Magnetic tape and disk devices

Complete the sentences with the words from the box.

  ascending order mass storage sequential a key field index-sequential  

1. Magnetic types, cassette types and the computer cards are the examples of _______ memory devices.

2. _______ provides a place to store data and programs before and after processing.

3. A field that denotes the record’s position in the file is called ___.

4. ______ files have multilevel indexes.

5. Sequential files are most often sorted in ______.

1.6 Answer the questions.

1. What is the purpose of mass-storage device?

2. What is a file?

3. What does a file consist of?

4. What software takes care of the details of storing and manipulating data in a mass storage device?

5. What basic types of files are supported by operating systems?

6. In what order are sequential files usually organized?

7. What is the difference between index-sequential files and direct-access files?

8. Which of the files mentioned in the text is the most convenient to use? Why?

2.1 Read and translate the following words and word-combinations.

Magnetically recorded, magnetic medium, a batch-processing mode, primary medium, mass-storage medium, flexible disks, compatible a metal shutter, a double-sided floppy disk, a nickname, a thin film of iron dioxide, single-sided floppy disks.

2.2 Learn key-words and word-combinations.

back-up file - резервний файл

batch-processing mode - режим обробки пакетами

compatible (adj) - сумісний

disk (n) - диск

disk drive - дисковод; накопичувач на дисках

disk file - файл на диску

disk storage -дискова пам'ять, накопичувач на магнітних дисках

magnetic tape - магнітна плівка

read/write slot - отвір для головки читання/запису

reflective coating –дзеркальне покриття

sector (n) - сектор

track (n) - доріжка

track density - щільність доріжок

track per inch - доріжок на дюйм

2.3 Read and translate the text.

Magnetic tape is coated with a film on which data can be magnetically re­corded. It is a widely used storage me­dium for large computer systems. In the early 1950s, tapes were made of flexible metal coated with a thin film of iron oxide, but plastic Mylar proved to be a more cost-effective medium. Although the disk has replaced magnetic tape as the primary mass-storage medium, mag­netic tape is still used for archiving data and for backing up disk files because it provides the lowest cost per bit of any magnetic medium. A backup file is a copy of a file made for possible later reconstruction in case the original file is lost or damaged.

The need for direct access to data stored in files was recognized as early as the 1950s. Until then, magnetic tape had proved to be quite adequate for systems using a batch-processing mode. However, applications that require a response in a short time period, such as airline reservation systems or inventory-part-tracking systems, demand mass-storage devices that provide fast and direct access to data.

The major difference between disk and tape is the disk’s faster access time. A disk device can retrieve data in milliseconds (1/1000^th of a second) compared with the minutes that might be required to access data in on a magnetic tape. However, in archiving data, tape is the primary medium used because access time is irrelevant: the low cost of storing data on tape is the most important criterion.

The general characteristics and operation of all types of disks are the same. The disk consists of a platter in which a magnetic or reflective coating is applied. The disk drive unit contains a read/write head on a movable arm along with a monitor and spindle assembly that rotates the disk. Data are stored on a disk in sectors, which are circles of different radii on the disk. One way of classifying magnetic disks is by whether the disk is hard or flexible (floppy).

In 1972 IBM introduced flexible disks as a medium for loading programs into mainframe computers. Because the disks were so flexible, they were nicknamed floppy disks. They are inexpensive, small, and easy to handle and can be send through the mail. Most of the computers have at least one floppy disk drive. Floppy disks are also called diskettes.

The disks must be compatible with the disk drive. Lower-capacity disk drives cannot read higher-capacity disks. The early floppy disks were single sided. The addition of another read/ write head created double-sided floppy disks and doubled the capacity of the disk. If you examine a 3.5-inch floppy disk, you will see that the read/write slot is covered by a metal shutter. When you insert the disk into a disk drive, the metal shutter slides back exposing the read/ write slot. The read/write head of the floppy disk drive can mechanically position itself over specific tracks. Today floppy disks are being replaced by optical disks.

2.4 Give English equivalents of the following words and word-combinations.

Головка читання/запису, дисковод для гнучких дисків, завантажувати програму, бути сумісним, двобічний диск, магнітний диск, головна різниця, тривалість доступу, подвоїти ємність, магнітний носій, робити резервну копію, доріжка, сектор, щільність, пошкодити

2.5 Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Сектори і доріжки утворюються під час форматування дискети.

2. Не забудьте заблокувати дискету, якщо ви хочете бути впевненими, що інформація не зміниться або не буде стерта випадково.

3. Магнітні поля можуть пошкодити інформацію, що зберігається на дискеті.

4. Гнучкі носії для магнітних накопичувачів випускають у вигляді дискет.

2.6 Form the words from the followings nouns and complete the sentences with some of these words.

record, magnet

1. ______ is the science of magnetic phenomena and properties.

2. When you insert a blank disk into a disk drive, it must be formatted, before

information can be _______ onto it.

3. _________ areas are created for each track and sector.

4. The ________ heads follow the tracks and ______ the coating along each track.

5. Information is ______ on a disk in a form of ________ spots called bits.

6. Floppy and hard disks are considered as ______ storage devices.

7. A disk drive works very much like a tape ______ that can both play and record.

3.1 Read and translate the following words and word-combinations.

Magnetic oxide material, their primary advantages, access time, track density, an equivalent-sized floppy disk platter, a sealed container, the major source of contaminants, the high-speed spinning, a miniature gust of wind, a cushion of air, the nuisance of swapping floppy disks, removable disks, non-removable disks, in the same manner, the primary storage medium, multiple disk drivers, a self-contained unit, a physical record, a logic record, adjacent sectors

3.2 Learn key-words and word-combinations.

access arm – важіль з магнітними головками

adjacent (adj) – суміжний

backup medium – резервний носій

coat (v) – покривати

enclose (v) – вкладати

fail (v) – виходити з ладу; (n) - несправність

logical record – логічний запис

physical record – фізичний запис

platter (n) – твердий (магнітний) диск

redundant (adj) – надлишковий

removable (adj) – зйомний

rigid (adj) – жорсткий

sealed (adj) – закритий; ізольований

spindle (v) – обертати(ся)

stack (v) – укладати; розташовувати

throughput – продуктивність

3.3 Read and translate the text.

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