Mass Storage (defined)

Mass storage can be defined as any device used to provide relatively inexpensive storage for large amounts of data. Jukebox for optical disc or tape cassette. Mass storage devices can automatically load disks or tapes in the library to quickly access large amounts of information. (Computer Dictionary, Third Edition, Donald Spence, Camelot Publishing) The text written for this article uses a few kilobytes of storage. Several pictures are included in this article.

Tertiary storage or tertiary storage provides tertiary storage. Normally, this data is copied to the secondary storage before use, in order to install (plug) and offload the removable mass storage medium to the storage device according to system requirements. It is mainly used to archive infrequently accessed information because it is much slower than secondary storage (eg 5 - 60 seconds for 1-10 msec). This is very useful for very large data stores accessed by non-human operators. Typical examples are tape libraries and light jukeboxes.

External storage devices (also called secondary storage devices and secondary storage devices) are devices that contain all addressable data storage devices that are not in the main memory or the memory of the computer. The external storage device may be removable or non-removable, temporary or permanent and may be accessed via a wired or wireless network. For enterprises, external storage devices can act as primary storage connected to the server via Ethernet or Fiber Channel switch, or as secondary storage for backup and archive purposes. External storage provides a combination of three protocols called block-based, file-based, or object-based storage HDD, all flash and hybrid storage arrays, or unified storage. A storage area network (SAN) for block level storage and a network attached storage (NAS) device for file based storage is an example of external storage.