| Abstract: | | | | of writing. |
| This is the article brings the brief about the today's | | | | Digital Versatile Disks: |
| and future computer storage options. Most of ours | | | | This is the improved form of compact disks, |
| using computers and systems, but we do not know | | | | commonly known as DVD. It has another expansion |
| much more details about the storage and storage | | | | like Digital Video Disks also. It also contains DVD-R |
| options existing today. For those people, you can | | | | and DVD-RW separation like the above. A standard |
| easily get to know about the brief introduction and | | | | DVD offers 4.7 GB (Single Layer) / 8.5 GB (Dual |
| overview of nowadays storage options - personal | | | | Layer) storage. But it looks similar like CD. We can |
| and enterprise from this article. | | | | read/write the CDs in the DVD Writer, but CD writer |
| Hard Disk Drive: | | | | won't read the DVD. |
| If anyone hears about computer storage, suddenly | | | | Blu-Ray Disks: |
| he might have think about this hard disk only. It is a | | | | It is the next-generation optical disks, able to hold |
| common storage option, most of the PC's have. | | | | high-definition video and other high-density storage. A |
| After 1990, the evolutions of hard disk become more | | | | single-sided Blu-ray disk can hold 25 GB of storage, |
| and more. So it easily occupies our PC's without any | | | | while a dual-sided one can store 50 GB. The Blu-ray |
| competitions of other storage options. Compare to | | | | disk's size is similar to that of the CD and the DVD - |
| other storage options this is the smartest storage, | | | | 120 mm in diameter. It uses 405 nm wavelength of |
| suitable for personal computers. There are two main | | | | laser, so only it named as a Blu-ray disk. It has 54 |
| types of hard disks are used in today's systems. | | | | Mbps transfer rate is superior to both the CD (150 |
| They are,o Magnetic Hard Diskso Solid State Disks | | | | Kbps) and the DVD's (11.1 Mbps). Blu-ray discs are |
| Magnetic Hard Disks: | | | | more expensive and slower to manufacture, mainly |
| Magnetic Hard Disk Drive is a digital data storage | | | | used for Game storage like play stations. |
| device that reads and writes data via magnetization | | | | RAID: |
| changes of a magnetic storage disk. This includes one | | | | It is expanded like Redundant Array of Independent |
| or more randomly accessible rotatable storage media, | | | | Disks. It is a technology that employs the |
| or disks. Nowadays magnetic hard disks are there in | | | | simultaneous use of two or more Hard disk drive to |
| market up to terabytes. Yes, a single hard disk drive | | | | achieve greater levels of performance, reliability, and |
| has that much memory like a big storage server. The | | | | or larger data volume sizes. A RAID distributes data |
| first commercial magnetic HDD introduced by IBM in | | | | across several physical disks. There are three |
| 1956 having 5MB storage. But last year Hitachi | | | | different types of RAID concepts. They are,o |
| introduced 1TB magnetic HDD. This year 2008, | | | | Software RAIDo Hardware RAIDo Firmware/driver |
| Seagate announced 1.5 TB HDD for personal and | | | | based RAID |
| enterprise purposes. This HDD are having data | | | | Tape Storage: |
| transfer rate is nearly 16 to 20 Mb/s. | | | | The main usage of tape storage is offline storage |
| Solid State Disks: | | | | and backup for primary storage. Today's magnetic |
| The design of solid-state disk starts with combining | | | | tape is most commonly packaged in cartridges and |
| the each block like Flash memory, Memory controller, | | | | cassettes. Tape drives can be connected to a |
| RAM, RAM Controller, Processor and Host etc., | | | | computer with SCSI commonly and Fibre Channel, |
| M-Systems introduced first flash-based solid-state | | | | FICON, ESCON, parallel port, IDE, SATA, USB, |
| drives in 1995. (SanDisk acquired M-Systems in | | | | FireWire or other interfaces also. It has the following |
| November 2006). Since then, flash based SSDs | | | | important benefits.o It offers lowest cost per |
| demands high in military and aerospace industries, as | | | | megabyte of all storage media options.o Extremely |
| well as other mission-critical applications. Nowadays in | | | | high capacity per cartridge.o Portable |
| SSD, Flash is used as a permanent storage and RAM | | | | The same like it has some limitations also.o Very slow |
| is used as a temporary storage between Flash and | | | | operation (both read and write)o Relatively short |
| processor to increase the performance. | | | | operational life compare to other storage mediao |
| It's very suitable for small hand held systems and | | | | Subject to deterioration and environmental hazards |
| note books, because it does not have moving parts, | | | | The difference between tape data storage and disk |
| requires less power, Host data transfer rate of up to | | | | data storage is that tape is an Sequential access |
| 3Gb/s and silent operation. Up to 2007 middle only | | | | medium while disk is a random access medium. |
| 64GB (Samsung & SanDisk) solid-state drives | | | | Nowadays Tape Storage is used to store data's, |
| are there in the market with in the size that is | | | | which doesn't need, but should have a Backup like |
| compatible with notebooks. In this year Samsung | | | | Hospital passed away patients record. |
| announces a super-fast 256 GB, 2.5-inch solid-state | | | | Network Attached Storage: |
| drive. 'Super Talent' has announced the world's | | | | It is commonly known as NAS, used for enterprise |
| thinnest 256 GB 2.5-inch SSD drive. Toshiba also | | | | storage as a server. These devices contains |
| launched 3 MLC flash SSD families with SATA | | | | embedded processors that run some sort of |
| interfaces. | | | | operating system or microprocessors that |
| Optical Disks: | | | | understands networking protocols and is optimized |
| The main uses of optical storage disks are content | | | | for particular tasks, such as file service and network |
| exchange, backup and archiving and not for primary | | | | backup etc., NAS is an ideal choice for organizations |
| storage. It's having capacity from 300 MB to 30 GB. | | | | looking for a simple and cost-effective way to |
| Before the evolutions of Optical Storage Disks, the | | | | achieve fast data access for multiple clients at the |
| Magnetic floppy disks are used for data exchange | | | | file level. Some important benefits of NAS are listed |
| and for small storages. Because of the very little | | | | below.o Files are easily shared among users at high |
| storage (1.44 MB) and small life period of floppy, the | | | | demand and performanceo Files are easily accessible |
| optical disks had overtaken that. There are four main | | | | by the same user from different locationso Demand |
| commercial types of optical disk's are there for | | | | for local storage at the desktop is reducedo Storage |
| present day usage. They are,o Laser Diskso | | | | can be added more economically and partitioned |
| Compact Disks (CD)o Digital Versatile Disks (DVD)o | | | | among users-Highly scalableo Data can be backed up |
| Blu-Ray Disks (BD) | | | | form the common repository more efficiently than |
| Laser Disks: | | | | from desktopso Multiple file servers can be |
| The laserdisc was the first optical storage medium | | | | consolidated into a single managed storage pool |
| used for commercial purposes, particularly for the | | | | Storage Area Network: |
| movie industry. Paul Gregg invented the laserdisc | | | | It is commonly known as SAN. It is a high |
| technology in 1958, making use of a transparent disc. | | | | performance storage network that transfers data |
| Laserdiscs are famous in 80's for audio songs and | | | | between servers and storage devices, separate from |
| although the VHS (Video Home System) cassettes | | | | the local area network. For a normal person these |
| and the CD/DVD format has overtaken the Laserdisc | | | | two, SAN and NAS are giving big confusion. These |
| in usage. It looks 30 centimeters in diameter and it is | | | | two are used as server storage but the main |
| made up of two single-sided discs. Laserdisc is | | | | difference is, NAS uses LAN but SAN won't use it. |
| actually an analog format unlike CDs or DVDs which | | | | Some advantages of SAN over NAS are listed |
| are digital. Now Laser disks doesn't have any market, | | | | below.o Superior Performanceo Reduces Network |
| but still some people are using this to hear old songs. | | | | bottleneckso Highly Scalableo Allows backup of |
| Compact Disks: | | | | storage devices with minimal impact on production |
| The most common form of optical storage is the | | | | operationso Flexibility in configuration. |
| Compact Disk (CD). Even with the arrival of other | | | | Online Backup: |
| more powerful optical media, CDs remain a popular | | | | The above said methods are convenient and quick, |
| way for industries to package software, games, | | | | and many offer plenty of inexpensive storage space. |
| music, and movies. These discs provide low-cost and | | | | For Enterprises, the big problem is coming at the time |
| easy-to-use back-up for and physical transfer of data | | | | of disaster, hurricane, earthquake, fire occurs, both |
| files. Normally compact disks are coming in two ways. | | | | the computer and the data backup servers could be |
| One is CD-R (one time write and more number of | | | | destroyed. There's also the problem of theft, of |
| reads) and CD-RW (More number of read and | | | | course. But online backup services, which save the |
| writes). A standard CD has a capacity of about 74 | | | | most critical computer files on a secure, off-site |
| minutes of standard CD audio music and holds about | | | | server over the Internet. |
| 700 MB. But actual capacity depends on the format | | | | |