[clug] EXT4 Reliability [SEC=PERSONAL]

[Alex Satrapa]

On 30/09/2009, at 10:03 , jm wrote:

> Of course, as we're talking about archiving the question is "What  
> will be readable in X years?". I'm guessing that ISO9660 will be the  
> best bet as it's formalised and written down somewhere.

Just like vinyl records and NASA tape recordings? Or do you mean like  
the papyrus scrolls that important information was recorded on back in  
the Egyptian times?

> So, assuming that the medium in question survives the years you  
> should be able to read it back (given a suitable device).

The key assumption there is that you're going to write this stuff to  
disk just once and leave it there.

Longevity of the information can be assured by copying the files from  
the old file system to the new file system (along with assumptions  
that you'll *always* have Data and Resource forks, right? they're  
sacred and Apple will *never* take them away).

Accessibility of the information can be assured by using one format  
and making sure the tools you use to manage that format are open  
source. I can't imagine a time when COBOL won't be in use, so make  
sure you use COBOL to write your editor or viewer applications.

The final thing you need to do is ensure that the archive is reviewed  
on a regular basis to ensure that you can actually read the documents  
and view the contents as they were intended to be presented. A hard  
disk sitting on a shelf for eight years might not even spin up, so for  
archival storage you'll need to invest in a TEM.

"Archival copies" are a relic of the past.

Alex