secondary storage

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

secondary storage
    n 1: a data storage device that is not the main memory of a
         computer [syn: {auxiliary storage}, {external storage},
         {secondary storage}]

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

secondary storage

   <storage> Any {non-volatile} storage medium that is not
   directly accessible to the {processor}.  Memory directly
   accessible to the processor includes {main memory}, {cache}
   and the {CPU} {registers}.  Secondary storage includes {hard
   drives}, {magnetic tape}, {CD-ROM}, {DVD drives}, {floppy
   disks}, {punch cards} and {paper tape}.

   Secondary storage devices are usually accessed via some kind
   of controller.  This contains registers that can be directly
   accessed by the CPU like main memory ("{memory mapped}").
   Reading and writing these registers can cause the device to
   perform actions like reading a block of data off a disk or
   rewinding a tape.  See also {DMA}.

   Programs and data stored in secondary storage must first be
   loaded into main memory before the processor can use them.

   (1997-11-05)