Contents:
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Storage media infrastructures
- 3. Data tapes
- 4. Hard disk drives
- 5. Solid state drives
- 6. Optical disks
- 7. Cloud storage
- 8. How to choose
- 9. Maintenance
- 10. Price examples
- 11. Case studies – examples from real life
- Terms and abbreviations
- References
This deliverable focuses on the physical storage of data and gives an overview of storage media types and systems available for creating a good storage infrastructure. Each storage type is explained in terms of its properties and what advantages and risks the system gives in view of long-term preservation. That is followed by the topic of equipment maintenance, a brief look at cost issues and ends with four ‘real life’ examples of storage systems in use by some of the project partners.It can be used as a guideline for those in charge of maintaining contemporary art collections in digital archives, in the event of buying new equipment or when making a preservation plan. This deliverable is considered a companion to the project’s D.6.1 Guidelines for a long time preservation strategy for digital reproductions and metadata, which focuses on the logical preservation of data, i.e., how to preserve the authenticity and integrity of the files.
Like its companion deliverable, this report is useful for small to medium sized institutions with little or no IT staff or expertise. It presents a not too complex overview of storage types and their pros and cons, and includes some helpful tables summarizing important issues to consider when making storage hardware decisions. Also helpful is a section on the physical maintenance requirements of the equipment, a topic not often addressed. In reality, the topic is too complex to be managed without additional expertise, but it does offer archivists unfamiliar with the terrain a helpful and straighforward introduction to the subject, explaining the concepts and terminology they will have to master when negotiating their needs with management and IT specialists.