Backup Your Data - The Need for a New Data Archival Format

摘要

The admonition to backup your data is not a new concept, and whether we do it manually or automatically on our computers, the problem is two-fold. First, we must choose what to backup, and second, we must choose an appropriate media for the backup. In the computer (desktop/laptop) situation, the information that is selected for backup is normally contained in various folders and files incorporating different formats, some proprietary and some not. The media are generally another disc or a more permanent media like a CD or DVD or possibly a removable USB drive. For short-term situations, the media are not generally a concern. Since there is a need to backup and retrieve information over a longer period of time, there is no solution for the media limitations except to reread the data from one media and to rewrite the data to a newer media, noting the demise over the years of paper cards and tape, magnetic 800 and 1600 bpi tape, floppy discs, optical discs, digital audio tape (DAT), etc.