Direct-access storage device
lastmod 2016-06-11created 2016-06-111 edits
A direct access storage device (DASD) is a term for secondary storage on mainframe computers and some minicomputers: a storage device in which each physical record has a discrete location and a unique address.
Historically, IBM has applied the term to the following three types of devices:
- Disk drives
- Magnetic drums
- Data cells
Today, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives are sometimes also classified as DASDs.