-
What is a mass storage device?
-
A non-volatile storage device that retains data even when the computer is turned off. It can use magnetic, optical, or solid-state technology.
-
What are fixed disks, and where are they installed?
-
Fixed disks are storage devices installed inside a computer. They come in sizes like 5.25, 3.5, and 2.5 inches and are secured in drive bays using caddies.
-
What factors should be considered when choosing a storage device?
-
Reliability, performance (read/write speed), and intended use (speed or capacity).
-
Name some common brands of mass storage devices.
-
Seagate, Western Digital, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Toshiba, and Samsung.
-
How do SSDs store data?
-
SSDs use flash memory technology for persistent storage, making them faster and more reliable than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs).
-
What is wear leveling in SSDs?
-
A technique used to evenly distribute data writing across all memory cells, counteracting the degradation of NAND flash memory over time.
-
What interfaces do SSDs use for connection?
-
SSDs can connect via 2.5-inch SATA, mSATA, PCIe, or M.2 form factors.
-
What is the maximum speed of a PCIe SSD using NVMe?
-
Up to 6.7 GB/s.
-
What precautions should be taken when handling SSDs?
-
Anti-electrostatic discharge (anti-ESD) measures to avoid damaging sensitive components.
-
How do HDDs store data?
-
HDDs use magnetic technology to store data on spinning metal or glass platters, accessed by read/write heads.
-
What factors influence the performance of an HDD?
-
RPM (revolutions per minute), seek time (time to locate a track), and rotational latency (delay due to sector location on spinning platters).
-
What are common RPM speeds for HDDs?
-
15,000, 10,000, 7,200, and 5,400 RPM.
-
What interface is most commonly used by modern HDDs?
-
SATA.
-
What is removable storage?
-
Storage devices or media that can be easily moved between computers, such as USB drives, external HDDs/SSDs, and memory cards.
-
What are common interfaces for connecting external storage devices?
-
USB, Thunderbolt, and eSATA.
-
What types of memory cards are used in devices like cameras and smartphones?
-
SD, SDHC, SDXC, and microSD cards.
-
How do optical drives store data?
-
Using lasers to read and write data on discs like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs.
-
What are the capacities of different optical discs?
-
CDs hold up to 700 MB, DVDs up to 17 GB, and Blu-rays up to 25 GB per layer.
-
How are optical drives installed and connected?
-
Internal optical drives fit into a 5.25-inch drive bay and connect via SATA. External drives connect through USB, eSATA, or Thunderbolt.
-
What is RAID, and what is its purpose?
-
A system that combines multiple HDDs or SSDs to provide data redundancy and fault tolerance, preventing data loss if a drive fails.
-
What is the main difference between software and hardware RAID?
-
Software RAID is managed by the operating system, while hardware RAID uses a dedicated controller card for improved reliability and support for more RAID levels.
-
What is a key advantage of using hardware RAID controllers?
-
They support hot swapping, allowing failed drives to be replaced without shutting down the system.
-
What are the requirements and benefits of RAID 0 (Striping without Parity)?
-
Requires at least two disks. Provides faster performance by splitting data into blocks across multiple disks but offers no data redundancy.
-
What are the requirements and benefits of RAID 1 (Mirroring)?
-
Requires exactly two disks. Duplicates all data for fault tolerance, allowing data recovery if one disk fails, but reduces usable storage capacity by half.
-
What does RAID 5 (Striping with Distributed Parity) offer?
-
Stripes data across multiple disks while distributing parity information for data recovery. Requires at least three disks and offers a good balance of performance and disk utilization.
-
What is the advantage of RAID 10 (Stripe of Mirrors)?
-
Combines RAID 1 (mirroring) and RAID 0 (striping) to provide excellent performance and fault tolerance, but with a high cost due to 50% storage overhead.
-
Why should disks in a RAID array ideally be the same size and type?
-
To ensure optimal performance. If disks differ in size, the smallest disk sets the maximum usable capacity across the array.
-
What is the impact on data when using RAID 0 if a disk fails?
-
All data in the array is lost because RAID 0 does not provide any redundancy.
-
What is the minimum number of disks required for RAID 10?
-
Four disks, and the number must be even.
-
SSD (Solid-State Drive)
-
A type of storage device that uses flash memory to store data. It has no moving parts, offering faster read/write speeds but limited write cycles.
-
HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
-
A type of storage device that uses mechanical platters and a moving read/write head to access data. Prone to mechanical failure over time.
-
Hot Swapping
-
The ability to replace a failed disk in a RAID array without shutting down the system.
-
RAID 0
-
A RAID level that stripes data across multiple drives to increase speed but provides no redundancy. A single drive failure results in data loss.
-
Mirroring
-
A RAID technique that duplicates data on two or more drives to provide redundancy and data protection.
-
Parity
-
A RAID technique that stores extra information to allow data recovery from failures, typically without mirroring the entire data set.