Here’s a glossary of electronic storage and memory terms, covering consumer, PC, and enterprise storage technologies, memory types, interfaces, and performance metrics:
💾 ELECTRONIC STORAGE & MEMORY GLOSSARY
A
Access Time / Read Latency – Time taken to read data from memory or storage.
Active Memory / Volatile Storage – Memory currently in use by CPU.
AHCI / Advanced Host Controller Interface – Standard interface for SATA drives.
Alt Memory / Alternate Storage – Secondary or backup storage.
Atomic Write / Guaranteed Data Write – Ensures complete write operation without corruption.
B
Backup / Data Copy – Duplicate of data for recovery purposes.
Buffer / Temporary Data Storage – Holds data temporarily during transfer.
Boot Drive / Startup Disk – Storage device containing operating system.
Block Storage / Data Organized in Blocks – Common storage method for HDDs and SSDs.
Bus Width / Memory Interface Size – Number of data lines connecting memory to CPU.
C
Cache / High-Speed Temporary Memory – Small, fast memory storing frequently accessed data.
CD / Compact Disc – Optical storage medium.
Chipset / Storage Controller – Handles communication between CPU and memory/storage.
Cluster / File Allocation Unit – Group of sectors on a storage device.
Cloud Storage / Internet-Based Storage – Remote storage accessed online.
D
DDR / Double Data Rate Memory – Type of RAM with data transfer on both clock edges.
DIMM / Dual Inline Memory Module – Standard RAM module for desktops.
Data Retention / Storage Longevity – Time data remains intact without power.
Drive Letter / Storage Identifier – Assigned letter to storage device in OS.
DMA / Direct Memory Access – Transfers data between memory and peripherals without CPU intervention.
E
EEPROM / Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM – Non-volatile memory that can be electrically erased and rewritten.
Encryption / Data Protection – Securing stored data from unauthorized access.
Enterprise Storage / Business-Class Storage Solutions – High-performance, reliable storage systems.
Exabyte / 1 Billion GB – Large-scale data measurement unit.
Error Correction / ECC / Fault Tolerance – Detects and corrects memory or storage errors.
F
Flash Memory / Solid-State Storage – Non-volatile storage using semiconductor cells.
File System / Data Organization – Method to organize and manage files (NTFS, FAT32, ext4).
Form Factor / Physical Size – Standard dimensions for storage devices (2.5”, 3.5”).
FRAM / Ferroelectric RAM – Non-volatile RAM type with fast read/write.
Free Space / Available Storage – Unused capacity on a drive.
G
GB / Gigabyte – Data storage measurement (~1 billion bytes).
GPU Memory / VRAM – Dedicated memory for graphics processing units.
Group RAID / Redundant Array – Combines multiple drives for redundancy or performance.
Green Storage / Energy-Efficient Devices – Low-power memory or storage solutions.
Granularity / Allocation Size – Smallest unit of data that can be accessed or written.
H
HDD / Hard Disk Drive – Magnetic storage device with rotating platters.
Hot Swap / Replace Without Powering Down – Replacing drives without shutting system.
Hybrid Drive / SSHD – Combines HDD and SSD storage for speed and capacity.
Host Bus Adapter / HBA – Connects storage devices to a computer.
High Bandwidth Memory / HBM – Fast memory used in GPUs and high-performance computing.
I
I/O / Input/Output Operations – Data transfer operations to/from memory or storage.
I/O Bottleneck / Performance Limitation – Slow data transfer limiting overall performance.
Interface / Connection Standard – SATA, NVMe, PCIe, USB, or Thunderbolt interface.
In-Memory Storage / RAM-Based Storage – Using volatile memory to store data temporarily.
Indexed Storage / Database Technique – Organizes data for fast retrieval.
J
JBOD / Just a Bunch of Disks – Storage configuration without redundancy.
Jitter / Latency Variation – Variability in response times during memory access.
Journal / Logging System – Tracks storage changes for recovery.
JSON Storage / Structured Text Data – Storage of structured data in JSON format.
Just-In-Time Storage / Dynamic Allocation – Allocates memory or storage as needed.
K
Kernel Memory / OS Reserved RAM – Memory reserved for operating system functions.
KB / Kilobyte – 1024 bytes of data.
Key-Value Storage / NoSQL Type – Data stored as keys paired with values.
Kilobit / kb – 1000 bits of data, often used in networking.
KVM Storage / Virtualized Memory – Memory allocation for virtual machines.
L
Latency / Access Delay – Time between request and data availability.
LBA / Logical Block Addressing – Method for accessing storage blocks.
Local Storage / On-Premises Storage – Physically attached to the computer.
LUN / Logical Unit Number – Identifies a storage volume in SANs.
Load Time / Time to Access Data – Duration required to retrieve data from memory or storage.
M
MB / Megabyte – ~1 million bytes of data.
Memory Module / RAM Stick – Physical DIMM or SO-DIMM.
Memory Controller / MC – Manages data flow between CPU and memory.
MRAM / Magnetoresistive RAM – Non-volatile memory with fast speed.
Metadata / Data About Data – Information describing stored files.
N
Non-Volatile Memory / NVM – Retains data without power.
NAS / Network-Attached Storage – Storage device connected to a network.
NAND / Flash Type – Flash memory architecture used in SSDs.
NVMe / Non-Volatile Memory Express – High-speed SSD interface over PCIe.
Node / Storage Device in Network – Individual device in storage network.
O
Optical Drive / CD/DVD/Blu-ray – Uses laser to read/write discs.
Over-Provisioning / SSD Maintenance – Extra storage reserved for performance and lifespan.
Onboard Memory / Integrated RAM – Built into motherboard or GPU.
Offline Storage / Cold Storage – Not actively connected to system or network.
Operating System Disk / OS Drive – Primary drive hosting system software.
P
Partition / Storage Division – Logical segment of a drive.
Persistent Memory / NVDIMM – Combines RAM speed with non-volatile storage.
PCIe / Peripheral Component Interconnect Express – Interface standard for SSDs.
Page File / Virtual Memory – Disk-based extension of RAM.
Parity / Error Detection – Extra data for RAID redundancy.
Q
Queue Depth / Pending I/O Requests – Number of simultaneous storage requests.
Quick Format / Fast Disk Initialization – Formats storage without checking for bad sectors.
Quota / Storage Allocation Limit – Maximum space assigned to a user or app.
Quality of Service / Storage Performance Guarantee – Ensures minimum performance levels.
QOS Policy / Storage Traffic Management – Manages priority of I/O operations.
R
RAM / Random Access Memory – Volatile memory used for active tasks.
Read Speed / Data Retrieval Rate – How fast data can be read from storage.
RAID / Redundant Array of Independent Disks – Combines multiple drives for redundancy or performance.
ROM / Read-Only Memory – Non-volatile memory containing permanent data.
Refresh Rate / DRAM Maintenance – Periodically restores DRAM charge to retain data.
S
SSD / Solid-State Drive – Flash-based storage with no moving parts.
Sector / Smallest Addressable Unit – Division of a hard drive or SSD.
Swap / Virtual Memory Space – Disk space used when RAM is full.
SRAM / Static RAM – Fast, volatile memory used in CPU caches.
SLC / Single-Level Cell – Flash memory storing 1 bit per cell, high endurance.
T
Throughput / Data Transfer Rate – Amount of data read/written per second.
TB / Terabyte – 1,000 GB.
Tiered Storage / Multi-Level Storage – Using different storage types for cost/performance balance.
TRIM / SSD Maintenance Command – Helps maintain SSD performance by cleaning unused blocks.
Transfer Rate / Bus Data Speed – Rate at which data moves across interface.
U
USB Storage / Flash Drives – Portable storage using USB interface.
Unbuffered Memory / Standard RAM – Basic memory without caching buffer.
UFS / Universal Flash Storage – Fast mobile device storage standard.
Used Space / Occupied Storage – Portion of storage currently holding data.
UPS / Uninterruptible Power Supply – Keeps storage powered during outages.
V
Volatile Memory / RAM – Loses data when power is off.
Virtual Memory / OS-Managed Extension – Uses storage to simulate additional RAM.
VRAM / Video RAM – Dedicated memory for graphics cards.
VHD / Virtual Hard Disk – Disk image used in virtual machines.
Volume / Logical Storage Unit – Partition, drive, or array recognized by OS.
W
Wear Leveling / SSD Longevity – Distributes writes evenly across flash memory.
Write Amplification / SSD Inefficiency – Extra internal writes needed to store data.
Write Speed / Data Write Rate – How fast data can be written to storage.
Word / Memory Data Unit – Size of data processed at a time by CPU.
Web Storage / Cloud Browser Storage – Online storage in browser (localStorage, sessionStorage).
X
XTS / AES Encryption Mode – Standard for encrypting storage devices.
XIP / Execute-In-Place – Runs program directly from non-volatile memory.
XOR / Parity Calculation – Used in RAID and ECC memory for error correction.
XFS / High-Performance File System – Linux file system optimized for large storage.
XML Storage / Structured Data – Storing settings and configurations in XML.
Y
Yield / Storage Manufacturing Quality – Percentage of usable storage devices from production batch.
Yottabyte / Extreme Data Unit – 1,000 zettabytes, massive-scale storage.
Yellow Drive / Aging Indicator – Some SSDs use indicators for wear.
Y-Buffer / Temporary Memory Segment – Holds data pending transfer.
YAML Storage / Configuration Files – Structured data storage in YAML format.
Z
Zero Fill / Disk Wipe – Writing zeros to erase storage securely.
Zoning / SAN Storage Partitioning – Dividing storage area networks into segments.
ZFS / Advanced File System – Enterprise file system with RAID and snapshots.
Zip / Compressed Archive – Storage of multiple files in compressed format.
Zero-Day Storage Exploit / Vulnerability – Security flaw in storage system.
Published 17th Feb 2026