Article on data rot on CD's

From: Paul Koning <pkoning_at_equallogic.com>
Date: Thu Jul 29 08:40:34 2004

>>>>> "Rob" == Rob O'Donnell <classiccmp.org_at_irrelevant.fsnet.co.uk> writes:

 Rob> At 22:50 28/07/2004, Teo wrote:
>> Shouldn't he have a permanent backup tape every so often in the
>> cycle? If you screw up or delete a file and don't notice it
>> quickly it will get lost in the rotating cycle. The major problem
>> I see companies forgetting is offsite storage of backups in case
>> of fire or something like that. Most companies would not survive a
>> fire because their financial backups would be gone.

 Rob> Back in my previous employment, we had a customer who were very
 Rob> strict on doing backups (on DDS2) every night. Once done, the
 Rob> tapes were locked in the safe, for security. Smallish thing,
 Rob> more of a fire-safe than anything else.

 Rob> Everything was fine... until the day they were broken into, and
 Rob> their computers and server were stolen. And so was the safe!

That's why a safe chosen for burglar resistance (as opposed to fire
resistance) has to be either bolted to the building structure with big
bolts, or weigh 800+ pounds.

Another fun issue with fire-safes is that there are two kinds: one
suitable for paper, one suitable for computer media. The kind that is
meant for paper gets hot and humid in a fire, which will definitely
destroy the magnetic media inside.

        paul
Received on Thu Jul 29 2004 - 08:40:34 BST