what is the difference between primary storage and secondary storage
Answers
Answer:
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.
Answer:
Primary storage (also known as main memory or internal memory), often referred to simply as memory, is the only one directly accessible to the CPU. The CPU continuously reads instructions stored there and executes them as required. Any data actively operated on is also stored there in uniform manner.
Types of primary storage devices
There are several types of primary storage devices; random access memory (RAM), Read-only Memory (ROM) and cache memory are common examples of primary storage devices.
Secondary storage (also known as external memory or auxiliary storage), differs from primary storage in that it is not directly accessible by the CPU. The computer usually uses its input/output channels to access secondary storage and transfers the desired data using intermediate area in primary storage. Secondary storage does not lose the data when the device is powered down—it is non-volatile. Per unit, it is typically also two orders of magnitude less expensive than primary storage. Modern computer systems typically have two orders of magnitude more secondary storage than primary storage and data are kept for a longer time there.
Types of secondary storage devices
The common hard drive and optical drive are both secondary storage devices. In addition, magnetic tapes, floppy disk, USB drives, paper tape, punched cards and so on.