archiving data, was RE: Media Longitevity/Care

[Jim Leonard]

Tom Jennings wrote:
> I'd like to offer that there is no such thing as archival computer
> media. None.

This is not disputed.

> If you somehow think that tapes stored in a controlled vault is
> more reliable, or less susceptible to bit rot than rotating
> spindles, I believe you are wrong (and my every experience and
> observation says otherwise). Only fiche and paper are statically
> reliable.

You are omitting cost.  Tapes in a vault cost significantly less over 10 years 
than the cost of 4 live systems + replacement hard drives + network bandwidth + 
electricity for your method.

Your method, unless I am misunderstanding you, has no revisioning.  It protects 
against hardware failure, but how many revisions do you keep?  What protects 
against you mistakenly deleting the wrong directory, etc.?

I agree completely that archival data should be monitored in some fashion 
instead of being locked away forever.  And, cost permitting, transferred to new 
media.
-- 
Jim Leonard (trixter at oldskool.org)                    http://www.oldskool.org/
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