Essential Guide to Computer Data Storage, The: From Floppy to DVD

Description

• The complete decision-maker's guide to choosing—and using—the right data storage technologies
• Personal and small business storage: hard drives, DVD, CD, Zip, Jaz, and more
• Enterprise storage: SAN, NAS, Fibre Channel, RAID, and beyond
• New Web-based storage alternatives
• Start-to-finish backup and disaster recovery tips

Choosing reliable, cost-effective data storage solutions—and making the most of them!

Whether you're an IT professional, enterprise manager, small business owner, or home PC user, you've got more data than ever—and choosing reliable, cost-effective storage has never been more important. Now, a leading data storage expert explains all your options, and shows you exactly how to make the most of them. Dr. Andrei Khurshudov reviews the capabilities, advantages, and underlying technologies associated with every current storage alternative, offering expert tips for buying, interfacing, scalability, recovery, and much more.

• Data storage interfaces: UDMA, USB, IEEE 1394 "FireWire," SCSI, FC-AL, and Serial Storage Architecture
• In-depth coverage of magnetic media: hard disks, tapes, and removables
• Up-to-date comparisons of removable storage: Superdisk, HiFD, Zip, Jaz, Orb, external hard disk drives, and more
• Tape alternatives: DAT, Travan, Mammoth, AIT, DLT, LTO, and beyond
• Optical storage: CD-RW, CD-R, and today's competing DVD formats
• Other storage solutions: Magneto-optical, Flash memory, and solid-state disk drives
• Enterprise storage strategies: storage area networks (SAN), network attached storage (NAS), RAID, and more
• Storage for digital cameras, PDAs, MP3 players, Personal Video Recorders, and other next-generation devices
• Storage on the Web: alternatives, limitations, and case studies
• Preventing data loss-and what to do if the disaster has already happened

If you're planning for business growth and disaster recovery, or simply want the best storage "bang for the buck," The Essential Guide to Computer Data Storage delivers objective guidance—and realistic solutions.

Sample Content

Downloadable Sample Chapter

Click here for a sample chapter for this book: 0130927392.pdf

Table of Contents

Preface.


Acknowledgments.


1. Introduction.

Brief History of Information Storage Technology. Early Storage Technologies. Storage of Sound. Computer Data Storage. Basic Concepts. The Modern Computer. Memory and Storage. Binary System. Bits, Bytes, and Beyond. Storage Capacity Definitions. Digital and Analog Signals. Analog versus Digital. Analog-to-Digital Conversion. Data Sampling and Undersampling. Anti-Aliasing Filter Design. Data Quantization and Encoding. Data Transmission. Error Detection and Correction.

Introduction. Interface Speed Summary. Data Transmission: Serial versus Parallel. Serial Interface. Parallel Interface. IDE, EIDE, UDMA or ATA, and ATAPI. ATA-2 (or Fast ATA or EIDE [Enhanced IDE]). Apple-ATA. ATA-3 (or Fast ATA or EIDE [Enhanced IDE]). ATAPI. ATA/ATAPI-4 (Ultra ATA, UDMA, or ATA-33). ATA/ATAPI-5 (or ATA-66, Ultra ATA-66, or Ultra DMA-66). ATA/ATAPI-6 (or ATA-100 or Ultra ATA-100). The Future of ATA. PC Card Interface (former PCMCIA). Universal Serial Bus (USB). USB Hubs. Connectors and Cables. USB OS Support. USB 2.0. USB versus Serial and Parallel Interface. IEEE 1394 FireWire. Basic Architecture. Basic Design. USB 1.1 versus IEEE 1394 FireWire. Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI). Initiator and Target. SCSI-1. SCSI-2. SCSI-3. Single-Ended and Differential SCSI. Termination. SCSI versus IDE/ATA. SCSI versus USB and IEEE 1394 FireWire. Future of SCSI. Fibre Channel-Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL). Basic Terms. Topology: Point-to-Point Connection. Arbitrated Loop. Fabric. FC Architecture. Frames. Cables and Connectors. FC Summary. SSA (Serial Storage Architecture). Interface Summary.

Introduction. Basic Principles of Magnetic Recording. Magnetic Materials and Hysteresis Loop. Density of Recording. Reading Data with Inductive Heads. Data Reading: Magnetoresistive (MR) Heads. Recording or Writing Data. Data Encoding. PRML (Partial Response Maximum Likelihood). Limits of Magnetic Recording: Superparamagnetism. Hard Disk Drive. Introduction. Drive Manufacturers. HDD Technology. Basic Drive Design. Physical Drive Dimensions and Performance. Basic Drive Concepts. Formatting. File System. Drive Interface. Drive Capacity Choice. Drive's RPM: The Need for Speed. Drive Installation. Understanding the HDD Specification. Removable Magnetic Storage. Floppy Disk 1.44 MB. HiFD 1.44/200 MB. Superdisk (LS-120) 1.44/120 MB. Zip Drive 100/250 MB. Jaz Drive. Orb Drive. Iomega Clik! 40 MB Drives. External Hard Disk Drives. Summary. Magnetic Storage on Tape. Introduction. Brief History of Magnetic Tape Storage. Tape Storage Technology. Tape Media Technology. Popular Tape Storage Technologies. Summary.

Introduction. The History of Optical Storage. Basic Optics for Optical Storage Systems. Lens and Light Focusing. Diffraction Grating. Light Polarization. Beam-splitter. Light Collimator. The Laser Diode. Detector Arrays. Limitations of the Optical Data Storage. Compact Disc (CD). Introduction. CD: Basic Design. Data Encoding. Making a CD. Spin Rates and Data Transfer Rate. Interfaces. TrueX Multibeam CD/DVD Technology. Recordable CD (CD-R). ReWritable CD (CD-RW). CD Performance Comparison. Understanding the CD Drive's Specifications. DVD. Introduction. DVD Formats. DVD Configurations and Basic Design. DVD-R and DVD-RW or RAM. DVD-ROM. DVD-Video and DVD-Audio. Red Laser versus Blue Laser. Performance Comparison. Understanding the DVD Drive Specification.

Introduction. Basics of MO Recording. Basics of MO Reading. MO System: Basic Design. Direct Overwrite (DOW). Magnetically Induced Super Resolution (MSR). Understanding MO Drive Specifications.

Introduction. Basics of Semiconductor Memory Technology. Semiconductors. Bipolar Junction Transistor. MOSFET (Meta-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor). Computer Random Access Memory (RAM). DRAM (Dynamic RAM). Cache. Level-1 Cache. Level-2 Cache. Computer Memory Chips. Flash memory. Basics of Flash Memory Technology. Flash Memory Cards. NOR. NAND. DINOR (Divided Bit-Line NOR). AND. Flash Memory Card Formats. SmartMedia. CompactFlash. Miniature Card. Serial Flash Module. MultiMediaCard. Memory Stick. Solid-State Hard Disk Drives. Summary.

MP3 players. MP3 Player with Built-in Flash Memory and External SmartMedia Memory Card. MP3 Player with Memory Stick. MP3 Player with a Clik! MP3 Player with Magnetic Hard Disk Drive. Mobile Phone/MP3 Player. Digital Camera/MP3 Player. Digital Cameras. Digital Camera with Solid-State Memory. Digital Camera with a Hard Disk Drive. Digital Camera in a Watch. Digital Camera with Multiple Recording Media. Digital Camera with a Memory Stick. Solid-State Memory-to-Floppy Disk Adapter. Digital Camera with a Clik! Digital Camera with a CD-R. Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). Palm Pilot VIIx. Sony CLI with a Memory Stick. TRGpro with the CompactFlash Expansion Slot. HP Jornada 548: Powered by PocketPC OS. HP Jornada 720: Handheld PocketPC. Personal Video Recorder. Basic Design.

Introduction. Internet Speed and ConnectionS. Modems. Broadband Internet: xDSL. ADSL (Asymmetrical DSL). Other DSL Technologies. What is Your Connection Speed? Data Storage on the Web: Case Studies. On-line Backup. On-line Backup, Exchange, and Virtual Offices.

Storage Networking. Introduction. Fundamentals of NAS (Network Attached Storage). Fundamentals of SAN (Storage Area Network). SAN versus NAS. RAID (Redundant Array of Independent [or Inexpensive] Drives). RAID Functions. RAID Levels. Data Availability. RAID Performance Characteristics. Hot-Spare Drives. Extended Data Availability and Protection (EDAP). New RAID Classification.

Introduction: Why it happens. Poor Handling. Manufacturing Defects. How to prevent data loss. Software for Data Protection and Recovery. AntiVirus Software. Backup Software. Diagnostics, Analysis, and Recovery. What to Do if the Disaster Already Happened. Floppy Disks. Removable Media Magnetic Storage. Magnetic Hard Disk Drive. CD, CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD. Data Recovery Services.

Interface. What is Interface? What Kind of Interfaces are There? What is My Interface of Choice? Hard disk drive. What is the Hard Disk Drive? Who are the Main Manufacturers of Hard Disk Drives? What is the Price Range I Should be Looking For? What HDD Interface Should I Choose: IDE, EIDE, ATA, UDMA, ATA-33, ATA-66, ATA-100, SCSI, USB, Parallel, etc.? 310 What are the Main Performance Parameters to Look For? What Other Parameters Should I Consider before Buying a Drive? How Many Drives Can I Install on My Computer? Is There Any Capacity Limitation for the Drive? Can I Use the Same Drive for Desktop and for Laptop Computers? Removable magnetic storage. What is the Removable Magnetic Storage? Who are the Main Manufacturers of Removable Magnetic Storage Devices? What Type of Removable Magnetic Storage Should I Buy? What is the Price Range I Should be Looking For? What Interface Type Should I Select: ATAPI, SCSI, Parallel, USB, or FireWire? What are the Main Performance Parameters to Look For? What are Other Parameters Should I Consider? Can I Use the Same Drive for Desktop and for Laptop Computers? CD, CD-R, and CD-RW. What is CD, CD-R, and CD-RW? Who are the Main Manufacturers of CD Drives? What Type of CD Storage Should I Buy? What is Spin Rate? How to Understand the Markings of CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW. What is the Price Range I Should be Looking For? What Interface Should I Choose: ATAPI, SCSI, parallel, or USB? Should I Buy Internal, External, Single-Disc, or Jukebox? What are the Main Performance Parameters to Look For? What Other Parameters Should I Consider before Buying the Drive? How Many CD Drives Can I Install on My Computer?Can I Use the Same CD Drive for Desktop and for Laptop Computers?What is a DVD?Who are the Main Manufacturers of DVD?What Type of DVD Storage Should I Buy?What is the Price Range I Should be Looking For?What Interface Should I Choose: EIDE, SCSI, or FireWire?What are the Main Performance Parameters to Look For?What Other Parameters Should I Consider before Buying a DVD Drive?How Many DVD Drives Can I Install on My Computer?Can I Use the Same DVD Drive for Desktop and for Laptop Computers? Magnetic Tape Drive What is Magnetic Tape Storage?What Type of Tape Storage Should I Look For?Who are the Main Manufacturers of Tape Storage?What is the Price Range I Should be Looking For?What Interface Should I Choose: Parallel, Floppy, IDE/ATAPI, or SCSI What are the Main Performance Parameters to Look For?What Other Parameters Should I Consider Before Buying a Drive?How Many Tape Drives Can I Install on My Computer?Web Storage Alternatives What is Web Storage? Who are the Main Providers of Web Storage? How do I Choose the Right Service Provider?What is the Price Range I Should be Looking For?What are the Main Performance Parameters to Look For?Can I Access this Data from Another Computer or Another Location?

Preface

Preface

A world without data storage is like a mankind without memory. Thanks to various information storage methods developed in the last 22,000 years, we are able to document our history, to learn from each other's experience, and, ultimately, to create the world as it is today.

The future of computing is dependent on how well the enormous amount of generated information will be managed. But which technology will be used in the future to store new knowledge and experiences? Will we use holographic storage? Or store data by moving single atoms? Or will data be stored via the Internet on huge storage servers 10,000 miles away from your home? Or will the more traditional magnetic and optical recording technologies survive for the next 10 to 50 years? It is hard to guess. The amount of data we have generated so far is small compared to what is coming tomorrow.

The purpose of this book is to provide a practical guide and an easy reference for the majority of computer users and technical professionals. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced PC user, you will find here some useful information on computer storage systems design, selection, and technology.

The focus of this book is on the various types of computer storage devices: hard disk drive, DVD, CD, removable media storage systems (such as Zip, Jaz, etc.), RAID, and others. The book also discusses interfacing storage with a computer via IDE, SCSI, USB, FireWire, and other interface protocols. A possible future of the Web storage will also be addressed as an alternative storage technology.

Special chapters will discuss selection of storage systems for your computer and will deal with accidental data loss. An extensive glossary of PC data storage terms will complete the book. At the very end, references for further learning and a deeper understanding of the discussed subjects will be provided.

This book is not intended to be a "nuts-and-bolts" textbook. Also, by no means can it be a complete guide to a subject that is evolving continuously. Even now, as I write these words, new ideas are being born, new technologies are being invented, new companies are being started to surprise others with the newest, hottest storage product.

Instead, this book tries to serve as an essential guide to the computer storage technology of today, and even sometimes makes a short-term prediction of the future.

The main reason for not making long-term predictions? Well, they are hardly ever right. Examples? Find below three particular favorites of mine and let's then proceed to the first chapter.

Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and perhaps weigh 11U2 tons.

—Popular Mechanics, March 1949

There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.

—Ken Olson,
President, Chairman, and Founder
Digital Equipment Corp., 1977

I think there's a world market for about five computers.

—Thomas Watson
Founder
IBM, 1943

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