Reliable permanent storage for digital images

[andeelym]

Personally, I feel that no permanent storage exists.

HDD: They are mechanical and they can fail. But while they are still running, they can last quite long. Seagate ES2 series is designed to run 24x7 so in a NAS, its great. An additional layer of assurance with the cost included.

NAS: They are like HDDs and if you run them RAID 1, you get some assurance. But the problem comes when the RAID controller itself gets corrupted. Even if you have RAID51 (RAID 5 + RAID 1), all your data will be gone. And if you go for data recovery, they charge you by the number of HDDs you have in the array.

CD/DVD: It is not permanent. They have a life span. I have CDs and DVDs dying on me just after 5 years. And do not scrim on quality if you choose to go this route. Do not go for OEM or cheap brands. There are Kodak-branded ones with an advertised life span of min 50 or 100 years.

Online: The companies might just close down one day, bringing your data along with them.

Flash Media: I feel that these are the best for permanent data storage but they are expensive. And they are also prone to corruption. I have a flash card that got corrupted when I insert it into a card reader that is a bit faulty (I didn't know beforehand).

I feel that the best way is to get a NAS, and then buy a data protection plan along with it. There are a few data recovery houses in singapore that sells the data assurance plans. You pay something like S$200+ for 3 years or so. And during that period, should your HDD or NAS dies, you can have unlimited data recovery. The good thing about them is that your data can be 99% recovered most of the time. If you approach them when you have a prob, the costs can be very high... around S$1200+ for a 80GB HDD.

Otherwise, get multiple storages like some of the bros does it. The pain is not worth it when disaster strikes. Personally, I have the unfortunate experience of visiting the data recovery centres for 3 times.

 

[oel33]

Backing up data / photos is an art of balancing Convenience vs Data Security / Safety. It can be so safe with multiple copies but so inconvenient to do that human nature sets in - you let it lapses / forget and when disaster strikes... Over the years, I have found that for an average home user a three disk system works best and is the simplest to manage. This includes:

1. A working hard disk (internal)
2. A second hard disk mirrored to first (internal)
3. A third backup hard disk (external)

Setting up a mirror set can be technically challenging to most average home user who has limited computer knowledge and buys standard system off the shelve. You can substitute item 2 above with a second hard disk (internal, not mirrored if you are comfortable opening up the case) or a second hard disk (external with its own casing, but always connected to computer via USB). For this second hard disk, it is easiest / most convenient if it is set up to backup or sync with the working hard disk automatically. I use a backup program SyncBackSE bought online which is cheap and good.

The third external hard disk is also connected via USB, but is only connected when doing backup. Since you already have two copies of the data (hard disk 1 & 2), you can do this third backup set say once a week or more frequently as you please. Make sure you unplug it when not doing backup. I had experienced a power supply unit (in the computer) went supernova during computer boot up. It sent an electromagnetic shock wave down its path and all physically connected devices were toasted! Needless to say both internal hard disks were dead! This is not common but did happen. Luckily I had the third backup set. Of course, I lost a few days of work but it was manageable.

This system is not perfect but is good enough for most circumstances and easy enough for most home user to manage. At any one time, you have 3 copies of the data.

A few other comments:

TAPE backup - too complicated for average home user plus it is a proprietary system. When disaster strikes a few years down the road, is the vendor still around? Is the proprietary software or tape drive still available? Are the fragile tapes still readable?

CD/DVD - Our photos are getting bigger by the day especially those RAW files! The limited capacity of CD/DVD is going to be a factor to consider. Its limited life span as so many users have mentioned is also making it a less attractive option.

Hope it helps.

 

[garagez]

this is what i do:
HDD - one copy
external harddisk - one copy
DVD/BLU RAY - one copy

dis wat i do most of the time for important data, the most practical

cheers

 

[atlantis]

Thank you all for your views and suggestions.

Can someone tell me what is NAS?

 

[hotwork77]

Thank you all for your views and suggestions.

Can someone tell me what is NAS?

NAS is Network Attached Storage.
e.g. is Iomega

 

[atlantis]

Thanks Hotwork77 for the reply.

Will try to find more information from the web to understand what setup is required.

 

[Octarine]

Will try to find more information from the web to understand what setup is required.

Wikipedia: Network Attached Storage
The appliances are 'ready to use', nothing else required except some basic knowledge about the configuration. But they have a manual. Since most people have a router at home (either SH or ST) you just plug the NAS into the router and it becomes available. Access via WLAN will be slow, though.

 

[Camerawise]

SILICA GELS AND LOCK N LOCK TUBBERWARE. 100% dryness up-time 365days 24/7. LOL

 

[9V-Orion Images]

I use the good ol' magnetic tape, lots of them in fact. :bsmilie:

 

[giantcanopy]

I use the good ol' magnetic tape, lots of them in fact. :bsmilie:

omg is that ur library ?!

I am not too versed in magnetic tapes, but while they last do last longer than the harddisk platters, many of the optical medias are pretty much more durable to environmental insults such as humidity for instance. Storing, testing and backing onto new tapes can be an ardouos affair.

I did ponder about tape drives during the cd-pre dvd era ( when the obvious capacity advantage of magnetic tapes was overwhelming ), but as the cost per byte decreases ( i am recently hooked on Blue Ray medias :bsmilie: ) i wonder if it is still logical for a typical amateur photog/videog to adopt tape devices.

ryan

 

[hotwork77]

I use the good ol' magnetic tape, lots of them in fact. :bsmilie:

omg is that ur library ?!

I am not too versed in magnetic tapes, but while they last do last longer than the harddisk platters, many of the optical medias are pretty much more durable to environmental insults such as humidity for instance. Storing, testing and backing onto new tapes can be an ardouos affair.

I did ponder about tape drives during the cd-pre dvd era ( when the obvious capacity advantage of magnetic tapes was overwhelming ), but as the cost per byte decreases ( i am recently hooked on Blue Ray medias :bsmilie: ) i wonder if it is still logical for a typical amateur photog/videog to adopt tape devices.

ryan

Friend...this looks like it's from Starhub. It's an autoloader. My company has one almost similiar except it is DVD RAM format.

 

[9V-Orion Images]

Friend...this looks like it's from Starhub. It's an autoloader. My company has one almost similiar except it is DVD RAM format.

Yeah, also known as a tape library or a tape robot. I plucked the photo off google images.

[vid]k2vqJgLRX1E[/vid]

 

[atlantis]

Thank you all for your feedbacks.

This is certainly a helpful community sharing their experiences.