical. The first are those that can be touched, picked up, moved from place to place: letters, books, flash drives, disks, finds of archaeologists and paleontologists. The latter are of a biological nature and cannot be physically touched: the genome, any part of it - RNA, DNA, genes, chromosomes.
According to their intended purpose, information carriers are divided into specialized and general purpose. Specialized ones are those that are created only for one type of information storage. For example, for digital recording. And a broad purpose is a medium on which information can be written in different ways: the same paper, they can write and draw on it.
Depending on the number of recording cycles, the media can be single or multiple. The first one can record information only once, the second one - many times. One-time example information carrier - CD-R disc, A CD-RW disc already refers to multiple ones.
The durability of a medium is the length of time it will store information. Those that are considered short-lived are inevitably destroyed: if you write something on the sand near the water, the wave will wash away the inscription in half an hour or an hour. And long-term ones can only be destroyed by an accidental circumstance - a library burns down or a flash drive suddenly falls into the sewer and lies in the water for many years.
Storage media are made from four types of material:
- paper, from which punched cards and punched tapes were previously made, and book pages are still made from;
- plastic for optical disks or tags;
- magnetic materials needed for magnetic tapes;
- semiconductors, which are used to create computer memory.
In the past, the list was richer: information media were made from wax, fabric, birch bark, clay, stone, bone and much more.
To change the structure of the material from which the information carrier is created, 4 types of influences are used:
- mechanical - sewing, threading, drilling;
- electrical - electrical signals;
- thermal - burning;
- chemical - etching or painting.
Of the media of the past, the most popular were punched cards and punched tapes, magnetic tapes, and then 3.5-inch floppy disks.
Punch cards were made from cardboard, then pierced in the right places so that the holes in the cardboard resembled a pattern, and information was read from them. And punched tapes appeared later, were made of paper and were used in the telegraph.
Magnetic tapes reduced the popularity of punched cards and punched paper tapes to zero. Such tapes could both store and reproduce information - play recorded songs, for example. At the same time, tape recorders appeared on which you could listen to both cassettes and reels. But the shelf life of magnetic tapes was modest - up to 50 years.
When floppy disks appeared, magnetic tapes became a thing of the past. Floppy disks were small, 3.5 inches, and could store up to 3 MB of information. However, they were sensitive to magnetic influences, and their capacity did not keep up with the needs of people - they needed media that could store much more data.
Now there are many such carriers: external hard disks, optical discs, flash drives, HDD box s and remote servers.
external HDs
External hard disks packaged in a compact case with one or two USB adapters and a vibration protection system. They can store up to 2 TB of information.
- easy to connect: no need to turn off the computer, mess with the power cable and sata - on external hard The drives have a USB0 interface, they are connected like regular flash drives;
- easy to transport: such devices are very small, you can easily take them on a trip, on a visit, you can even carry them in your pocket, and they are also quite easy to connect to a home theater;
- you can connect so many to your computer hard drives how many USB ports are there?
- the information transfer speed is lower than over a sata connection;
- increased power supply is required, so a double USB cable is required;
- The case is plastic, which means that you can hear clicks or other noise during operation.
However, if the disk is in a rubberized metal case, then no one will hear the noise.
External hard drives come in portable (2.5) and desktop (3.5) types. The interface can be exotic - firewire or bluetooth, but these are more expensive, they are less common and you need additional block nutrition.
Optical discs
These include CDs, LaserDiscs, HD-DVDs, MiniDiscs and Blu-rays. Information from such disks is read using optical radiation, which is why they are called that.
The optical disc has four generations:
- the first is laser, compact and mini disc;
- the second - DVD and CD-ROM;
- third - HD-DVD and Blu-ray;
- fourth - Holographic Versatile Disc and SuperRens Disc.
CDs are almost never used these days. They have a small volume - 700 MB, and the data is read from them by a laser beam. Compact discs were divided into two types: those on which nothing could be written (CD), and those on which it was possible to write (CD-R and CD-RW).
DVDs are similar in appearance to CDs, but have significantly more storage capacity. DVDs have several formats, the most popular being DVD-5 at 4.37 GB and DVD-9 at 7.95 GB. Such discs also come in R - for write once, and RW - for multiple write.
Blu-ray discs, being the same size as CDs and DVDs, hold much more data - up to 25 and up to 50 GB. Up to 25 are discs with one layer of information recording, and up to 50 - with two. And they are also divided into R - write once, and RE - write multiple times.
Flash drives
Flash drive is very small device, which with memory up to 64 GB and more. Flash drives are connected to a computer via a USB port; they have high read and write speeds and are made of plastic. Inside the flash drive electronic board with memory chip.
The flash drive can be connected to a computer and TV, and if it is in Micro-CD format, then to a tablet or smartphone. Scratches and dust that could destroy optical discs are not scary for a flash drive - it is slightly susceptible to external influences.
HDD boxes
This is an option that allows you to use regular hard drives desktop computers as external. HDD box is a plastic box with a USB controller where you can place regular hard disk and easily transfer information directly, avoiding additional copying and pasting.
HDD box is much cheaper than an external hard drive, and is very useful if you need to transfer it to another computer a large number of information or even almost all hard section disk.
Remote servers
This virtual method data storage. The information will be on a remote server, which you can connect to from a computer, tablet, or smartphone, you just need to have access to the Internet.
WITH physical media information there is always a risk of losing data, since a flash drive, hard or optical drive may break. But with a remote server there is no such problem - the information is stored securely and for as long as the user needs it. Moreover, on remote servers There is backup storage in case of unforeseen situations.
There are so many concepts in the Russian language that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between two very similar, but still different definitions. But there are terms that do not carry additional meanings, but have a clear and understandable interpretation. For example, the concept of “electronic storage medium”. This is the definition material carrier, which records, stores and reproduces data that is processed thanks to computer technology.
Where did it all start?
More general meaning this term is an "information carrier" or "information carrier". It defines a material object or environment that is used by a person. Moreover, such an item stores data for a long time without using additional equipment.
If a source of energy is needed to store information on electronic media, then a simple data carrier can be stone, wood, paper, metal and other materials.
Any object that displays data printed on it can be called an information carrier. It is believed that information media are needed for recording, storing, reading, and transmitting materials.
Peculiarities
It is not difficult to guess that an electronic storage medium is a type of information storage medium. It also has its own classification, which, although not officially established, is used by many specialists.
For example, electronic media may be write-once or write-once. Here we mean devices:
- optical;
- semiconductor;
- magnetic.
Each of these mechanisms has several types of equipment.
Electronic storage media has, first of all, a number of advantages over paper versions. First, thanks to technology, the amount of data archived can be virtually unlimited. Secondly, the collection and presentation of relevant information is ergonomic and fast. Thirdly, digital data is presented in a convenient form.
But electronic media also has its drawbacks. For example, this includes the unreliability of equipment, in some cases the size of the device, dependence on electricity, as well as the requirements for the constant availability of a device that could read files from such a digital drive.
Type: optical discs
An electronic storage medium is a device that can be optical, semiconductor, or magnetic. This is the only classification of such equipment.
In turn, optical devices are also divided into types. This includes laser disc, CD, Mini Disc, Blu-ray, HD-DVD and so on. The optical disk is so named due to the technology for reading information. Reading from the disk occurs using optical radiation.
The idea of this electronic medium originated a long time ago. The scientists who developed the technology were awarded the Nobel Prize. The method of reproducing information from an optical disc appeared back in 1958.
Now optical electronic media has 4 generations. The first generation had: laser disc, compact disc and mini disc. In the second generation, DVDs and CD-ROMs became popular. In the third generation, Blu-ray and HD-DVD stood out. In the fourth generation, Holographic Versatile Disc and SuperRens Disc are actively developing.
Semiconductor media
The next type of electronic storage medium is semiconductor. This includes flash drives and SSD drives.
Flash memory is the most popular electronic storage medium that uses semiconductor technology and programmable memory. He is in demand due to his small sizes, low price, mechanical strength, acceptable volume, speed of operation and low energy consumption.
The disadvantages of this option are limited period use and ESD dependence. People first started talking about a flash drive in 1984.
An SSD is a semiconductor electronic storage device, also called a solid state drive. It replaced the hard drive, although this moment did not completely replace it, but only became an addition to home systems. Unlike a hard drive, solid state drive based on memory chips.
The main advantages of such a medium are its compact dimensions, high speed, wear resistance. But at the same time it has a high cost.
Magnetic disks
AND last view Electronic media are considered magnetic devices. These include magnetic tapes, floppy disks and hard drives. Since the first and second equipment are not currently in use, we will talk about the railway.
A hard disk is a random access device based on magnetic recording technology. At the moment, it is the main storage device of most modern computer systems.
Its main difference from the previous type, floppy disk, is that recording is carried out on aluminum or glass plates, which are covered with a layer of ferromagnetic material.
Other options
Despite the fact that, when talking about electronic media, we often think of devices connected to a computer, this does not mean that this concept used only in computer technology.
The spread of electronic media is associated with the ease of use, high speed writing and reading. Therefore, this equipment is replacing paper media.
Documentation
What is a passport with an electronic storage medium? At first, this question can drive a person into a dead end. But if you think about it carefully, you will remember such a concept as a “biometric passport”.
This is a state document that certifies the identity and citizenship of the traveler at the time of his move abroad and stay in another country. Essentially, we have the same passport, but with some nuances.
The difference between a biometric document and a traditional passport is that the first one carries a specially mounted microcircuit that stores the owner’s photo card and his personal data.
Thanks to a small microcircuit, you can obtain the last name, first name and patronymic of the document owner, his date of birth, passport number, time of issue and end of the validity period. According to the model, the microcircuit should contain a person’s biometric data. This includes a pattern of the iris or a fingerprint.
Introduction of the document: advantages and disadvantages
Despite the fact that the biometric passport has long been introduced by many states, some citizens have a negative attitude towards it. But this document has both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages include the fact that passing the border checkpoint now does not take much time. If in such places there is special equipment that can read a microchip, then crossing the border becomes safe and fast.
But not all citizens like a biometric passport. Many believe that the introduction of such a document is a manifestation of total control, behind which is the US government.
Criminal case
The development of electronic storage media has affected many areas. This also includes a criminal case. In 2012, the term electronic storage medium was introduced into the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation. Thus, such devices could become material evidence.
Electronic storage media have become an important detail in the investigation of a criminal case, subject to certain conditions. For example, data from the media must be directly relevant to the investigation. In addition, they must be transmitted by a reliable source that can be verified. The data must be in a special form, for example, represented by video recordings, photographs, screenshots, and so on. When seizing digital information, you must comply with established laws.
During the investigation of a criminal case, it is necessary to keep records of electronic storage media. In this case, a log is created in which all devices are registered. Each one is assigned an identification number.
The importance of electronic media in criminal investigation is a controversial issue to this day. Legislatively, such devices are not classified as any source of evidence. This is where disagreements can arise.
conclusions
Electronic storage media for modern man- a real find. With the development of technology, the volume of archives that store data is becoming larger. Every year new possibilities for transmitting and reading information appear.
For long-term storage of information in a computer, removable media are widely used, such as optical disks, flash memory, and an external hard drive.
Optical discs
Data can be stored on optical discs in CD format (from the English Compact Disc), with a capacity of up to 700 MB and DVD format discs (from the English Digital Versatile Disc - digital multi-purpose disk), with a capacity of up to 4.7 GB for single-layer discs (SL - Single Layer) and 7.9 GB for double-layer (DL – Double Layer).
In turn, optical discs are divided into disposable discs, which can be written only once - CD-R (or DVD-R) discs, and reusable discs, which can be rewritten multiple times - CD-RW (or DVD-RW) discs.
In computer jargon, blank discs without recording are called “blanks,” and the recording process is called “burning.” Used to read and write discs special device, called CD drive – DVD-ROM, which is installed in, the receiving tray of the device goes to the front panel of the system unit. DVD-ROM is universal device, allowing you to both read and write discs of both formats (CD and DVD). In order to place a disc in the drive, you need to press a button on its panel; a tray will slide out of the drive, onto which you need to place the disc, shiny side down. Then press the button again or lightly push the tray itself so that it closes.
Flash memory
Flash memory (USB Flash drive). Now even the most distant person from computers has probably heard the word. This is flash memory. Today, flash drives are rapidly replacing optical disks due to ease of handling, memory capacity, writing and reading speed.
At the time of writing, flash drives with capacities from 4 GB to 128 GB are available for sale. The larger the capacity, the more expensive the flash drive. In addition, flash drives have different speed recording and reading, but in any case it is several times higher than that of optical disks.
To connect a flash drive to a computer, you just need to insert it into the USB connector (port) on the front or rear panel of the system unit.
Memory cards, familiar to us as storage media in smartphones and digital cameras, also belong to flash memory and can serve removable media in computer. In this case, reading and writing data is performed by a card reader, which can be built into system unit or connected to it via USB port. The capacity of memory cards varies from 4 GB to 128 GB.
, plastic with special properties (for example, in optical discs) and others.
An information carrier can be any object from which it is possible (accessible) to read (read) the information available on it (printed, recorded).
Information carriers in science (libraries), technology (say, for communication needs), public life (media), and everyday life are used for:
- records;
- storage;
- reading;
- transmission (distribution);
- creating works of computer art.
Often, the information carrier itself is placed in a protective shell, which increases its safety and, accordingly, the reliability of storing information (for example: paper sheets are placed in a cover, a memory chip is placed in plastic (smart card), magnetic tape is placed in a case, etc. ).
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Subtitles
The hard drive is an external storage medium and, from my point of view, it has the most important function for the user. The point is that it contains operating system, application programs and user files, that is, everything that allows you to use the computer for its intended purpose. Understanding the essence of how a hard drive works will allow you to competently configure information storage areas, as well as independently diagnose problems that are quite often associated with this particular device. The name “hard disk” (Hard Disk Drive) has been attached to this device for a long time and it is connected with the fact that the predecessor of the hard disk were floppy disks, which were called floppy disks. Nobody uses floppy disks anymore, but the name “hard drive” remains the same. Now I will not go into detail about the hard drive design, since I have a whole short video course dedicated to this issue. Let me just say that the hard drive is the only mechanical device in a computer and it is this fact that imposes a number of limitations. The most basic limitation is the speed of reading and writing data. Windows 7 has a so-called performance index, which evaluates various subsystems of the computer in points and shows the degree of their impact on overall performance. By the way, the Windows Performance Index did not live up to the expectations of the operating system developers and is quite difficult to navigate when choosing software, and this is precisely the task that was originally assigned to it. Starting with Windows 8.1, developers removed the performance index, or rather, it is missing from graphical interface, although you can still test using commands. I'll talk about this in more detail a little later. So, the hard drive, as the weakest link, has the maximum impact on the overall performance assessment. As I already said, the reason is quite simple - the electro-mechanical design of a hard drive is capable of providing data read-write speeds only at a limited level. The read-write speed directly depends on the rotation speed of the magnetic drum and, as you understand, this speed is limited. Usually it is 7200 rpm, but there are discs with rotation speeds of both 10,000 and 15,000 rpm. Such hard drives are much more expensive and their use in home computers is impractical. Ten years ago, the data transfer speed provided by hard drives was quite sufficient, but now the performance of other computer systems has increased significantly and the hard drive has become the weakest link. So, despite a number of obvious shortcomings, the hard drive is still the most common storage medium today. However, it has long had a competitor - a solid-state drive (SSD - solid-state drive), which, roughly speaking, is a large flash drive. An SSD does not have the disadvantages of a hard drive, for example, it is absolutely silent, since it does not contain mechanical parts, and, of course, it provides data transfer speeds several times higher than the speed of hard drives. But still, I believe that the hard drive will remain in the lead for quite some time due to the optimal ratio of its cost and the amount of stored information. Solid-state drives are still quite expensive and not everyone can afford them, although you can significantly improve the performance of your computer quite inexpensively, and we will definitely talk about this later. The most important thing that you need to understand now is that the operation of the operating system and programs installed on the computer does not depend in any way on the principles of operation of the storage medium. That is, it doesn’t matter whether you use a hard drive or an SSD. If you are interested in the design of a hard drive, then pay attention to my video course “Hard Drives: Problems and Solutions.” In it I analyzed in detail and hard device disk, and the problems that are most typical for these storage media. However, I would recommend studying this course after completing this... Well, now I would like to focus not on the physical structure of the storage media, but on the software component, that is, on how the operating system perceives the storage media. This point is very important, since it is directly related to the installation of the operating system on the computer, and also concerns the organization of storing user information on the computer. And we will talk about it in the next video.
Media classification
- for one-time recording;
- for multiple recording.
- for long-term storage (cessation of the carrier function is due to random circumstances);
- for short-term storage (cessation of function is due to natural processes leading to inevitable degradation of the medium).
Basic materials
To make changes to the structure of the carrier material, different kinds impacts:
- mechanical (carving, drilling, sewing);
- thermal (burning, baking [ ]);
- electrical (electrical signals);
- chemical (painting, etching, etc.);
Electronic media
Electronic media include media for single or multiple recording (usually digital) electrically:
- optical (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Blu-ray Disc);
- semiconductor (flash memory, floppy disks, etc.).
Electronic media have significant advantages over paper media (sheets, newspapers, magazines):
- by volume (size) of stored information;
- by unit cost of storage;
- on the efficiency and efficiency of providing relevant (intended for short-term storage) information;
- whenever possible, providing information in a form convenient for the consumer (formatting, sorting).
Storage devices
Storage device consists of the following elements:
- information carrier;
- recording device- mechanisms that record information on the medium;
- reader (reader) - mechanisms that read information from the media.
Information storage- an information storage device capable of adding incoming information to existing information.
These devices can be based on a variety of physical principles.
If the storage medium is not widely used, it must be protected from external influences, or requires complex setup, then it can be delivered to the consumer complete with a reading/writing device (for example, a music box, a command device (electromechanical programmer) of a washing machine).
Story
The need to exchange information, preserve written evidence about one’s life, etc. has always existed for humans. Throughout the history of mankind, many information carriers have been tried. Since the medium has a number of parameters, the evolution of the information medium was determined by what requirements were placed on it.
Ancient times
Disadvantage of this medium The problem was that over time it darkened and broke. An additional disadvantage was that the Egyptians introduced a ban on the export of papyrus abroad.
Asia
The disadvantages of storage media (clay, papyrus, wax) stimulated the search for new media. This time the principle “everything new is well forgotten old” worked: c). Books on parchment - palimpsests(from Greek παλίμψηστον - a manuscript written on parchment using washed or scraped text).
As in other countries, Southeast Asia has tried many different ways recording and saving information:
Due to the shortcomings of the previous carriers, the Chinese emperor Liu Zhao ordered a worthy replacement to be found, and one of the officials (Tsai Lun) in 105 AD. e. developed a method for producing paper (which has not changed much to this day) from wood fibers, straw, grass, moss, rags, tow, plant waste, etc. Some historians claim that Tsai Lun learned the process of making paper from the paper wasp ( builds a nest from wood fibers chewed and moistened with sticky saliva) τετράς translated from Greek - four).
However, inscriptions on wax are short-lived, and the problem of preserving records was very pressing.