Strategies for the Sicherstellung of the availability of archived information

Standardisation

A substantial condition for the long-term mobilization of funds of electronic information is the observance of standards. To consider are recording formats, meta data, media and the file formats of the information objects themselves. Already with the production of data long-term storage should be considered. Long-term stable formats should be used preferentially. Characteristics of such a format should be a far spreading, an open specification (standard) or the special development as format for long-term data storage. Examples are XML files, tiff and pdf archives.

Migration

A method for the Sicherstellung of the availability is the migration of information into a new system environment. Perhaps it represents a risk, if the information as can be prove invariably, completely and further without reservation again findable by a system approach on another are not migrated. Originality and authenticity can be placed by a migration in question. On the other hand the technological change forces to change the users on new memory and administrative components in time, in order to keep the information available. The migration already is therefore with the Ersteinrichtung of a archives and a memory system to flat, in order to be able to carry out without risk and expenditure the change. Controlled one, loss-free, "„continuous migration "“at present the most important solution is to keep information available over decades and centuries. The topic migration was frequently discussed by the changes and the consolidation of the document management market with the disappearing of numerous offerers. The omission of individual products forces to the migration on other formats, sometimes with the help of its own migration program. Who introduces a archives system, therefore migration planning must concern itself from beginning on with the topic.

Emulation

In the scientific world still another second model is similarly strongly discussed: Emulation. Emulation is called to simulate the characteristics of an older system in such a way that thereby also data of this system with newer computers and operating systems can be used again. There are examples some, for example with computer games or Apple computers. This solution strategy is not used in the range of the long-term data storage however yet in larger extent. Disadvantages are that the expenditure of future emulation steps is not flatable and is not feasible with a too large paradigm change of a daily perhaps any longer. These disadvantages apply in similar form also for in time not accomplished migrations.

Packaging

As preparation for emulation in particular the packaging procedure is suitable. Additionally with the file which can be retained or the information object also still the software, with which one can visualize and reproduce it, as well as the associated meta data in a "“cap"” are stored. Thus all information necessary for the use is in the future immediately stored coherently. By this method the objects which can be stored can become very large, without it is however completely guaranteed that the along-archived software is executable also in future operating system environments.

Conversion at run-time

If the formats of the information objects which can be stored can be controlled and not be limited not to few long-term formats, converters and Viewer are to be system internally constantly reproached, which change older formats into displayable formats with the call of the objects. This leads medium-term to a multiplicity of converters and Viewern which can be held ready, for which its own administration is necessary, in order to an older information object, the current converter fitting in each case to call to be able. Conversion at run-time differs from the emulation by the fact that not an older environment is called, but changed the object for the current environment. Special characteristics of formats, electronic signatures and digital Rights management components can lead here, just like with the other procedures, to problems.

Legal one and regulations defaults for electronic archiving

The topic archiving and long-term storage particularly won in the last years by legal and regulations defaults at meaning. The equal treatment of digital documents with electronic signature as conventional paper documents, the Sarbanes Oxley act and other Compliance requirements in the USA, the discussion around the archiving of taxrelevant data according to the GDPdU in Germany make revision-safe archives and memory systems necessary. In the context of the discussion of the legal requirements frequently the question about "„the correct "“storage medium arose. Traditional WORM media, which are physically only once recordable, raised the requirement the only correct storage media to be. The manufacturers of non removable disk systems and WORM Tapes countered. In principle it applies however that laws and regulations are medium neutral (or to be should), since in view of the long-term retention periods also technology changes must be considered. The correct medium does not give it therefore. The entire procedure of archiving must be closed and safe. This goes along beyond the question of the drive assemblies and media and refers also the organizational processes.

Advancement

For the employment from archives storage technologies in the meantime the software became crucial. It secures independently of the medium the unchangeableness of the information, it makes possible the fast access and it administers gigantic memory quantities. So far electronic archives were a special domain of the archives system offerers. Now however the storage technology becomes ever more intelligently. System management and store management software administer in the meantime also electronic archives. Additionally can still a conventional archives, record management or a content management system for the contentwise structuring, which order, development and supply of the information are used. The memory system offerers rig however. Their goal is it to make archives memory available as infrastructure operating system near and for all applications directly: This trend in the year 2003 is called ILM information Lifecycle management and is to include electronic archiving. Particularly the promise, which makes or automates ILM migrations unnecessary, arouses interest with many users. The requirement at ILM is settled thereby clearly beyond the conventional HSM, hierarchical memory management. It goes increasingly by the software to the administration of the entire life cycle from information in place of pure memory hardware. Electronic archiving is used as subordinate service, which is integrated in Enterprise content management solutions, but when archiving component is to all applications at the disposal, whose information must be kept on a long-term basis and surely.

See also

• Document management
• To Preservation, see Preserve
• Long-term archiving
• Information life cycle management
• CompTIA CDIA+ certifying
• Revision security
• Procedure documentation after GoBS

Literature

• Uwe borrow-hope, Peter Jan Scheffczyk: Long-term archiving. DPunkt publishing house, 2003, ISBN 3-8986-4245-3.
• Ulrich Kampffmeyer, Rogalla: Principles of electronic archiving. VOI manual volume 3. VOI federation of organization and information systems registered association, Darmstadt 1997, ISBN 3-932898-03-6.
• Ulrich Kampffmeyer: Bases of the document management. Gabler publishing house 1997, ISBN 3-4098794-0-4.
• Ulrich Kampffmeyer: Electronic archiving and STORAGE technologies. Speicherguide, 2003.
• Ulrich Kampffmeyer: Document technologies: Where the journey . Hamburg 2003, 411 sides, ISBN 3-9806756-4-5.

Related links

• ISO archiving standard: Reference Model for at open Archival information system (OAIS) (pdf, 1.2 MT)

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