1.3.10

Solid State Storage

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How Solid State Storage Works

Solid state storage is an increasingly popular alternative to other storage media. It is often also referred to as flash storage or flash memory.

Storing a bit

Storing a bit

  • Solid state drives are made of flash memory.
  • Flash memory stores the value of each bit in a semi-conductor chip.
Accessing data

Accessing data

  • Data can be accessed randomly. This means that any piece of data can be accessed in a constant amount of time.
  • This is achievable because there are no moving parts.
Reliability

Reliability

  • Solid state drives (SSDs) are robust. They have no moving parts, so they are not easily damaged by shocks.
  • SSDs have a limited number of read/write cycles. After a certain number of re-writes they will stop working.

Properties of Solid State Media

Solid state media has a lot of benefits, but it isn't the best media in all scenarios.

High speed

High speed

  • Solid state media tends to have very fast read/write times.
  • Some solid state media has slower access time. For example, USB sticks.
High cost

High cost

  • Solid state media has a higher cost-per-GB than magnetic media.
  • Solid state drives (SSDs) do not last as long as hard disk drives (HDDs), so the cost can often seem restrictive.
  • Some people choose to pay more for the increase in performance.
Good capacity

Good capacity

  • SSDs have a good capacity, but not on the scale of optical or magnetic media.
Good reliability

Good reliability

  • Solid state media is very reliable and robust:
    • It rarely fails (until read/write limit is hit).
    • It is not easily damaged by shocks.
  • Once the read/write cycles are used up, then the drive will fail.
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1

Computer Systems

1.1

Data Representation

1.1.1Binary Numbers1.1.2Negative Binary Numbers1.1.3Hexadecimal1.1.4Using Hexadecimal1.1.5Converting Binary & Hexadecimal1.1.6Converting Denary & Hexadecimal1.1.7Capacity1.1.8Calculating Capacity Requirements1.1.9Binary in Computer Systems1.1.10Data Compression1.1.11Run Length Encoding1.1.12File Formats
1.2

Data Transmission

1.2.1Packet Switching1.2.2Data Transmission1.2.3Universal Serial Bus (USB)1.2.4Parity Check1.2.5Checksum & Echo Checks1.2.6Encryption
1.3

Hardware

1.3.1Elements of Computer Systems1.3.2Types of Computer System1.3.3Von Neumann Architecture1.3.4The Fetch, Decode, Execute Cycle1.3.5Factors Affecting CPU Performance1.3.6Computational Logic1.3.7Input Devices1.3.82D & 3D Scanners1.3.9Code Readers1.3.10Solid State Storage1.3.11Magnetic Storage1.3.12Examples of Magnetic Storage1.3.13Optical Storage1.3.14Examples of Optical Storage1.3.15Types of Optical disk1.3.16Storage Requirements1.3.17Translation - Compilers1.3.18Translation - Interpreters1.3.19Translation - Assemblers1.3.20Acoustic Sensors1.3.21Flow Sensors1.3.22Gas Sensors1.3.23Humidity Sensors1.3.24Infrared Sensors1.3.25Level Sensors1.3.26Light Sensors1.3.27Magnetic Field Sensors1.3.28Moisture Sensors1.3.29pH Sensors1.3.30Pressure Sensors1.3.31Proximity Sensors1.3.32Temperature Sensors1.3.33Network Hardware
1.4

Software

1.4.1Operating Systems1.4.2Interrupts1.4.3High-Level Languages1.4.4Low-Level Languages
1.5

The Internet & its Uses

1.5.1The Internet1.5.2Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)1.5.3DNS1.5.4HTML1.5.5Cookies1.5.6Web Hosting1.5.7Digital Currency
1.6

Cyber Security

1.6.1Forms of Attack1.6.2Penetration Testing1.6.3Types of Malware1.6.4How Malware Spreads1.6.5Protecting Against Malware1.6.6Information Security1.6.7Structured Query Language (SQL) Injection1.6.8Firewalls1.6.9Authentication: User Access Levels1.6.10Authentication: Passwords1.6.11Social Engineering1.6.12Phishing1.6.13Denial of Service Attacks
1.7

Automated & Emerging Technologies

1.7.1Automated Systems1.7.2Robotics1.7.3Artificial Intelligence
2

Algorithms, Programming & Logic

2.1

Algorithm Design & Problem Solving

2.1.1Computational Thinking - Abstraction2.1.2Computational Thinking - Decomposition2.1.3Computational Thinking - Algorithmic Thinking2.1.4Pseudocode2.1.5Flow Diagrams2.1.6Interpreting, Correcting & Completing Algorithm2.1.7Correcting Algorithms2.1.8Completing Algorithms2.1.9Testing2.1.10Types of Testing2.1.11Test Plans2.1.12Validation & Sanitation2.1.13Authentication & Contingencies
2.2

Programming

2.2.1Programming Fundamentals - Variables & Constants2.2.2Programming Fundamentals - Comments2.2.3Programming Fundamentals - Input & Output2.2.4Data Types2.2.5Casting2.2.6Controlling Program Flow - Sequence2.2.7Controlling Program Flow - Selection2.2.8Controlling Program Flow - Iteration2.2.9Modularity - Subroutines2.2.10Modularity - Scope2.2.11Arrays
2.3

Databases

2.3.1Structuring Data - Records2.3.2Structuring Data - Databases2.3.3SQL
2.4

Boolean Logic

2.4.1Binary Systems2.4.2Logic Circuits2.4.3Truth Tables2.4.4Evaluating Expressions2.4.5Boolean Operators2.4.6End of Topic Test - Logic

Practice questions on Solid State Storage

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Solid state drives:True / false
  2. 2
    A home computer user's solid state drive (SSD) has failed. They are trying to find out why this has happened, but the only thing that they have done differently recently is use virtual memory. Why has their SSD failed?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Solid state storage is exceptionally fast in comparison to other storage methods. What is the reason for this?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Solid State Storage is becoming more common in gaming hardware. What is the reason for this? Multiple choice
  5. 5
    Which of the following is a primary benefit of solid state media?Multiple choice
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Code Readers

Magnetic Storage