datastorage

Datastorage refers to the systems and media used to record and retrieve digital information. It encompasses technologies and practices that preserve data for short-term access or long-term retention, spanning a range of speeds, costs, and reliability.

Storage is often described in a hierarchy from fast, volatile memory to slower, non-volatile media. Primary storage generally means volatile memory such as RAM, which provides fast access for active computations. Secondary storage includes non-volatile media such as hard disk drives, solid-state drives, optical discs, and magnetic tapes that retain data when power is off. Tertiary or archival storage is designed for long-term retention and infrequent access.

Common storage media include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs) and newer non-volatile memory options (such as NVMe-based devices), optical media (CD, DVD, Blu-ray), and magnetic tape. Each medium differs in speed, latency, durability, and cost, influencing its suitability for different use cases. Storage architectures such as direct-attached storage (DAS), network-attached storage (NAS), and storage area networks (SAN) address access patterns and scalability, while cloud storage offers off-site, scalable options with varied models for object, block, or file storage.

Data organization approaches include file systems (for file-level access), block storage (raw storage presented to systems as disks), and object storage (data stored as scalable objects with metadata). Reliability and protection are maintained through redundancy (RAID, replication), error detection (checksums), and backups or archival strategies, often coupled with data lifecycle management and retention policies.

Security and interoperability considerations include encryption at rest and in transit, access controls, key management, and adherence to interfaces and standards such as SATA, SAS, NVMe, USB, Fibre Channel, and network protocols.