What distinguishes online secondary storage from offline secondary storage?

Online secondary storage is distinguished from offline secondary storage primarily by its ability to operate without human intervention. This type of storage allows for immediate data access and retrieval through network connectivity, which means that users or systems can access, read, and write data instantly whenever needed without requiring any manual handling or physical movement of media.

On the other hand, offline secondary storage generally involves physical devices that require human interaction to access the data stored on them, such as external hard drives, USB flash drives, or CDs. These devices are not connected to a network immediately, and accessing them often involves inserting them into a computer system or otherwise retrieving them from storage.

By contrast, online secondary storage typically involves disk arrays, cloud storage systems, and other solutions that facilitate quick, automated access to data, which is essential for many modern computing environments that prioritize efficiency and real-time data processing.