Storage Devices: Magnetic, Optical and Flash

Past paper questions

1. Question 1H446/01 · June 20244 marks

   The fitness tracker manufacturers had to decide which type of secondary storage to use. Explain two reasons why flash (solid state) storage would be the best type of secondary storage for the fitness tracker system.

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   Durable/flash has no moving parts... so will be resistant to damage if the player runs/falls/collides with something Low power usage... won't need recharging/will last during an event Small physical size /portable... so it can fit on a shirt/be unobtrusive/be worn // won't affect the athlete's performance Fast/real-time read/write speed... needed to rapidly record athlete's data (4 marks - 1 mark for reason, 1 for expansion, max 4)

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2. Question 2H446/012 marks

   A delivery company sends parcels across the UK. To prove parcels have not been damaged in transit, the delivery drivers use a digital camera to take a photograph of them when they arrive at their destination. The digital camera uses flash memory. Describe one advantage of the digital camera using flash storage rather than magnetic.

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   Has no moving parts... less likely to be damaged / data loss Consumes less power... meaning battery needs recharging less often Unaffected by magnetic fields... which could lead to data loss Faster access speed... so photographs can quickly be written to it / browsed (2 marks - mark in pairs)

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   012/ 2
3. Question 3H446/019 marks

   A storage device is used to store the individual video elements while they are being captured in different locations and during the video editing process. Discuss the suitability of a flash storage device and a magnetic storage device for storing the different video elements while they are being collected and edited. You should refer to the following in your answer: the benefits of each type of storage, the drawbacks of each type of storage, the suitability of each type of storage.

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   Levels of response question (9 marks) AO1 Magnetic Benefits: Lower price per GB, As standard comes in high capacity AO1 Magnetic Drawbacks: Lower R/W speed, Higher power consumption, Moving parts /less durable AO1 Flash Benefits: Higher R/W speed, No moving parts/more durable, Lower power consumption, Can have a higher capacity AO1 Flash Drawbacks: Higher cost per GB, At higher capacities prices rise exponentially AO2 Suitability of Magnetic: Video files are very large, benefiting magnetics low cost per GB. Can be used to archive the different video elements after it's been rendered. Could possibly get damaged while being transported between the different filming sites. Slow R/W speeds may take it longer to load into the software AO2 Suitability of flash: Very fast R/W speeds therefore reducing the amount of loading time during the editing process/giving smoother playback. If money is not a barrier, flash can be bought in sufficient capacities for videos. AO3: Candidates can conclude either method, but to score in the top MB must have a clear line of reasoning to justify their choice.

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4. Question 4H446/01 · June 20219 marks

   OCR Insurance's computer system uses secondary storage across the company in servers, client machines and for backup purposes. For each of these, discuss whether magnetic storage or solid state storage would be most suitable, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of both.

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   Levels of response question (9 marks) AO1: Data stored by altering the magnetic field of a small section of the tape or disk; one orientation represents a binary value of 1, the opposite orientation represents a binary value of 0. Written to using a read head. Read head can then read the magnetic field and retrieve the data. These read and write heads move across the disk or the tape moves under the heads. Solid state devices store data using semiconductors; drives can be based on NAND Flash or DRAM. No moving parts are required. Backup involves copying potentially large amounts of data to and from storage devices at regular intervals. Servers distribute data to client devices. AO2: Magnetic hard drives entirely suitable for storing operating system, software and data. Large capacity, cheap (by comparison) purchasing price and reliability make them idea for heavy use in an insurance office. Solid state drives have no moving parts and offer an increase in speed and quicker access to customer records. However, smaller capacity (in comparison) may be an issue for larger data sets. Backup systems may be required to maximise storage whereas access speed is not so much of an issue Limited lifespan of SSDs due to limited read/writes may restrict use in data heavy applications. Servers will require quick access to data to serve multiple client machines but will also be extremely read/write heavy. AO3: Both suitable for the insurance office but for different purposes. SSDs to store operating system and program files will ensure quicker boot up and loading of programs. May be useful for both client and servers to store operating systems. Magnetic hard drives to store large quantities of data provides reliability and large capacity at small (by comparison) cost. May be most suitable for storing large amounts of data on client devices and for backup systems. Magnetic tape device may be suitable for backing up customer data as too slow for use on day-to-day basis.

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5. Question 5H446/01 · June 20192 marks

   Traditionally films have been distributed on optical media such as DVDs. Giving an example other than DVDs, describe what is meant by the term 'optical media'.

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   Read / written to, using a laser Read / written onto a reflective surface Data is stored using pits and lands Plus example - Eg. Blu-Ray / CD (2 marks - 1 per bullet)

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6. Question 6H446/01 · June 20191 mark

   Give one advantage of films being distributed using optical media.

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   Cheap to produce / buy Capacity big enough to hold film Robust enough to be used over long periods / moved around Portable Does not need an internet connection (1 mark)

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7. Question 7H446/011 mark

   The company allows users to connect a local storage device to the photo frame to increase storage capacity. State the name of one device that might be connected to the photo frame to increase storage capacity.

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   (External) hard (disk) drive/ solid state drive Flash memory card/stick/drive SD Card/Micro SD Card (1 mark) Accept USB stick/device/pen/drive. Do not accept just 'USB', must specify device.

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