Flashback: The Invention Dynamic Random-Access memory (DDR) and its Application in Cloud Servers

If you are like most of the general population (you automatically not who we’re talking about if you have a cloud server 😉 ), then the words, RAM, SDRAM and DDR memory have you stumped to the point you can’t figure out what any of them are or why it matters; basically, they’re the same and just different types of random-access memory (RAM). We’re going to get basic here so if this bores you then geek out on one of our more popular posts from last year, Installing Percona Server on a CentOS VPS.

What is Random-Access Memory (RAM)
To put it simply, RAM is the short-term memory for the server, computer or technology device you use. Basically, RAM has a part in running all of the applications you use while the computer is on. But, unless you save your data or your changes to your hard drive (the long-term memory), you will lose the data the moment you turn off the device. This happens because the information is no longer being stored in the device’s short-term memory module (RAM, SDRAM or DDR).
History
The first RAM chips were invented in 1969 by IBM and were used in large computers that performed one operation per CPU clock cycle. This memory was adequate for early computer applications. But as PCs became more complex, and users had more requirements from software applications, it became harder for this early RAM to meet these needs. Consequently, RAM technology developed further into different types of RAM memory modules: SDRAM and DDR. Each computer uses a certain type, depending on its capacity, central processing unit (CPU) speed and its manufactured technology.
DDR
Dual data rate memory is the latest type of RAM, and is used in most PC and technology devices because of its higher technology standards. DDR allows a device to calculate two processes simultaneously per CPU cycle. It supports data transfers for both the rising and falling edges of the clock cycle, which results in fewer data bottlenecks and faster computer performance. Likewise, DDR offers an unlimited number of read and write cycles meaning the memory modules can be used repeatedly.
Besides doubling a memory chip’s data processing capabilities, DDR also consumes less power, which has made it ideal for use in laptops and smaller devices.
Cloud Computing Relies Heavily on DDR
Just as everything on the Internet, data held in cloud computing is actually stored on a large computer, known as a server. However, unlike your home computer, the server is held in a high security, high tech, data center. Servers, like laptops and computer need both RAM (short-term memory) and hard drive storage capacity (long-term memory).
By using DDR memory, cloud servers offer faster access of data to their users. Modern operating systems have a way of extending RAM capacity, which is a process known as ‘virtual memory.’ The computer or server allocates a part of the computer hard drive as a paging file or partition for the DDR memory. The combination of the physical DDR RAM and the paging file system increases the total memory of the operating system, allowing the computer to ‘swap’ data from one to the other, thereby making room for additional information or easier and faster access to data that stored on the hard drive (cloud).
Bottom Line
DDR is the latest technology in random-access memory. Without it, neither commercial or consumer computers nor devices would work as they do today. Currently, it is the fastest type of memory available and allows users to open, manipulate and change data as needed. But like all RAM memory, if the data isn’t saved to the hard drive, it’s lost when the computer is turned off.
RAM memory technology is continually developing and there are several types of RAM being developed that will preserve data when the computer, server or device is powered down. However, these technologies are still being tested and whether these will eventually develop into viable consumer RAM memory options still remains to be seen.