[Beowulf] PetaBytes on a budget, take 2

[Christopher Samuel]

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On 23/07/11 06:46, David Mathog wrote:

> All of which is a bit of a straw man.  The best way to maintain archival
> data over long periods of time is to periodically migrate it to newer
> storage technology, and in between migrations, to test read the archives
> periodically so as to detect unforeseen longevity issues early, while
> there is still a chance to recover the data. 

If you are interested in how the National Archives of Australia
handles digital archiving then there is information (primarily
software & format focused) here:

http://www.naa.gov.au/records-management/preserve/e-preservation/at-NAA/index.aspx

But they do say on one of the pages below that:

# When selecting the hardware and systems for its digital
# preservation prototype, the National Archives avoided
# relying on any single vendor or technology. In so doing,
# we have enhanced our ability to deal with hardware
# obsolescence. Technology is our enabler, but we don't want
# it to be our driver. Conceptually, the digital repository
# is one system, but it comprises two independent systems
# running simultaneously, with different operating systems
# and hardware.
#
# By operating with redundancy, we are future-proofing our
# system. In the event of an operational flaw in any one
# operating system, disk technology or vendor, an alternative
# is available, so the risk to data is lower.

- -- 
    Christopher Samuel - Senior Systems Administrator
 VLSCI - Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative
 Email: samuel at unimelb.edu.au Phone: +61 (0)3 903 55545
         http://www.vlsci.unimelb.edu.au/

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