11.1 File Systems
In Chapter 5 we established the differences between main and secondary memory. Recall that main memory is where active programs and data are held while in use. Main memory is volatile, meaning that the data stored on it is lost if electric power is turned off. Secondary memory is nonvolatile—the data stored on it is maintained even when power is not on. Thus we use secondary memory for permanent storage of our data.
The most widely used secondary storage device is the magnetic disk drive. It includes both the hard drives that are found in the computer’s main box and disks that are portable and can be moved easily between computers. The basic concepts underlying both types of disks are the same. Other secondary memory devices, ...
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