Differentiate between the characteristics of primary storage and secondary storage of a computer system. Justify the needs of each storage type.
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Answer:
Data storage is one of several basic, yet vital functions a computer performs. The concept of storage itself is defined by a hierarchy of four levels: primary storage, secondary storage, tertiary storage, and offline. You’re probably most familiar with primary storage and secondary storage, but how well do you know them, really? This post will serve as a primer for those who need an introduction or refresher course. So let’s see how primary storage vs secondary storage square off in the complex storage landscape.
The Main Storage Option
Typically located inside the computer, primary storage temporarily houses applications and data currently in use. Primary storage is often referred to as simply “memory” and can either be classified as volatile or non-volatile. Volatile memory such as RAM loses data as soon as the device loses power. The flash memory in solid state drives is non-volatile because the data is there even after you have turned it off. This enables some applications to recover unsaved information in the event of a crash.
RAM photo
Examples of Primary Storage
ROM: Unlike RAM, Read Only Memory (ROM) is both a non-volatile and permanent form of primary storage. ROM retains its contents even if the device loses power. You cannot change the data on it, but rather just read it. ROM is a more reliable form of storage and it will often boot instructions and other mission-critical data.
Magnetic tape: In use for well over half a century, magnetic tape was once the very foundation of backup systems. Tape lives inside cassettes and cartridges, and thanks to recent innovations, can store a TB of data or more. There has been much debate regarding its reliability over the years, but tape is still an option for secondary storage and backup across corporate environments worldwide.
Secondary storage is named as such because it doesn’t have direct access to CPU. As a result, it is considerably slower than primary storage. Luckily it compensates for that lack of speed in a number of ways. Aside from offering greater data retention, secondary storage is usually twice as cheap in comparison to its primary counterpart. It can also store significantly more information. An 8GB stick of RAM is a decent size, while new computers generally have 1TB hard drives. There is no comparison on capacity.
The Last Word
Primary and secondary storage are integral to a comprehensive storage strategy. The former provides reasonably fast and efficient access to resources. The latter offers a long-term retention solution for the swarm of documents, photos, and videos we accumulate on a daily basis. We sometimes take them for granted, but I’m sure we could not imagine the IT landscape without them.