BobDiaz
The Professor
It may seem like P2 creates a potential issue with archival storage, but this problem exists even with video tape. For those who assumed that your stacks of video tapes stored in a cabinet are safe for the next 50 years, you are sadly mistaken. All media, film, video tape, or computer data in any form, will have a potential problem with long term archiving. There is no single decision or agreement with all the experts in the field of storage as to the best long term solution. What I can tell you is the general summery of what the experts are saying.
First, when experts suggest the number of years a media would survive, the time frame given is generally conservative. This means that the media MAY survive longer than the time frame estimate. We also need to assume that you are using high grade media, because cheap media won't last as long.
Second, we always have to assume ideal storage conditions free from excessive light, heat (or cold), and extremes in humidity. If the media is magnetic in nature, it must be free from strong magnetic fields.
Third, it is important to have a second (or third) copy of your critical data. People who do not have second backup copies are begging for trouble. Keep in mind that if you are shooting video tape and you do not have a backup copy of that tape, you also run the risk of facing the same trouble.
THE TECHNICAL OBSOLESCE PROBLEM:
I have 8 Track Tapes, 8mm movies, Beta I Video Tapes, and 78 RPM records. What can I purchase NEW today that will play any of this media? Because our technology is changing so quickly, today's state of the art system will become yesterday's obsolete system.
Pick any system of today and wait 5, 10, 20, or 40 years and nothing will exist to play this media. Current wisdom suggests that a common standard media, like a DVD is more likely to have something around to play it, compared to a unique, limited production technology.
My personal suggestion is that if something is very important and must survive beyond 5 years, make sure you have a second and even third copy on DIFFERENT media. This increases your chances of finding something that can read the media in later years.
You may also want to have a running upgrade to your data. I have data (text files) that first existed on 5 1/4" floppies, was transferred to 3.5" floppies, to 100MB ZIP disks, to CDs, and is soon to be transferred to DVDs and maybe someday Blu-Ray.
TAPE:
Most estimates for tape are for a lifespan of 10 to 20 years. Keep in mind that this all depends on the quality of the tape and the lubricants used in the tape.
Just writing to a tape is no guarantee that the data was written correctly. You MUST perform a verify function after you write the data to the tape to be sure the data was written correctly.
HARD DRIVE STORAGE:
If you must have the storage on line at all times, something like a RAID-5 storage system is necessary. With RAID-5, even when a single drive fails, the data is still intact.
A RAID-5 system can NOT protect against a malicious virus or worse yet, a stupid user who deletes the wrong files. RAID-5 is good for the daily usage, but needs an additional offline system, like tape backup or removable hard drives, to protect your files.
For offline storage, removable hard drive storage, like the USB drives, is a possible solution. Clearly, if you drop a drive, you run the risk of loosing all its data. This is why you want to have a second drive with an exact same copy of the data.
As a side note, check this out:
http://www.iomega.com/direct/products/family.jsp;IomegaProdComSession=DUt9p4QjxLNb5v2g0NNaXpqysCvbBMk4zHpX6GU1H2LFCeNFOiB3!-412320371!-1817048987!7005!7002!-882072760!-1817048988!7005!7002?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=26891275&bmUID=1137978813828
The only issue with long term storage of hard drives is the bearings. There are concerns that the bearings may freeze up after 5 years of non-use. Many experts feel that the higher quality drives are less likely to freeze up in 5 years.
One solution would be once every 6 months or once every year to run the drives for a while. In fact running a Hard Drive Error Checking would catch a failure on a drive. At that point, you will want to make a copy from the second backup copy before the copy drive shows a problem too.
Another possible solution is to upgrade the data to a larger drive every 5 years. Currently the capacity of hard drives doubles every 13 months (1.9x per year). This means that for about the same price as your 5 year old drive, you will be able to obtain a drive 24 times larger. This means that 24 of your older 500GB external drives will fit nicely onto ONE 12TB Terabyte (12,000GB) external drive.
A third possible solution is to transfer the contents of the drive unto an optical disk. In 5 years, even a 50GB Blu-Ray Disk will seem small and you should be able to obtain an optical backup system that does not cost too much.
OPTICAL:
The majority of the experts say that optical offers the best long term storage; with estimates of 50 to 100 years. This year we will be able to purchase Blu-Ray Burners and blank media. If you don't like the price of $999 for the burner, just wait a few years and watch it drop.
Some cautions about using Optical for archival work:
FIRST, always use the highest grade media. The really cheap stuff has been known to not last and some cheap disks delaminate after about 1 year. The link below will help you with what are the highest grade DVDs:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm
SECOND, use the write once read many times DVDs (DVD-R or DVD+R). The DVD-RW and DVD-RAM will not hold the data as long as the first kind.
THIRD, do NOT use a solvent-based marker to write on the DVDs. The solvents may slowly work their way through the media and destroy the data on the disk. If you must mark the disk, use a NON-solvent-based marker and write only on the clear part in the center of the disk. Additional details can be found at:
http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/carefordisc/disccare.html
THE VIRGIN COMPUTER CONCEPT:
Unfortunately there is a group of people out there who think it's funny to write malicious viruses that destroy your critical data. There is something you can do with your editing system and data that can stop the world's worst virus cold; never allow your editing system to have contact with the outside world.
Once the system is setup, your computer can provide data to other systems, but it can never be allowed to be connected to the internet or receive anything from other computers. This may pose a problem when you want to update the drivers or add new software, but in general most manufactures programs are virus free.
Bob Diaz
First, when experts suggest the number of years a media would survive, the time frame given is generally conservative. This means that the media MAY survive longer than the time frame estimate. We also need to assume that you are using high grade media, because cheap media won't last as long.
Second, we always have to assume ideal storage conditions free from excessive light, heat (or cold), and extremes in humidity. If the media is magnetic in nature, it must be free from strong magnetic fields.
Third, it is important to have a second (or third) copy of your critical data. People who do not have second backup copies are begging for trouble. Keep in mind that if you are shooting video tape and you do not have a backup copy of that tape, you also run the risk of facing the same trouble.
THE TECHNICAL OBSOLESCE PROBLEM:
I have 8 Track Tapes, 8mm movies, Beta I Video Tapes, and 78 RPM records. What can I purchase NEW today that will play any of this media? Because our technology is changing so quickly, today's state of the art system will become yesterday's obsolete system.
Pick any system of today and wait 5, 10, 20, or 40 years and nothing will exist to play this media. Current wisdom suggests that a common standard media, like a DVD is more likely to have something around to play it, compared to a unique, limited production technology.
My personal suggestion is that if something is very important and must survive beyond 5 years, make sure you have a second and even third copy on DIFFERENT media. This increases your chances of finding something that can read the media in later years.
You may also want to have a running upgrade to your data. I have data (text files) that first existed on 5 1/4" floppies, was transferred to 3.5" floppies, to 100MB ZIP disks, to CDs, and is soon to be transferred to DVDs and maybe someday Blu-Ray.
TAPE:
Most estimates for tape are for a lifespan of 10 to 20 years. Keep in mind that this all depends on the quality of the tape and the lubricants used in the tape.
Just writing to a tape is no guarantee that the data was written correctly. You MUST perform a verify function after you write the data to the tape to be sure the data was written correctly.
HARD DRIVE STORAGE:
If you must have the storage on line at all times, something like a RAID-5 storage system is necessary. With RAID-5, even when a single drive fails, the data is still intact.
A RAID-5 system can NOT protect against a malicious virus or worse yet, a stupid user who deletes the wrong files. RAID-5 is good for the daily usage, but needs an additional offline system, like tape backup or removable hard drives, to protect your files.
For offline storage, removable hard drive storage, like the USB drives, is a possible solution. Clearly, if you drop a drive, you run the risk of loosing all its data. This is why you want to have a second drive with an exact same copy of the data.
As a side note, check this out:
http://www.iomega.com/direct/products/family.jsp;IomegaProdComSession=DUt9p4QjxLNb5v2g0NNaXpqysCvbBMk4zHpX6GU1H2LFCeNFOiB3!-412320371!-1817048987!7005!7002!-882072760!-1817048988!7005!7002?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=26891275&bmUID=1137978813828
The only issue with long term storage of hard drives is the bearings. There are concerns that the bearings may freeze up after 5 years of non-use. Many experts feel that the higher quality drives are less likely to freeze up in 5 years.
One solution would be once every 6 months or once every year to run the drives for a while. In fact running a Hard Drive Error Checking would catch a failure on a drive. At that point, you will want to make a copy from the second backup copy before the copy drive shows a problem too.
Another possible solution is to upgrade the data to a larger drive every 5 years. Currently the capacity of hard drives doubles every 13 months (1.9x per year). This means that for about the same price as your 5 year old drive, you will be able to obtain a drive 24 times larger. This means that 24 of your older 500GB external drives will fit nicely onto ONE 12TB Terabyte (12,000GB) external drive.
A third possible solution is to transfer the contents of the drive unto an optical disk. In 5 years, even a 50GB Blu-Ray Disk will seem small and you should be able to obtain an optical backup system that does not cost too much.
OPTICAL:
The majority of the experts say that optical offers the best long term storage; with estimates of 50 to 100 years. This year we will be able to purchase Blu-Ray Burners and blank media. If you don't like the price of $999 for the burner, just wait a few years and watch it drop.
Some cautions about using Optical for archival work:
FIRST, always use the highest grade media. The really cheap stuff has been known to not last and some cheap disks delaminate after about 1 year. The link below will help you with what are the highest grade DVDs:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm
SECOND, use the write once read many times DVDs (DVD-R or DVD+R). The DVD-RW and DVD-RAM will not hold the data as long as the first kind.
THIRD, do NOT use a solvent-based marker to write on the DVDs. The solvents may slowly work their way through the media and destroy the data on the disk. If you must mark the disk, use a NON-solvent-based marker and write only on the clear part in the center of the disk. Additional details can be found at:
http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/carefordisc/disccare.html
THE VIRGIN COMPUTER CONCEPT:
Unfortunately there is a group of people out there who think it's funny to write malicious viruses that destroy your critical data. There is something you can do with your editing system and data that can stop the world's worst virus cold; never allow your editing system to have contact with the outside world.
Once the system is setup, your computer can provide data to other systems, but it can never be allowed to be connected to the internet or receive anything from other computers. This may pose a problem when you want to update the drivers or add new software, but in general most manufactures programs are virus free.
Bob Diaz
As for lifetime of blu-ray, they said the samething for CD-R at the begining but turnout to last 5-6 year, with gold to have a unknown longer lifespan.
