Optical storage refers to the form in which logical structures are stored within a computer's storage space (also known as the physical structure). Generally, the logical structure of a data structure can be represented in various storage structures as needed. Common storage structures include sequential storage, linked storage, indexed storage, and hash storage, among others.
Sequential Storage: Stores each data element of a set in a sequence of storage units with consecutive addresses, allowing random access, but additions and deletions require extensive shifting.
Chain Storage: Does not require continuity; each node consists of a data field and a pointer field, occupying additional space; fast in addition and deletion, slow in search, requiring traversal.
Indexed Storage: In addition to establishing node information, an auxiliary index table is created to identify node addresses. Fast retrieval, but occupies more space.
Hash Storage: Establishes a definite correspondence between the storage locations of data elements and their keys, allowing for fast retrieval, but it also faces the issue of potential collisions in the mapping function.
Why is optical storage becoming so important now? It's largely due to the arrival of big data. Data equals value, and preserving it is paramount, which requires more infrastructure to support data storage.
Data is diverse, so adopting the current infrastructure would be a significant expense. Now, people are planning to migrate these data to a low-cost storage layer designed for infrequent access, which will greatly reduce the cost of basic design. And these infrastructure providers (servers, storage, etc.) have already started to pay attention to this market, as the big data storage market has a vast market space.
Data holds immense value, and businesses are increasingly investing in "big data" analysis to identify customer and operational trends, and gain business insights.
