Memory is an important function of any computer system.
Computers use four levels of memory that interact with devices and programs to stabilize system operations. Memory can provide processing instructions for hardware management and allocate space for the use of software applications. If the CPU is the brain or command control center of the computer, memory invokes the process which provides instructions from different devices to manage computer resources.
RAM Chip (Internal Memory)
A RAM computer chip is a primary memory storage device. Primary memory is located on RAM chips, which directly access the central processing unit (CPU). The CPU reads the instructions from the RAM chip according to the amount of memory located on the chip and processes the instructions to load software and hardware programs via a memory bus, which is connected from the RAM chip to the CPU. Once a computer is off, the RAM chip holds no system information in its memory, making it a volatile memory device.
External Devices (Secondary Memory)
External devices, such as USB flash drives, zip drives, floppy drives and hard drives store external memory. External memory does not have direct access to the CPU. This type of memory uses input/output devices on a "channel" which obtains information from the external device and loads the applicable memory into internal memory or the RAM chip. The RAM chip then aids in the processing of information from the secondary storage device.
Virtual Memory (Page Memory)
Virtual memory allows applications to load regardless of their size. For example, the Windows operation system with other software programs exceeds the 64mb limit pertaining to RAM requirements and parameters. Virtual memory "looks" for unused portions of RAM memory in various input/output addresses or "homes." Once a home is found with extra or spare memory, an image of the virtual memory is written to the hard drive. The hard drive stores the memory in a "page" or "catalog." This concept frees up system resources to load other software applications.
Tertiary Memory
Tertiary memory uses robotics to mount and dismount mass amounts of information in sequential order. This type of memory needs no human interaction but is much slower that other memory-based devices. An example of a tertiary system is a jukebox with tons of records or information. When a robotic arm picks a record to examine, the data concerning the record is read into secondary memory (usually a hard disk or tape). The access time used by tertiary memory is much slower because it has to "read" through all records.
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