Michael Torrie wrote:
I think it is important to remember that all forms of media should be reviewed and renewed on a periodic basis. You shouldn't rely on a tape holding its data for 30 years, but rather verify the tape every year and every so many years transfer the data to a new tape (maybe even a new format). In this way you should have indefinite data longevity. Additionally having redundant archival copies of your data is the only way to really be safe.
Agreed. Note that this contrasts with analog preservation techniques. If you have a valuable sculpture, you do everything to keep the molecules in their original form. But if the thing you're preserving is digital, you should instead rely on replication or error correction combined with migration to fresh media. It's a quite different way of thinking, and it's not obvious to most people.
Shane /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
