Information Storage and Retrieval

I

Introduction

Information Storage and Retrieval, in computer science, term used to describe the organization, storage, location, and retrieval of encoded information in computer systems. Important factors in storing and retrieving information are the type of media, or storage device, used to store information; the media’s storage capacity; the speed of access and information transfer to and from the storage media; the number of times new information can be written to the media; and how the media interacts with the computer.

II

Types of Information Storage

Information storage can be classified as being either permanent, semipermanent, or temporary. Information can also be classified as having been stored to or retrieved from primary or secondary memory. Primary memory, also known as main memory, is the computer’s main random access memory (RAM). All information that is processed by the computer must first pass through main memory. Secondary memory is any form of memory other than the main computer memory, including the hard disk, floppy disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic tape.

A

Permanent Storage

Information is stored permanently on storage media that is written to only once, such as ROM (read-only memory) chips and CD-ROMs (compact disc read-only memory). Permanent storage media is used for archiving information or, in the case of ROM chips, for storing basic information that the computer needs to function that cannot be overwritten.

B

Semipermanent Storage

Semipermanent information storage is also often used for archival purposes, but the media used can be overwritten. A common example of a semipermanent storage material is a floppy disk. The magnetic material that serves as the storage media in a floppy disk can be written to many times when a removable tab is in place. Once this tab is removed, the disk is protected from further overwriting; the write-protection may be bypassed by placing a piece of tape over the hole left by the removal of the tab.

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