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IBM-AUSTRIA - PC-HW-Support 30 Aug 1999 |
Archive Operations
Archive Operations
Where backup data is meant to be used
as a recovery resource in case of data loss, another possible use of
low-cost mass storage media is archiving. The current trend of producing
data in an electronic form, rather than on paper, calls for a need to
have a valid archiving solution. Documents like contracts, payroll
records, employee records, etc. will need to be stored in a permanent
way, without losing the advantages of the electronic form they exist in.
A typical difference between backup data and archived data is their
lifetime and dynamism. While backup data changes very fast and becomes
obsolete in a short term period, archived data typically is static and
stays current for a long time (up to several years, depending on legal
standards). As a result, backup products should be able to differentiate
between these two types of data, since storage policies will differ.
Besides a difference in handling this data, the storage device and media
will have specific needs. Since data will be kept for a long time, media
lifetime must be very high, which means you might need tape devices that
are backward compatible.
Physical storage is as important. It should be an environmentally
controlled, secured area.
Finally, availability of this data should be very high. That is
why some sources suggest keeping a second backup server, entirely
identical to the production system, on standby in a remote location,
together with an extra copy of the media.
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