In computers, a storage medium is any technology (including devices and materials) used to place, keep, and retrieve data. A medium is an element used in communicating a message; on a storage medium, the "messages" - in the form of data - are suspended for use when needed. The plural form of this term is storage media. Although the term storage includes both primary storage (memory), a storage medium usually means a place to hold secondary storage such as that on a hard disk or tape.
Storage media can be arranged for access in many ways. Some well-known arrangements include:
- A redundant array of independent disks (RAID)
- Network-attached storage
- A storage area network
This was last updated in April 2001