Mark Dowling
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Secondary Storage Media
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Mark Dowling, Program Officer, Information Management/Information Technology Program
email mdowling@nrdgp.org.au,
ph (02) 6622 4453,
fax (02) 6622 3185 Northern Rivers Division of General Practice,
PO Box 519, LISMORE NSW 2480
Last Modified 20/1/99
| Medium | Capacity | Hardware | Medium | Start Cost | |||
| (Mb) | Cost $ | Cost $ | Total $ | $/Mb | Mb/$ | ||
| 1. | Super floppy disk | 120 | 250 | 30 | 280 | $2.33/Mb | 0.4 |
| 2. | Iomega Zip Disk | 100 | 300 | 30 | 330 | $3.30/Mb | 0.3 |
| 3. | Iomega Jaz Disk | 2000 | 800 | 200 | 1000 | $0.50/Mb | 2 |
| 4. | Tape | 4000 | 670 | 50 | 720 | $0.18/Mb | 5.6 |
| 5. | CD-R | 650 | 500 | 5 | 405 | $0.62/Mb | 1.6 |
| 6. | CD-RW | 650 | 900 | 10 | 705 | ~ $1/Mb | 0.9 |
| 7. | DVD | 600 | - |
The status after 10 disks have been used would be:
| Medium | Capacity | Hardware | 10 disk | Total $ | Cost | ||
| (Mb) | Cost $ | Cost $ | $/Mb | Mb/$ | |||
| 1. | Super floppy disk | 1200 | 250 | 300 | 550 | $0.46/Mb | 2.2 |
| 2. | Iomega Zip Disk | 1000 | 300 | 300 | 600 | $0.60/Mb | 1.7 |
| 3. | Iomega Jazz Disk | 20000 | 800 | 2000 | 2800 | $0.14/Mb | 7.1 |
| 4. | Tape | 40000 | 670 | 500 | 1170 | $0.03/Mb | 34.2 |
| 5. | CD-R | 6500 | 500 | 50 | 550 | $0.08/Mb | 11.8 |
| 6. | CD-RW | 6500 | 900 | 100 | 1000 | $0.15/Mb | 6.5 |
The CD technology is changing. Some suppliers say that the CD-R cutter is being phased out in favour of CD-RW cutters, which can be used on both types of CD. There are some compatibility issues with CD readers, as only the newer ones, eg some 32 speed (32X) readers will read both CD-R and CD-RW disks.
Mark Dowling, Program Officer, Information Management/Information Technology Program
1. Super floppy disk
A newcomer to the scene. Reports to date do not indicate any flaws with this technology. From the users and computers point of view it works just like a floppy disk.
2. Iomega Zip Disk
Been around for a long time. Robust, dependable. From the users and computers point of view it works just like a floppy disk.
3. Tape
The old traditional medium. Sound, robust, but being tape, is not a random access device. Used moreso in larger businesses, perhaps not as popular for small business now that Zip disks, Super floppies and CD-ROM are common. The common type is a small tape casette, which looks a bit like an oversize audio tape casette, or a small video tape casette. From the users and computers point of view it does not work just like a floppy disk, so there is a bit of messing about to backup etc. Tapes systems are frequently setup to backup overnight when the normal daily operations of the practice are not occuring.
4. CD-R
Compact Disc - Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), the same technology as the music CD. The CD-R variety is the write-once & Read-as-many-times-as-I-like type. Once recorded on, that part of the CD cant be used again. But many recordings can be made to the same CD, as each new recording uses up a different part of the CD until it is full. As the CD has a large capacity of about 650 Megabyte (Mb), and if I only have say 100 Mb to save on it each time, then I can save about 6 lots of the 100 Mb. From the users and computers point of view it does not work just like a floppy disk, so there is a bit of messing about to backup etc.
5. CD-RW
A recent variation on the CD-R is the CD-RW, Write-many-times & Read-as-many-times-as-I-like type. It uses a thicker layer of metal sandwiched between the plastic of the CD. Once the CD is full, it can be wiped clean by the laser burning off the existing layer of pits that make up the signal on the metal platter, and thereby forming a new surface onto which may be burned or cut a new lot of pits. They say it can be used up to 1000 times, but this seems unlikely. One business in Lismore has been using one without reports of trouble, reusing it numerous times so far. Depending on the setup, from the users and computers point of view it does not work just like a floppy disk, so there is a bit of messing about to backup etc., or with appropriate software can appear just like another drive.
6. DVD
Digital Video Disk. The new kid on the block. Same physical size as a Compact Disk, but a different storage technology, vast capacity by todays standards. Not yet available as a computer data secondary storage medium, at least not in use in the NRDGP area. It will replace video tape cassettes for your home videos in the near future.
Disclaimer
Disclaimer: Information in this Fact Sheet is believed to be true and correct at the update, however changes in circumstances, or the discovery of facts not previously known, may impact upon its accuracy. The Northern Rivers Division of General Practice, Members and staff will not, in any event, be liable to any organisation or person at all, whether in negligence or otherwise, for anything stated or omitted herein. This Fact Sheet contains summary information of a general nature, and is provided to GPs and practices for orientation purposes in relation to the NRDGP Information Management/Information Technology Program. Readers should conduct their own research to confirm information and opinions stated in this Fact Sheet.
Discussion
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Secondary Storage Media Glenna Stites, gstites@jccc.net Posted 10/9/2000 10:20 PM Great table and comparison! Are you planning to update? Thanks! |
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