Episode Details

Have you ever wondered where all your digital memories, work projects, or favorite photos actually live in the cloud? In this episode, Lois Houston and Nikita Abraham are joined by Principal OCI Instructor Orlando Gentil to discuss cloud storage. They explore how data is carefully organized, the different ways it can be stored, and what keeps it safe and easy to find. Cloud Tech Jumpstart: https://mylearn.oracle.com/ou/course/cloud-tech-jumpstart/152992 Oracle University Learning Community: https://education.oracle.com/ou-community LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/oracle-university/ X: https://x.com/Oracle_Edu Special thanks to Arijit Ghosh, David Wright, Kris-Ann Nansen, Radhika Banka, and the OU Studio Team for helping us create this episode. ------------------------------------------------------ Episode Transcript:

00:00

Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast, the first stop on your cloud journey. During this series of informative podcasts, we'll bring you foundational training on the most popular Oracle technologies. Let's get started!

00:25

Nikita: Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast! I'm Nikita Abraham, Team Lead of Editorial Services with Oracle University, and with me is Lois Houston, Director of Innovation Programs.

Lois: Hey there! Last week, we spoke about the differences between traditional and cloud data centers, and covered components like CPU, RAM, and operating systems. If you haven't listened to the episode yet, I'd suggest going back and listening to it before you dive into this one.

Nikita: Joining us again is Orlando Gentil, Principal OCI Instructor at Oracle University, and we're going to ask him about another fundamental concept: storage.

01:04

Lois: That's right, Niki. Hi Orlando! Thanks for being with us again today. You introduced cloud data centers last week, but tell us, how is data stored and accessed in these centers?

Orlando: At a fundamental level, storage is where your data resides persistently. Data stored on a storage device is accessed by the CPU and, for specialized tasks, the GPU. The RAM acts as a high-speed intermediary, temporarily holding data that the CPU and the GPU are actively working on. This cyclical flow ensures that applications can effectively retrieve, process, and store information, forming the backbone for our computing operations in the data center.

01:52

Nikita: But how is data organized and controlled on disks?

Orlando: To effectively store and manage data on physical disks, a structured approach is required, which is defined by file systems and permissions. The process began with disks. These are the raw physical storage devices.

Before data can be written to them, disks are typically divided into partitions. A partition is a logical division of a physical disk that acts as if it were a separated physical disk. This allows you to organize your storage space and even install multiple operating systems on a single drive.

Once partitions are created, they are formatted with a file system.

02:40

Nikita: Ok, sorry but I have to stop you there. Can you explain what a file system is? And how is data organized using a file system?

Orlando: The file system is the method and the data structure that an operating system uses to organize and manage files on storage devices. It dictates how data is named, is stored, retrieved, and managed on the disk, essentially providing the roadmap for data. Common file