dekstop: weblog

I'm in desperate need for a better backup strategy. By now it has become clear that our data storage media are utterly unstable; I've had lots and lots of misburned CDs, CDs that I can't read after years or even months, of after I change CD drives; I've had backups on DVDs that only can be read on specific computers, and at least four hard drive crashes (that I can remember) during the last 3-4 years. So I'm always interested in what other people have to tell about their experiences.

Here's an interesting discussion on MetaFilter about Safely Storing Mp3 Files: "I have over 20,000 mp3 (legal) files, which I want to be stored safely for decades to come, and I'm looking for deviece suggestions." [sic]

Some excerpts from the answers: "I just happen to direct a digital music archive for a university. Welcome to my hell. One of the world experts on this subject, Dietrich Schüller, Director of the Vienna Phonogrammarchiv, gave a talk in my lab last fall presenting his latest research. Basically, he says we are very likely deeply screwed [...] He convinced me that DVD was a disastrous medium for any number of reasons, chiefly the sheer density of data on them and thus the tiny amount of damage needed to render it unrecoverable."

Many tips, both concerning the backup of music ("don't *ever* compress audio for backup or storage if you plan to archive it [...] You *want* redundant data and even "empty" data") and general data backup (regularly refresh and exchange your backup media).

And this: "CDs are way better than DVDs, and for mp3 archives they are practical as a redundant copy. Again, don't fill them all the way (the edges, written last, are often first to be damaged). Don't write on them. And use archival grade CDs. Alas, there is only one available archival grade CD-R on the market at the moment, since Maxell's Gold seems to have gone out of production. Brand new from Delkin, also called Archival Gold and marketed to pro photographers. They will run you a buck each, slightly less if you buy 100 (they come in 25s, or jewel cased 10s). They claim a 200 year life, but that's absurd and unknowable. Believe it or not, CDs are susceptible to some fungal contamination in humid climates. And playing them or handling them degrades them."

The ultimate solution for my own backup and storage needs seems to be a networked RAID server that is both stable and affordable, houses all drives in one case, uses Linux software on an additional smaller drive (or maybe even on some kind of persistent flash memory chip) so that one can finetune the system to one's own needs (to e.g. let it send warning messages via email). This system should watch all drives via SMART and have a warning lamp for each drive in case one of the drives fails (be it due to bad sectors or due to hardware defects such as cable and interface damages; I'm not sure which types of failures are actually checked via SMART and which would have to be measured otherwise). And it should be possible to hot-swap a failed drive without having to use a screw driver. I'm not sure if such a server already exists, but looking at the increasing data storage needs of an average western family and the growing market of networking and server products for the mass market I'm faily confident that I won't have to wait too long, and won't have to pay too much. Any recommendations?

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