Caching is an important principle of computer systems. Here’s how it works. Information is normally kept in some storage system (such as main memory). As it is used, it is copied into a faster storage system—the cache—on a temporary basis. When we need a particular piece of information, we first check whether it is in the cache. If it is, we use the information directly from the cache. If it is not, we use the information from the source, putting a copy in the cache under the assumption that we will need it again soon
Main memory can be viewed as a fast cache for secondary storage, since data in secondary storage must be copied into main memory for use and data must be in main memory before being moved to secondary storage for safekeeping.
The file-system data, which resides permanently on secondary storage, may appear on several levels in the storage hierarchy.
At the highest level, the operating system may maintain a cache of file-system data in main memory. In addition, solid-state disks may be used for high-speed storage that is accessed through the file-system interface.
The bulk of secondary storage is on magnetic disks. The magnetic-disk storage, in turn, is often backed up onto magnetic tapes or removable disks to protect against data loss in case of a hard-disk failure. Some systems automatically archive old file data from secondary storage to tertiary storage, such as tape jukeboxes, to lower the storage cost
