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Strategies to ensure availability of archived information
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Friday, 11 December 2009
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Standardization
An essential prerequisite for long-term availability of electronic information is the adherence to standards. Considerations include recording formats, metadata, media and file formats of information objects themselves early in the production of data, the long-term storage should be considered. Long term stable formats should be preferred. Properties of such a format should be widely disseminated, an open specification (standard) or the special development as a format for long-term data storage. Are examples of standardized formats XML files, TIFF and PDF / A archive. For metadata, there are various standardized metadata formats. The architecture of archival systems and the development of information objects is determined by the ISO 14721 OAIS Open Archival Information System specification has been standardized. For the connection of Archivspeichern is determined by the SNIA, the umbrella organization of memory products, provided an XML-based Interface (XAM).
Migration
One method of ensuring the availability of the migration of information into a new system environment. It represents a risk in circumstances where the information is not shown to change completely and continue to be fully re-findable migrated from one system to another solution. Originality and authenticity can be provided through a migration. On the other hand, technological change forces the user to the new storage and management components change in time, to keep available the information. Migration is therefore already in the initial setup of an archive storage system and plan to accomplish without risk and expense to switch to. Controlled, nondestructive, continuous migration "shall be available at the time the most important solution, information over decades and centuries. The issue of migration has been discussed frequently by the changes and the consolidation of the document management market, with the disappearance of many sellers. The elimination of individual products forces people to migrate to other formats, sometimes with the help of a separate migration program. Anyone who sets up an archive system must be engaged from the beginning therefore the topic of migration planning.
Emulation
In the scientific world, a second model will be discussed similarly strong: emulation. Emulation is, to simulate the characteristics of an older system so that data from this system so well with newer computers and operating systems can be used again. There are a few examples, for example in computer games, or Apple computers. This solution strategy is in long-term storage but not yet used to a greater extent. The disadvantages are that the cost of future emulation steps are not planned and is a major paradigm shift for one day, perhaps it is no longer feasible. These disadvantages are similar to that carried out in time for migration.
Encapsulation
In preparation for emulation is particularly the encapsulation process. In addition to preserving the file or information object to even the software that you can visualize it, and reproduce, and their associated metadata in a "capsule" saved. Accordingly, all the necessary information is stored for use in the future connected immediately. By this method, the objects to be stored can be very large, is not complete without ensuring that the software run mitarchivierte in future operating environments.
Conversion at runtime
Do not check the formats of information objects to be stored and no limit on short-term formats, converters and viewers are constantly hold up the system side, the older formats to formats viewable when opening the properties change. This leads to a variety of ready medium converters and viewers for an independent administration is required to call an older information object those appropriate, current converter to. The conversion at runtime is different from the emulation by the fact that not called an older environment, but the object for the current environment is changed. Special features of formats, electronic signatures and components, digital rights management here can lead, as with other methods, to problems.
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