Secondary Storage

Secondary Storage

1. Magnetic

   • Various backup capabilities available
   • Easy to store and transport media
   • Typically a fully automatic operation, requires no user intervention aside from changing tape cartridges.
   • Long shelf life
   • Have a write-protection mechanism
   • Data is not encrypted
   • High failure rate
   • Fragile and must be replaced frequently

2. Optical Media

   • Can last a long time with proper care.
   • Data cannot be overwritten as they can't be reused.
   • Widely used on other platforms, including the PC.
   • Provides the capability to pinpoint a particular piece of data.
   • Mass storage capacity
   • Easily broken
   • They require special drives to read and write
   • They are expensive

3. Solid State