Sequential access memory: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:34, 15 January 2007

Revision as of 02:25, 27 July 2007

Line 1:

{{Expand|date=January 2007}}

In computing, '''[[sequential access]] [[computer memory|memory]]''' ('''SAM''') is a class of [[data storage device]]s that read their data in sequence. This is in contrast to [[random access memory]] (RAM) where data can be accessed in any order. Such devices are usually a fromform of [[magnetic memory]].

While sequential access memory is read in sequence, accesses can still be made to arbitrary locations by "seeking" to the requested ___location. This operation, however, is often relatively inefficient (see [[seek time]], [[rotational delay]]).