Safe longterm storage

[Ghitulescu]

Originally Posted by toomanybooks

The safest long term storage backup is multiple backup drives stored in different locations so if one is damaged or stolen you have not lost the data.

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

Redundant, constant backups are essential to protecting data. I agree about not being dependent on old technology. I keep my data on my computer's hard drive, a local backup drive, and on Carbonite.

Not only, but:
the multiple-backup systems have to be technologically different (magnetic media is sensible to magnetic fields, optical media is sensible to scratches and UV, paper is sensible to fire and water etc.)
these have to be stored individually in different locations.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by Ghitulescu

Not only, but:
the multiple-backup systems have to be technologically different (magnetic media is sensible to magnetic fields, optical media is sensible to scratches and UV, paper is sensible to fire and water etc.)
these have to be stored individually in different locations.

Excellent point. The most robust media is flash memory, which can survive being driven over with a car, dropped in coffee or nailed to a tree, but the biggest danger to backups is always user error. The more different copies you have, the harder it is to screw all of them up.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by taustin

Excellent point. The most robust media is flash memory,

I recall reading years ago that flash memory had a limited number of rewrites. Is this no longer the case?

[taustin]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I recall reading years ago that flash memory had a limited number of rewrites. Is this no longer the case?

I believe it is still true, though I expect it's a higher number than it used to be.

I was referring to things than can happen to your backups that aren't done on purpose. Like being nailed to a tree.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I recall reading years ago that flash memory had a limited number of rewrites. Is this no longer the case?

I wouldn't use flash memory in a rotating backup scheme, but for archive, what's to write once it's filled up?

When it is mounted to read, it should be mounted readonly and without access logging.

[murg]

Originally Posted by shalym

So if the book is e-only, you're screwed? Or are books that aren't in print not worth backing up?

Shari

You can print the eBook out on your laser printer. And store it as per my original post. I have a couple of books like this (public domain, acquired from library copies well before eBooks appeared).

Or you can convert the files into sequential QR codes, print them, and store them in the aforementioned way.

[murg]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I recall reading years ago that flash memory had a limited number of rewrites. Is this no longer the case?

Don't worry about it.

You'd have to overwrite the entire device every day for your entire lifetime, your kids entire lifetimes, and their kids entire life times to run into the write cycle limit.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by murg

Don't worry about it.

You'd have to overwrite the entire device every day for your entire lifetime, your kids entire lifetimes, and their kids entire life times to run into the write cycle limit.

I'm pretty sure bad blocks would start to develop during the first month of overwriting the entire device once per day.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by murg

Don't worry about it.

You'd have to overwrite the entire device every day for your entire lifetime, your kids entire lifetimes, and their kids entire life times to run into the write cycle limit.

But I plan on living forever.

[murg]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

I'm pretty sure bad blocks would start to develop during the first month of overwriting the entire device once per day.

Assuming you' reusing a USB key:

The memory in flash drives is commonly engineered with multi-level cell (MLC) based memory that is good for around 3,000-5,000 program-erase cycles,[40] but some flash drives have single-level cell (SLC) based memory that is good for around 100,000 writes.

From Wikipedia

[taustin]

Originally Posted by murg

You can print the eBook out on your laser printer. And store it as per my original post. I have a couple of books like this (public domain, acquired from library copies well before eBooks appeared).

Or you can convert the files into sequential QR codes, print them, and store them in the aforementioned way.

You could also buy a granite mountain Montana and inscribe it word by word with a hammer and chisel, , or build a giant multi-gigawatt laser and etch it in to the surface of the moon, but I don't see very many people doing either of those, either.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by murg

Assuming you' reusing a USB key:

The memory in flash drives is commonly engineered with multi-level cell (MLC) based memory that is good for around 3,000-5,000 program-erase cycles,[40] but some flash drives have single-level cell (SLC) based memory that is good for around 100,000 writes.

From Wikipedia

All the cheap and a good many of the pricy SSDs are MLC. The premium for SLC is pretty steep.

[chookie2]

I keep copies of all my ebooks on flash drives in a separate location from computer...of course if house burned would lose them anyway. Maybe i should keep them at the bank or with a family member. Not at all sure how long they will last on the drive.....hopefully will outlast me though. I wonder if they could be considered an inheritance?..

[taustin]

Originally Posted by chookie2

I wonder if they could be considered an inheritance?..

That is becoming an increasingly complicated, and important, question.

[Blossom]

I'm old school for me the safest is Discs. I've got DVD discs I had when I met my husband and they still work just fine. That was 15 years ago. I do keep backups in the cloud and on externals drives too but I have like 800 discs of game downloads (think Sims2) and here I am even now pulling files off to be put in game that I just starting playing again last month that I burned over 10 years ago. In 15 years I had 3 Discs go bad out of about 2000 not bad eh?