# disk storage

> storage mechanisms that record data on the surface of rotating disks

**Wikidata**: [Q1046817](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1046817)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_storage)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/disk-storage

## Summary
Disk storage is a set of storage mechanisms that record data on the surface of rotating disks. It is a type of computer memory or storage and is classified as computer storage media (and also as communications media). Disk storage is distinct from a disk drive, which is the device that performs recording on rotating disks.

## Key Facts
- Disk storage is defined as “storage mechanisms that record data on the surface of rotating disks.”  
- Disk storage is an instance of a “type of computer memory or storage.”  
- Disk storage is a subclass of **computer storage media** and **communications media**.  
- Disk storage **uses rotation**, with the **recording medium** specified as a **disk**.  
- Disk storage is explicitly marked as **different from** a **disk drive**.  
- Common aliases include: **spinning disk storage**, **rotating disk storage**, **disk-based storage**, **disc-based storage**, and **Plattenspeicher**.  
- Related entities include **disk drive**, **RAID disk**, **RK05** (magnetic disk drive), **RA90** (disk drive), and **BD writer**.  
- Identifiers and catalog links include: **Freebase** `/m/02c4c`, **Library of Congress** `sh85035853`, **AAT** `300028549`, and **YSA/YSO** `13181`.  
- Wikimedia/Commons resources include an icon and an image, and the Commons category **“Disc memory.”**

## FAQs
### Q: What is disk storage used for?
A: Disk storage is used to store digital data by recording it on the surface of rotating disks. It is categorized as computer storage media, meaning the stored data is readable by computers.

### Q: Is disk storage the same thing as a disk drive?
A: No. Disk storage refers to the storage mechanism/medium concept, while a disk drive is a device that records data on the surface of rotating disks. The source material explicitly states disk storage is different from a disk drive.

### Q: What makes disk storage “disk-based”?
A: Disk storage uses **rotation** and a **disk** as the recording medium. The defining characteristic is recording data on the surface of rotating disks.

### Q: What are other names for disk storage?
A: Common aliases include spinning disk storage, rotating disk storage, rotating disc storage, spinning disc storage, disk-based storage, and disc-based storage. Additional multilingual aliases listed include “unidad de disco,” “Speicherlaufwerk,” and “Plattenspeicher.”

## Why It Matters
Disk storage matters because it describes a foundational way computers store digital data: by recording it onto the surface of rotating disks. As a category of computer storage media, it provides a clear conceptual umbrella for technologies and formats that rely on a spinning disk as the recording medium. This distinction is useful in technical communication because it separates the *mechanism/medium* (disk storage) from the *device* that performs reading and writing (a disk drive). The concept also connects to related areas such as disk storage formats and disk-drive-related technologies (for example, RAID disk and specific disk drive models), helping organize knowledge about how data is stored, accessed, and managed in disk-based systems. In classification and cataloging contexts, disk storage is referenced across multiple authority and taxonomy systems (e.g., Library of Congress and AAT), supporting consistent indexing and retrieval of information about disk-based data storage.

## Notable For
- Defined specifically by recording data on the **surface of rotating disks**.  
- Explicitly distinguished from the **disk drive** (device) concept.  
- Classified under both **computer storage media** and **communications media**.  
- Identified across multiple knowledge organization systems (e.g., **Library of Congress**, **AAT**, **YSO**).  

## Body
### Definition
- Disk storage: storage mechanisms that record data on the surface of rotating disks.

### Classification
- Instance of: type of computer memory or storage.
- Subclass of:
  - computer storage media (storage of digital data readable by computers)
  - communications media

### Mechanism / Operating Principle
- Uses: rotation
- Recording medium: disk

### Distinctions
- Different from: disk drive (disk storage is not the same as the device).

### Related Concepts and Entities
- Related:
  - disk drive (computer drive that records data on the surface of rotating disks)
  - RAID disk (disk format)
  - RK05 (magnetic disk drive)
  - RA90 (disk drive)
  - BD writer
- Connected classes in the provided material:
  - disk storage format (format of data on a storage disk for a particular purpose)
  - floppy disk drive (computer peripheral or component)
  - Floptical (type of floppy disk drive)

### Names and Identifiers
- Aliases (selected): spinning disk storage; rotating disk storage; rotating disc storage; spinning disc storage; disk-based storage; disc-based storage; Plattenspeicher.
- Freebase ID: `/m/02c4c`
- YSO ID: `13181` (labels include “disk memories”)
- Library of Congress authority ID: `sh85035853`
- Art & Architecture Thesaurus ID: `300028549`
- Commons category: Disc memory
- Stack Exchange tag: https://stackoverflow.com/tags/disk

### Reference Media Links (from provided properties)
- Icon: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Windows_11-Einstellungen_%E2%80%93_Speicher.svg
- Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Comparison_disk_storage.svg

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Disk storage",
  "description": "Storage mechanisms that record data on the surface of rotating disks.",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_storage"
  ]
}

## References

1. [Source](https://github.com/JohnMarkOckerbloom/ftl/blob/master/data/wikimap)
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. YSO-Wikidata mapping project
4. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File