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{{Short description|High capacity computer storage devices}} {{about|mass storage in general|the [[Universal Serial Bus|USB]] protocol|USB mass storage device class}} In [[computing]], '''mass storage''' refers to the [[Data storage|storage]] of large amounts of [[data]] in a [[persistence (computer science)|persisting]] and [[machine-readable data|machine-readable]] fashion. In general, the term ''mass'' in ''mass storage'' is used to mean ''large'' in relation to contemporaneous hard disk drives, but it has also been used to mean ''large'' relative to the size of [[primary memory]] as for example with [[floppy disk]]s on [[personal computer]]s. Devices and/or systems that have been described as mass storage include [[Tape library|tape libraries]], [[RAID]] systems, and a variety of '''computer drives''' such as [[hard disk drive]]s (HDDs), [[magnetic tape]] drives, [[magneto-optical disc]] drives, [[optical disc]] drives, [[memory card]]s, and [[solid-state drive]]s (SSDs). It also includes experimental forms like [[holographic memory]]. Mass storage includes devices with [[removable media|removable]] and non-removable media.<ref name=PCMag-Encycl/><ref name=Sterling-2018-ch17/> It does not include [[random access memory]] (RAM). There are two broad classes of mass storage: local data in devices such as [[smartphones]] or [[computers]], and enterprise servers and data centers for the cloud. For local storage, SSDs are on the way to replacing HDDs. Considering the mobile segment from phones to notebooks, the majority of systems today is based on [[NAND Flash]]. As for Enterprise and [[data centers]], storage tiers have established using a mix of [[SSD]] and [[Hard disk drive|HDD]].<ref>https://www.hyperstone.com/en/NAND-Flash-is-displacing-hard-disk-drives-1249,12728.html, NAND Flash is displacing Hard Disk Drives, Retrieved 29. May 2018</ref> == Definition == The notion of "large" amounts of data is of course highly dependent on the time frame and the market segment, as storage device capacity has increased by many orders of magnitude since the beginnings of computer technology in the late 1940s and continues to grow; however, in any time frame, common mass storage devices have tended to be much larger and at the same time much slower than common realizations of contemporaneous [[Computer data storage#Primary storage|primary storage]] technology. Papers{{sfn|1966FJCC|loc=TECHNOLOGIES AND SYSTEMS FOR ULTRA-HIGH CAPACITY STORAGE|pp=711-742}}{{sfn|1966FJCC|loc=UNICON Computer Mass Memory System, C.H.BECKER|pp=711-716 }}{{sfn|1966FJCC|loc=A Photo-Digital Mass Storage System, J. D. KUEHLER, H. R. KERBY|pp=735-742}} at the 1966 [[Fall Joint Computer Conference]]<ref name=1966FJCC/> (FJCC) used the term ''mass storage'' for devices substantially larger than contemporaneous hard disk drives. Similarly, a 1972 analysis identified mass storage systems from [[Ampex]] (Terabit Memory) using video tape, Precision Industries (Unicon 690-212) using lasers and International Video (IVC-1000) using video tape<ref>{{cite report | title = A SURVEY AND ANALYSIS OF HIGH DENSITY MASS STORAGE DEVICES AND SYSTEMS | author1 = Norman F. Schneidewind | author2 = Gordon H. Syms | author3 = Thomas L. Grainger | author4 = Robert J. Carden | date = July 1972 | publisher = US Navy Postgraduate School, Monterey CA | citeseerx = 10.1.1.859.1517 | id = NPS-55SS72071A | ref = {{sfnref|NPS-55SS72071A}} }} </ref> and states "In the literature, the most common definition of mass storage capacity is a trillion bits.".{{sfn|NPS-55SS72071A|loc=A. Definition and Uses of Mass Storage|p=6}} The first IEEE conference on mass storage was held in 1974<ref>[https://storageconference.us/history.html The 35th conference] was held in 2019.</ref> and at that time identified mass storage as "capacity on the order of 10<sup>12</sup> bits" (1 gigabyte).<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6323336 |title=Mass Storage Workshop Report |last=Bacon |first=G. C. |date=October 1974 |journal=Computer |volume=7 |issue=10 |pages=64β65 |publisher=IEEE |doi=10.1109/MC.1974.6323336 |s2cid=29301138 |access-date=December 3, 2020|url-access=subscription }} </ref> In the mid-1970s IBM used the term to in the name of the [[IBM 3850]] Mass Storage System, which provided virtual disks backed up by [[Helical scan]] magnetic tape cartridges, slower than disk drives but with a capacity larger than was affordable with disks.<ref>{{cite manual | title = Introduction to the IBM 3850 Mass Storage System (MSS) | id = GA32-0028-1 | date = November 1974 | edition = Second | url = http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/3850/GA32-0028-1_Introduction_to_the_IBM_3850_Mass_Storage_System_Nov1974.pdf | publisher = IBM }} </ref> The term ''mass storage'' was used in the PC marketplace for devices, such as floppy disk drives, far smaller than devices that were not{{efn|E.g., the obsolete 1956 [[IBM 350]] stored 5 million six-bit characters, larger than contemporary 1.44 and 2.88 MB floppies.}} considered mass storage in the mainframe marketplace. Mass storage devices are characterized by: * Sustainable transfer speed * [[Seek time]] * Cost * Capacity == Storage media == Hard disk drives dominate storage media in terms of exabytes shipped and are projected to continue to so for this decade.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://horizontechnology.com/news/hdd-remains-dominant-storage-technology-1219/ |title=HDD Remains Dominant Storage Technology |date=May 8, 2024 |publisher=Horizon Technology |access-date=December 6, 2024}}</ref> Solid-state drives (i.e. Flash storage media) are the predominant storage media in [[personal computer]]s. [[Flash memory]] (in particular, [[Flash memory#NAND flash|NAND flash]]) has an established and growing niche in high performance enterprise computing installations. Flash memory has also long been popular as removable storage such as [[USB stick]]s, where it de facto makes up the market. Flash dominates in [[cell phone]]s.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Micron predicts flash memory will replace disk drives|first = Antone|last = Gonsalves|date = 23 May 2007|url = http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=199701290|newspaper = [[EETimes]]}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Flash Drives: Always on the Go, Without Moving Parts|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/17/technology/circuits/17howw.html|work = [[New York Times]]|first = Douglas |last=Heingartner|date = 2005-02-17|access-date = 2008-02-24}}.</ref> Tape is predominantly used for archival storage<ref>{{cite web |url=https://horizontechnology.com/news/get-that-on-tape-the-past-and-future-of-magnetic-tape-storage/ |title=Get That On Tape: The Past and Future of Magnetic Tape Storage |date=March 12, 2024 |publisher=Horizon Technology |access-date=December 6, 2024}}</ref> Optical discs are almost exclusively used in the physical distribution of retail software, music and movies because of the cost and manufacturing efficiency of the molding process used to produce [[DVD]] and [[compact disc]]s and the nearly-universal presence of [[CD-ROM|reader drives]] in personal computers and consumer appliances.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jim |last=Taylor |title=DVD FAQ |url=http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.1 |access-date=2007-07-08 |quote=In 2003, six years after introduction, there were over 250 million DVD playback devices worldwide, counting DVD players, DVD PCs, and DVD game consoles. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822172353/http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html |archive-date=2009-08-22 }}</ref> The design of [[computer architecture]]s and [[operating system]]s are often dictated by the mass storage and [[computer bus|bus]] technology of their time.<ref name="acm-queue">{{Cite journal|title=A Conversation With Jim Gray |first=Dave |last=Patterson |journal=[[ACM Queue]] |url=http://www.acmqueue.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=printer_friendly&pid=43&page=1 |date=June 2003 |volume=1 |issue=4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050421170245/http://www.acmqueue.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=printer_friendly&pid=43&page=1 |archive-date=April 21, 2005 }}. (A discussion of recent trends in mass storage.)</ref> == Usage == Mass storage devices used in desktop and most server computers typically have their data organized in a [[file system]]. The choice of file system is often important in maximizing the performance of the device: general purpose file systems (such as [[NTFS]] and [[Hierarchical File System (Apple)|HFS]], for example) tend to do poorly on slow-seeking optical storage such as compact discs. Some [[relational database]]s can also be deployed on mass storage devices without an intermediate file system or storage manager. [[Oracle database|Oracle]] and [[MySQL]], for example, can store table data directly on raw [[block device]]s. On [[removable media]], archive formats (such as [[tar archive]]s on [[magnetic tape data storage|magnetic tape]], which pack file data end-to-end) are sometimes used instead of file systems because they are more [[porting|portable]] and simpler to [[streaming media|stream]]. On embedded computers, it is common to [[memory map]] the contents of a mass storage device (usually [[Read-only memory|ROM]] or flash memory) so that its contents can be traversed as in-memory data structures or executed directly by programs. == See also == * [[data storage device|Data storage]] for general overview of storage methods ** [[Computer data storage]] for storage methods specific to computing field *** [[Disk storage]] for both magnetic and optical recording of disks *** [[Magnetic tape data storage]] *** [[Computer storage density]] *** [[List of device bandwidths]] *** [[Solid-state drive]] *** [[RAM disk]] *** [[RAID]] == Notes == {{notelist}} == References == {{reflist| refs= <ref name=1966FJCC> {{cite conference | title = 1966 Fall Joint Computer Conference | id = 1966FJCC | ref = {{sfnref|1966FJCC}} | isbn = 978-1-4503-7893-2 | url = https://dl.acm.org/doi/proceedings/10.1145/1464291 | work = AFIPS Conference Proceedings | year = 1966 | volume = 29 | publisher = Spartan Books | doi = 10.1145/1464291 | last1 = Unknown |url-access = subscription }} </ref> <ref name=PCMag-Encycl>{{Cite web| title=Definition of: mass storage| work=[[PC Magazine]]| publisher=Ziff Davis| url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/46609/mass-storage| access-date=2019-10-10| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160705151921/https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/46609/mass-storage| archive-date=2016-07-05| url-status=live}}</ref> <ref name=Sterling-2018-ch17>{{Cite book| surname1=Sterling| given1=Thomas| surname2=Anderson| given2=Matthew| surname3=Brodowicz| given3=Maciej| title=High performance computing| chapter=17 β Mass storage| chapter-url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124201583000174| year=2018| publisher=Morgan Kaufmann (Elsevier)| isbn=978-0-12-420158-3}}</ref> }} {{Authority control}} {{Data storage}} [[Category:Computer storage devices]]
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