Magnetic Secondary Storage Devices Quiz

Study Notes

Magnetic tape is a sequential storage medium mainly used for backups and archives.
Magnetic tapes are cost-effective, with a low cost per gigabyte.
Magnetic tapes can last for 10 to 20 years if stored correctly.
Hard disk drives (HDDs) consist of rotating disks coated with magnetic material.
Redundant array of independent/inexpensive disks (RAID) combines multiple hard disks into a single logical unit.
RAID aims to increase reliability and data availability, except for RAID 0 which focuses on performance.
RAID 0 spreads data across multiple disks, offering speed but lacking fault tolerance.

Network-attached storage (NAS) is a storage device connected directly to a network.
NAS units contain one or more hard drives and have their own network address.
NAS is suitable for small businesses and home users.

Storage Area Networks (SAN) are high-performance networks dedicated to storage.
SANs are used by large businesses and enterprises requiring high availability and scalability.
Storage as a Service (Cloud Storage) is hosted remotely and accessed over the internet.
Cloud storage is a convenient and scalable option for businesses of all sizes.
Cloud storage service providers rent space to individuals and organizations.

Input and output devices allow users to provide data and instructions to the computer and receive results.
They are part of a computer's user interface.
Organizations should consider their business needs when selecting input and output devices.

Single-user computers include portable devices like wearable computers, smartphones, laptops, and tablets, as well as nonportable desktops.
Multiple-user computers encompass servers, mainframes, and supercomputers.
General-purpose computers include desktops, laptops, and servers.
Special-purpose computers are designed for specific tasks like point-of-sale systems, medical imaging devices, and automotive diagnostics.

Thin clients are computing devices that rely heavily on a central server for processing and storage.
They have minimal local processing and storage and are heavily network-dependent.
Examples include hospital patient room devices accessing electronic health records on a central server and kiosks.

Servers are computers used by multiple users to perform specific tasks or services.
Web servers deliver web content, DNS servers convert domain names into IP addresses, mail servers manage emails, and file servers manage and share files.
Tower servers are standalone units resembling desktop computers.
Rack servers are designed to be mounted in a standard server rack.

Mainframe computers are large, powerful servers designed for high-volume transaction processing and reliability.
They can handle a large number of transactions simultaneously.
IBM is a leading mainframe manufacturer with the z13 model capable of processing 2.5 billion transactions per day.
Mainframes are used in various applications, including payroll processing for millions of employees and package tracking for millions of shipments.

Supercomputers are the most powerful computer systems, offering the fastest processing speed.
They are used for complex calculations in weather forecasting and AI research.
Supercomputers utilize both CPUs and GPUs for enhanced performance.
Frontier, as of April 2023, is the world’s fastest supercomputer, achieving exascale computing.
Supercomputer applications include imaging geophysical resources, assessing oil and gas reserves, and supporting deep learning in AI.