Comments on: Refreshing Data Storage http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2010/02/05/refreshing-data-storage/ Wesley R. Elsberry's personal weblog, talking about falconry, science, antievolution, computation, and the broken body he lives in. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:25:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Austringer http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2010/02/05/refreshing-data-storage/comment-page-1/#comment-312647 Austringer Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:13:43 +0000 http://austringer.net/wp/?p=1952#comment-312647 So far, I haven't had an issue with the data CDs as far back as 1999. I have had some difficulty with a DVD written about the same time. All the CDs were verified for read-back at the time. Yes, two hard disk copies that are not a RAID will be kept. Separate locations are a good thing. I have had a RAID where the operating system had a glitch, and it instantly took out data we had on both copies. So my ideal setup for internal storage would be a mirrored two-disk RAID and a third, non-mirrored disk that gets synchronized daily. About Blu-ray: Last I checked, the cost per unit was still high, and burners were still multi-hundred dollar investment. Going with hard disk also means that the data is readily accessible for analysis, and that is a big plus on that account. Blu-ray would have also meant a significant amount of time spent re-mastering for the new layout per disk, and involved temporary hard disk storage of all the data anyway. Unless you use some sort of glass platen for scanning film, I don't see a big difference in flatness between a good slide mount and the 35mm film holders that come with most slide scanners. If you have a warped cardboard slide mount, remount that slide in a Pakon mount. I think you can still get that. I got an Epson V500 scanner a while back that does a nice job. You can certainly do better if you are willing to spend $1000 or more instead of $170, but the Epson allows me to be actually scanning my aging collection of media rather than thinking that I will get to it someday. So far, I haven’t had an issue with the data CDs as far back as 1999. I have had some difficulty with a DVD written about the same time. All the CDs were verified for read-back at the time.

Yes, two hard disk copies that are not a RAID will be kept. Separate locations are a good thing. I have had a RAID where the operating system had a glitch, and it instantly took out data we had on both copies. So my ideal setup for internal storage would be a mirrored two-disk RAID and a third, non-mirrored disk that gets synchronized daily.

About Blu-ray: Last I checked, the cost per unit was still high, and burners were still multi-hundred dollar investment. Going with hard disk also means that the data is readily accessible for analysis, and that is a big plus on that account. Blu-ray would have also meant a significant amount of time spent re-mastering for the new layout per disk, and involved temporary hard disk storage of all the data anyway.

Unless you use some sort of glass platen for scanning film, I don’t see a big difference in flatness between a good slide mount and the 35mm film holders that come with most slide scanners. If you have a warped cardboard slide mount, remount that slide in a Pakon mount. I think you can still get that. I got an Epson V500 scanner a while back that does a nice job. You can certainly do better if you are willing to spend $1000 or more instead of $170, but the Epson allows me to be actually scanning my aging collection of media rather than thinking that I will get to it someday.

]]> By: j a higginbotham http://austringer.net/wp/index.php/2010/02/05/refreshing-data-storage/comment-page-1/#comment-312646 j a higginbotham Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:18:32 +0000 http://austringer.net/wp/?p=1952#comment-312646 Any problems reading old cd's? Were they burned with write-verification? [Our X-ray data are backed up on CD's going back to 1998, but a number did not burn properly despite no error messages.] So you are keeping two hard disk copies (not RAIDEed?) in separate locations? Did you consider Blu-ray? ------------ Do you know anything about backing up pictures? The slide scanners don't require removal from holder, but wouldn't that be better? [I have a bunch of personal (usually out-of-focus/movement blurring) I'd like to back up sometime.] Any problems reading old cd’s? Were they burned with write-verification?
[Our X-ray data are backed up on CD's going back to 1998, but a number did not burn properly despite no error messages.]

So you are keeping two hard disk copies (not RAIDEed?) in separate locations?

Did you consider Blu-ray?
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Do you know anything about backing up pictures?
The slide scanners don’t require removal from holder, but wouldn’t that be better? [I have a bunch of personal (usually out-of-focus/movement blurring) I'd like to back up sometime.]

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