Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Remote Backup as Part of a Disaster Recovery Strategy
New technologies and recent storm reports have forced many companies to review disaster recovery plans and data protection policies.
Hurricanes striking the Gulf Coast and Eastern seashore have a significant impact on the businesses operating in their path. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have IT managers and company owners all over the United States evaluating or creating disaster recovery plans. They recognize the need to be prepared for what would otherwise be a devastating scenario.
Many companies that were very diligent in protecting their data to tape or disk onsite found their offsite protection was inadequate. Some had a total data loss as a direct consequence of a natural disaster. An example of this occurred in Houston, when Tropical Storm Allison hit in June 2001. The threat this storm posed was widely dismissed. No one foresaw the disastrous impact it would have on Houston businesses. During the height of the storm, the basements of many corporate, governmental and medical buildings flooded. The basements of these buildings housed power equipment, computer mainframes, and data storage for medical research. Many of these basements were connected by tunnels and walkways, so when one basement flooded, the adjacent buildings flooded as well. This created a disastrous domino effect that either damaged or completely destroyed computer rooms. Years of tape and data storage of medical research were lost.
In this instance, inadequate preparation caused data recovery to be expensive or impossible. Many of the organizations affected by this disaster have made changes to their infrastructure and disaster recovery plans. Moving centralized computer systems and emergency power backup equipment out of the basements was a starting point. Most of these organizations have also incorporated remote data backup into their disaster recovery plan. Several of these high profile stories were from large Fortune 500 companies that have money and resources to recover from a disaster. Small and medium businesses must plan ahead if they are to survive a site disaster.
Here are some things to think about when putting together a disaster recovery plan. It is by no means a comprehensive list; each business has its unique requirements:
Prioritize your business needs and identify each class of data. Determine which services need to be restored immediately and which ones are less critical.
Mission Critical
Business Critical
Operationally important
Once you've established the relative priority of your business applications you need to determine your recovery objectives for each category of data.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) - The time objective to bring the system back on line following a failure
Recovery Point Objective (RPO) - The acceptable amount of data loss from the last good backup prior to the point of failure
Identify potential data loss events that can happen to your business. Develop a plan to minimize the impact of these events.
File loss (83%) - Due to human error, overwrite, etc.
File loss (10%) - Due to corruption from viruses, application error, etc.
Storage loss (5%) - Failure of primary storage, corrupt raid, bad hard drive, etc.
Site loss (2%) - Site disaster, fire, flooding, etc.
Server loss (1%) - CPU failure, theft, various catastrophes, etc.
Create a chart or correlation that identifies the recovery objectives (RTO and RPO) for each class of application relative to the scope of the data loss event. For instance, a lost file may have a RTO of 15 minutes. If the file is lost due to a site disaster, the first 4 hours may be dedicated to the safety of your employees and your data RTO may be hours or days instead of minutes.
Define your backup system in accordance with your data recovery goals and budget.
Determine what data needs to be backed up and how many generations you need to store.
Establish a backup schedule to meet your recovery objectives.
Maintain a copy of your back up data offsite that will meet your data recovery goals. For example, if you can only afford to lose 24 hours worth of data then taking a tape offsite every Friday does not meet that goal.
Designate an emergency response team and educate them on their role in bringing the company back online after a disaster.
Make a list of emergency contact information for all employees. Make sure you know how to contact them and they know how to contact you.
Make a list of critical vendors and their emergency contact information.
Make a list of vendors for replacement computer and operating equipment that is necessary to resume business.
Make a list of possible replacement sites.
Disaster recovery planning and advanced data protection is not just for large companies. Businesses of all sizes have become increasingly dependent on data for their very existence. A large number of the companies affected by the recent hurricanes were small to medium businesses. Only the ones that were prepared for a disaster will reopen their doors. Some of the less fortunate businesses did not have their data (backup tape) in an off-site location or had it in a nearby location that was also devastated by the same disaster. Even with a disaster recovery plan in place, companies are still faced with the possibility that their data cannot be restored due to corrupted data on disks or tapes. The following passage, retrieved from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., is an eye-opening statistic regarding business continuity. 93% of companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster. 50% of businesses that found themselves without data management for this same time period filed for bankruptcy immediately. Companies that backup their data to a secure off-site location can move their operations to a new location and continue their business as usual. The companies who are prepared with a comprehensive disaster recovery plan, including an offsite backup of there data, are much better prepared to deal with a catastrophe. Those companies will be the ones that endure this type of extreme event.
When choosing or evaluating your backup solution, pay particular attention to the type of media you are using.
A nationwide study has shown that:
Over 34% of companies do not test their backups and of those that tested 77% found their tape backups fail to recover. (Storage Magazine) Nearly 50% of tape-based backup fail to restore correctly. (Gartner Group) Tape-based backup systems are difficult to administer, and as you can see from the above statistics, often fail to restore your data. Tapes appear to be a sturdy media on the surface; however, according to an industry leading tape manufacturer's specifications, tapes must be stored between 41 and 89 degrees and 20-60 percent relative humidity. Tape rotations require human intervention, and with that you get inherent errors and a flawed process.
If you choose to use tape to store your data, make sure your tapes are safe and working with the following procedures:
Clean your tape drives once a month.
Replace tape media regularly.
Rotate your backup tapes off-site every night via a bonded vaulting provider, while keeping them close enough that they are easily accessible.
Test and restore once a month.
Keep at least a 20 quantity backup rotation.
Have easy access to your backup software if you have to re-install it.
Make sure your data is fully encrypted before being written to tape.
The main risk of using tape systems is that they can malfunction, but appear to be working. All indications are that backups were successful until you try to restore. If you want to continue to use tapes as your primary backup, consider using an off-site backup service as a secondary backup solution, just in case your primary backup system fails. Remember, redundancy is the key to data protection. Most of our clients were not aware a cost effective automated off-site data protection solution existed. Some were not convinced they needed to store their data off-site in a safe and secure location. A fireproof safe seems like a good location to store your tapes, but two problems exist with that solution. First, in the event of a fire, your office will be inaccessible for several days while the fire marshal determines the cause. Secondly, fireproof safes are not necessarily water proof and tapes that are exposed to damp or wet conditions may not be readable.
Off-site data vaulting is not just for large companies with multiple data centers. It is a data protection strategy that should be employed by all organizations regardless of their size. Secure Backup's off-site data vaulting service can scale to meet all of the data protection needs in your customer's environment, whether it is preserving and protecting an individual PC or the corporate server farm. This scalability combined with the automated remote vaulting of data creates a powerful data protection solution that plays a key role in your customer's disaster recovery planning.
In conclusion, data storage and disaster recovery are two important factors in managing business continuity. Today companies cannot operate without their business applications and data. Owners and managers of businesses, who do not place a high value on the importance of their company's data, risk the financial future and viability of the organization. The company's historical and current data is its life blood. Without data protection and disaster recovery policies in place, a company risks the possibility of not being able to recover from a data loss event. Whether it is caused by human error, a disgruntled employee, hardware or software failures, or even worse, a fire or natural disaster, you need to be prepared.
by : Mike Colesante
Disaster Recovery
Read more
Hurricanes striking the Gulf Coast and Eastern seashore have a significant impact on the businesses operating in their path. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have IT managers and company owners all over the United States evaluating or creating disaster recovery plans. They recognize the need to be prepared for what would otherwise be a devastating scenario.
Many companies that were very diligent in protecting their data to tape or disk onsite found their offsite protection was inadequate. Some had a total data loss as a direct consequence of a natural disaster. An example of this occurred in Houston, when Tropical Storm Allison hit in June 2001. The threat this storm posed was widely dismissed. No one foresaw the disastrous impact it would have on Houston businesses. During the height of the storm, the basements of many corporate, governmental and medical buildings flooded. The basements of these buildings housed power equipment, computer mainframes, and data storage for medical research. Many of these basements were connected by tunnels and walkways, so when one basement flooded, the adjacent buildings flooded as well. This created a disastrous domino effect that either damaged or completely destroyed computer rooms. Years of tape and data storage of medical research were lost.
In this instance, inadequate preparation caused data recovery to be expensive or impossible. Many of the organizations affected by this disaster have made changes to their infrastructure and disaster recovery plans. Moving centralized computer systems and emergency power backup equipment out of the basements was a starting point. Most of these organizations have also incorporated remote data backup into their disaster recovery plan. Several of these high profile stories were from large Fortune 500 companies that have money and resources to recover from a disaster. Small and medium businesses must plan ahead if they are to survive a site disaster.
Here are some things to think about when putting together a disaster recovery plan. It is by no means a comprehensive list; each business has its unique requirements:
Prioritize your business needs and identify each class of data. Determine which services need to be restored immediately and which ones are less critical.
Mission Critical
Business Critical
Operationally important
Once you've established the relative priority of your business applications you need to determine your recovery objectives for each category of data.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) - The time objective to bring the system back on line following a failure
Recovery Point Objective (RPO) - The acceptable amount of data loss from the last good backup prior to the point of failure
Identify potential data loss events that can happen to your business. Develop a plan to minimize the impact of these events.
File loss (83%) - Due to human error, overwrite, etc.
File loss (10%) - Due to corruption from viruses, application error, etc.
Storage loss (5%) - Failure of primary storage, corrupt raid, bad hard drive, etc.
Site loss (2%) - Site disaster, fire, flooding, etc.
Server loss (1%) - CPU failure, theft, various catastrophes, etc.
Create a chart or correlation that identifies the recovery objectives (RTO and RPO) for each class of application relative to the scope of the data loss event. For instance, a lost file may have a RTO of 15 minutes. If the file is lost due to a site disaster, the first 4 hours may be dedicated to the safety of your employees and your data RTO may be hours or days instead of minutes.
Define your backup system in accordance with your data recovery goals and budget.
Determine what data needs to be backed up and how many generations you need to store.
Establish a backup schedule to meet your recovery objectives.
Maintain a copy of your back up data offsite that will meet your data recovery goals. For example, if you can only afford to lose 24 hours worth of data then taking a tape offsite every Friday does not meet that goal.
Designate an emergency response team and educate them on their role in bringing the company back online after a disaster.
Make a list of emergency contact information for all employees. Make sure you know how to contact them and they know how to contact you.
Make a list of critical vendors and their emergency contact information.
Make a list of vendors for replacement computer and operating equipment that is necessary to resume business.
Make a list of possible replacement sites.
Disaster recovery planning and advanced data protection is not just for large companies. Businesses of all sizes have become increasingly dependent on data for their very existence. A large number of the companies affected by the recent hurricanes were small to medium businesses. Only the ones that were prepared for a disaster will reopen their doors. Some of the less fortunate businesses did not have their data (backup tape) in an off-site location or had it in a nearby location that was also devastated by the same disaster. Even with a disaster recovery plan in place, companies are still faced with the possibility that their data cannot be restored due to corrupted data on disks or tapes. The following passage, retrieved from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., is an eye-opening statistic regarding business continuity. 93% of companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster. 50% of businesses that found themselves without data management for this same time period filed for bankruptcy immediately. Companies that backup their data to a secure off-site location can move their operations to a new location and continue their business as usual. The companies who are prepared with a comprehensive disaster recovery plan, including an offsite backup of there data, are much better prepared to deal with a catastrophe. Those companies will be the ones that endure this type of extreme event.
When choosing or evaluating your backup solution, pay particular attention to the type of media you are using.
A nationwide study has shown that:
Over 34% of companies do not test their backups and of those that tested 77% found their tape backups fail to recover. (Storage Magazine) Nearly 50% of tape-based backup fail to restore correctly. (Gartner Group) Tape-based backup systems are difficult to administer, and as you can see from the above statistics, often fail to restore your data. Tapes appear to be a sturdy media on the surface; however, according to an industry leading tape manufacturer's specifications, tapes must be stored between 41 and 89 degrees and 20-60 percent relative humidity. Tape rotations require human intervention, and with that you get inherent errors and a flawed process.
If you choose to use tape to store your data, make sure your tapes are safe and working with the following procedures:
Clean your tape drives once a month.
Replace tape media regularly.
Rotate your backup tapes off-site every night via a bonded vaulting provider, while keeping them close enough that they are easily accessible.
Test and restore once a month.
Keep at least a 20 quantity backup rotation.
Have easy access to your backup software if you have to re-install it.
Make sure your data is fully encrypted before being written to tape.
The main risk of using tape systems is that they can malfunction, but appear to be working. All indications are that backups were successful until you try to restore. If you want to continue to use tapes as your primary backup, consider using an off-site backup service as a secondary backup solution, just in case your primary backup system fails. Remember, redundancy is the key to data protection. Most of our clients were not aware a cost effective automated off-site data protection solution existed. Some were not convinced they needed to store their data off-site in a safe and secure location. A fireproof safe seems like a good location to store your tapes, but two problems exist with that solution. First, in the event of a fire, your office will be inaccessible for several days while the fire marshal determines the cause. Secondly, fireproof safes are not necessarily water proof and tapes that are exposed to damp or wet conditions may not be readable.
Off-site data vaulting is not just for large companies with multiple data centers. It is a data protection strategy that should be employed by all organizations regardless of their size. Secure Backup's off-site data vaulting service can scale to meet all of the data protection needs in your customer's environment, whether it is preserving and protecting an individual PC or the corporate server farm. This scalability combined with the automated remote vaulting of data creates a powerful data protection solution that plays a key role in your customer's disaster recovery planning.
In conclusion, data storage and disaster recovery are two important factors in managing business continuity. Today companies cannot operate without their business applications and data. Owners and managers of businesses, who do not place a high value on the importance of their company's data, risk the financial future and viability of the organization. The company's historical and current data is its life blood. Without data protection and disaster recovery policies in place, a company risks the possibility of not being able to recover from a data loss event. Whether it is caused by human error, a disgruntled employee, hardware or software failures, or even worse, a fire or natural disaster, you need to be prepared.
by : Mike Colesante
Disaster Recovery
Read more
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Holographic Data Storage – The Next Generation
All data storage in modern times are done on disc, be it a computer hard drive or a CD-R disc. Blu-ray and HD-DVD have upped the ante when it comes to the amount of data that you can hold on a disc, but at some time they will eventually become obsolete. Right now our data storage needs are currently met, but as the amount of data available continues to rise, storage technology must evolve with it. The next generation of storage technology is going to be holographic data storage. It sounds pretty futuristic, what is holographic storage?
With CD-R and DVD-R technology, data is stored on the surface of the disc as distinct magnetic or optical changes. With holographic data storage, an entire page of information is stored at once as an optical interference pattern within a thick, photosensitive optical material.
How do they do this? This is done by intersecting two coherent laser beams, the object and reference beams, within the storage material. The object beam contains all the information needing to be stored, while the reference beam is designed to be simple to produce. The resulting interference between the beams causes chemical and/or physical changes in the photosensitive medium that the data is being stored on. Basically “burning” the information to the storage medium, this mark is called the grating. When the grating is illuminated by one of the two waves that were used to record the information, the light is refracted in a way that the other wave is reconstructed. These gratings can be stacked or superimposed in the same thick piece of media, as long as there is a distinguishing spacing or direction, allowing the stacked bits of data to be accessed independently. In addition to larger storage capabilities, holographic storage also boasts to accelerate data transfer rates to about one billion bits per second and reduce access times to just tens of microseconds.
The benefits
1. Larger storage capacity – Some companies are developing a technology that enables the storage of between 100GB and 1TB of data. Compare this to Blu-ray and HD-DVD, which max out at 50GB. Amazing leap in the amount of data you can store on one piece of media.
2. Accelerated data transfer – The holographic data storage medium in the works boasts data transmission speeds of 100Mbps to 1Gbps. The new HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs clock in at 36.55Mbps, which is only a fraction of the holographic data storage transfer rate.
Well, if you’re like me, you learned quite a bit about a new technology from this short article. This new technology is quite a ways off from being accessible to the common consumer, but some companies are in the process of developing holographic data storage for the corporate sector. Technology is a strange beast, always changing, always mutating. The sky is the limit, and only time will tell where we’ll be headed after the rise and fall of this yet-to-be-seen data technology.
by : Jason Cole
holographic
Read more
With CD-R and DVD-R technology, data is stored on the surface of the disc as distinct magnetic or optical changes. With holographic data storage, an entire page of information is stored at once as an optical interference pattern within a thick, photosensitive optical material.
How do they do this? This is done by intersecting two coherent laser beams, the object and reference beams, within the storage material. The object beam contains all the information needing to be stored, while the reference beam is designed to be simple to produce. The resulting interference between the beams causes chemical and/or physical changes in the photosensitive medium that the data is being stored on. Basically “burning” the information to the storage medium, this mark is called the grating. When the grating is illuminated by one of the two waves that were used to record the information, the light is refracted in a way that the other wave is reconstructed. These gratings can be stacked or superimposed in the same thick piece of media, as long as there is a distinguishing spacing or direction, allowing the stacked bits of data to be accessed independently. In addition to larger storage capabilities, holographic storage also boasts to accelerate data transfer rates to about one billion bits per second and reduce access times to just tens of microseconds.
The benefits
1. Larger storage capacity – Some companies are developing a technology that enables the storage of between 100GB and 1TB of data. Compare this to Blu-ray and HD-DVD, which max out at 50GB. Amazing leap in the amount of data you can store on one piece of media.
2. Accelerated data transfer – The holographic data storage medium in the works boasts data transmission speeds of 100Mbps to 1Gbps. The new HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs clock in at 36.55Mbps, which is only a fraction of the holographic data storage transfer rate.
Well, if you’re like me, you learned quite a bit about a new technology from this short article. This new technology is quite a ways off from being accessible to the common consumer, but some companies are in the process of developing holographic data storage for the corporate sector. Technology is a strange beast, always changing, always mutating. The sky is the limit, and only time will tell where we’ll be headed after the rise and fall of this yet-to-be-seen data technology.
by : Jason Cole
holographic
Read more
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
A Comparative Analysis of HD DVD Players
VHS
The arrival of the VHS (Video Home System) in 1976 marked the emergence of this field in the world. The video cassette became a house-hold name and was the preferred medium for home entertainment in the 70s, 80s, and in the early 90s. The VHS was capable of storing both audio and video formats of data. It provides a 240 line resolution quality. The VHS tape was capable of playing all the analog TV signals of its time. The signals in use at the time were NTSC, PAL, PAL-M, SECAM, and MESECAM. The VCRs were able to handle only signals specific to the country they were sold in. Based on the tape speeds, the maximum play time for a 430m tape is about 3.5 hours for NTSC and five hours for PAL at SP (standard) quality. This is one of the poorest quality video formats. Due to the size of the video cassette, correspondingly the VHS recording camera was also big and cumbersome. There was a limitation on the size of the data that could be stored.
The VHS-C or VHS-Compact was designed with a 8mm tape size. Although it had the same half inch magnetic tape and 240 line resolution, it allowed for the video camera to be lighter, smaller and more convenient. This 8mm tape is however not compatible with the standard VCRs and cannot be played directly on them.
To improve on the VHS system, the S-VHS was designed as an improved analog standard, followed by the D-VHS that records digital quality video onto a VHS cassette. The W-VHS was designed to produce a high definition video. Even with all these advances, the quality of video and audio had much to ask for.
VCD
In keeping with the consumers’ demand of higher quality home entertainment systems, the Compact Disc (CD) was formulated in 1988 by Sony and Philips. The VCD (Video Compact Disc) format was launched in 1993 by Masushita, Sony, Philips, and JVC. Using the MPEG-1 compression technology, it was capable of holding a 74 minute video of VHS quality and a CD-quality sound. Then the better quality SVCD (Super Video Compact Disc) was introduced, that used the MPEG-2 compression format, but its playing time was diminished to 35 minutes. The VCDs were not a great success in the U.S. and European countries due to their susceptibility to easy copying and illegal distribution. This format did not have the support of the Hollywood entertainment industry for the same reason. These VCDs were also limited in their compatibility with the type of players they could be played back on. Also, the lengthy movies needed to be recorded using two or three VCDs for a single movie.
DVD and HD DVD
All the previous technologies were able to bring about some progress in home entertainment, but the quality of audio and video achievable were far from the real movie experience. Also, the data storage capacity was far from adequate. This void was filled by the arrival of DVD (Digital Video Disc) in the year 1997. This technology was an instant success as it was capable of providing a much higher quality picture and audio quality than a VHS and could process information much faster than a VCD. The distribution of DVDs at varied intervals in various countries could be achieved using region coding on DVDs and DVD players. The later versions of DVD players were multi region enabled to allow playing of all region DVDs. The DVD players have been designed to playback any TV standard like NTSC, PAL, or SECAM. The recent models of DVD players are compatible with a variety of playing media such as CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, MP3, DivX, and WMA, among others.
The HD DVD (High Definition DVD) was formulated in 2003 as a high capacity and enhanced functionality optical disc. Although the DVD and HD DVD are similar in structure, size, and shape, there are many technical differences between the two. The DVD has a data capacity for 4.6GB and can store two hours of 525-line resolution standard definition video. In comparison, the HD DVD has a data storage capacity for 15GB in a single layer disc, which is capable of storing a two hour movie in superior HD format with space for bonus information and also some space to spare. The 30 GB dual layer HD DVD is capable to storing an eight hour, 1,125 lines HD image, or 48 hours of SD image. The proposed triple layer HD DVD would have a 45 GB storage capacity.
The DVD is read using a 650nm red laser, whereas the HD DVD is read using a 405nm blue laser. The smaller wavelength allows for data to be read from a higher density of disc surface and creates lesser diffraction. This ability to store data at a higher density gives the HD DVD its higher storage capacity. The optical pick-up head has a numerical aperture of 0.65 in case of HD DVD as compared with the 0.6 of DVD. This similarity allows for backward compatibility for both the technologies. The compression techniques are similar for the two; MPEG-2, Video Codec1 for DVDs and MPEG-4 AVC and VC 1 for HD DVDs. However, the MPEG-2 can only provide a third of the compression possible with MPEG-4. The quality of playback is also more superior with the MPEG-4 compression technique.
A unique feature in HD DVDS is its built-in copy restriction or content protection technology, which was developed by AACS LA (Advanced Access Content System License Administrator). It incorporates a “Audio Water-mark Protection” system that has a waveform altered in such a manner that it acts as a code which is recognizable by a DVD player. This helps the player to differentiate between an original disc and a copy. The copy will be discarded by the player upon detection. None of the previously available media had any such content protection features.
The HD DVD players are priced slightly higher than the DVD players, with the Toshiba HD DVD players ranging form $500 to $800. While the Samsung HD DVD players are priced around $140 to $250 varying with the features provided. As the technology becomes widespread and more readily available, the prices will automatically drop with the increase in consumer demand.
In a nut shell, the HD DVD discs and players are the most successful audio-visual technology ever to be produced. With its compatibility with the current DVD technology and affordability and unsurpassed quality, it will certainly be the market leader in the home entertainment sector.
by:John Dulaney
DVD+Player
Read more
The arrival of the VHS (Video Home System) in 1976 marked the emergence of this field in the world. The video cassette became a house-hold name and was the preferred medium for home entertainment in the 70s, 80s, and in the early 90s. The VHS was capable of storing both audio and video formats of data. It provides a 240 line resolution quality. The VHS tape was capable of playing all the analog TV signals of its time. The signals in use at the time were NTSC, PAL, PAL-M, SECAM, and MESECAM. The VCRs were able to handle only signals specific to the country they were sold in. Based on the tape speeds, the maximum play time for a 430m tape is about 3.5 hours for NTSC and five hours for PAL at SP (standard) quality. This is one of the poorest quality video formats. Due to the size of the video cassette, correspondingly the VHS recording camera was also big and cumbersome. There was a limitation on the size of the data that could be stored.
The VHS-C or VHS-Compact was designed with a 8mm tape size. Although it had the same half inch magnetic tape and 240 line resolution, it allowed for the video camera to be lighter, smaller and more convenient. This 8mm tape is however not compatible with the standard VCRs and cannot be played directly on them.
To improve on the VHS system, the S-VHS was designed as an improved analog standard, followed by the D-VHS that records digital quality video onto a VHS cassette. The W-VHS was designed to produce a high definition video. Even with all these advances, the quality of video and audio had much to ask for.
VCD
In keeping with the consumers’ demand of higher quality home entertainment systems, the Compact Disc (CD) was formulated in 1988 by Sony and Philips. The VCD (Video Compact Disc) format was launched in 1993 by Masushita, Sony, Philips, and JVC. Using the MPEG-1 compression technology, it was capable of holding a 74 minute video of VHS quality and a CD-quality sound. Then the better quality SVCD (Super Video Compact Disc) was introduced, that used the MPEG-2 compression format, but its playing time was diminished to 35 minutes. The VCDs were not a great success in the U.S. and European countries due to their susceptibility to easy copying and illegal distribution. This format did not have the support of the Hollywood entertainment industry for the same reason. These VCDs were also limited in their compatibility with the type of players they could be played back on. Also, the lengthy movies needed to be recorded using two or three VCDs for a single movie.
DVD and HD DVD
All the previous technologies were able to bring about some progress in home entertainment, but the quality of audio and video achievable were far from the real movie experience. Also, the data storage capacity was far from adequate. This void was filled by the arrival of DVD (Digital Video Disc) in the year 1997. This technology was an instant success as it was capable of providing a much higher quality picture and audio quality than a VHS and could process information much faster than a VCD. The distribution of DVDs at varied intervals in various countries could be achieved using region coding on DVDs and DVD players. The later versions of DVD players were multi region enabled to allow playing of all region DVDs. The DVD players have been designed to playback any TV standard like NTSC, PAL, or SECAM. The recent models of DVD players are compatible with a variety of playing media such as CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, MP3, DivX, and WMA, among others.
The HD DVD (High Definition DVD) was formulated in 2003 as a high capacity and enhanced functionality optical disc. Although the DVD and HD DVD are similar in structure, size, and shape, there are many technical differences between the two. The DVD has a data capacity for 4.6GB and can store two hours of 525-line resolution standard definition video. In comparison, the HD DVD has a data storage capacity for 15GB in a single layer disc, which is capable of storing a two hour movie in superior HD format with space for bonus information and also some space to spare. The 30 GB dual layer HD DVD is capable to storing an eight hour, 1,125 lines HD image, or 48 hours of SD image. The proposed triple layer HD DVD would have a 45 GB storage capacity.
The DVD is read using a 650nm red laser, whereas the HD DVD is read using a 405nm blue laser. The smaller wavelength allows for data to be read from a higher density of disc surface and creates lesser diffraction. This ability to store data at a higher density gives the HD DVD its higher storage capacity. The optical pick-up head has a numerical aperture of 0.65 in case of HD DVD as compared with the 0.6 of DVD. This similarity allows for backward compatibility for both the technologies. The compression techniques are similar for the two; MPEG-2, Video Codec1 for DVDs and MPEG-4 AVC and VC 1 for HD DVDs. However, the MPEG-2 can only provide a third of the compression possible with MPEG-4. The quality of playback is also more superior with the MPEG-4 compression technique.
A unique feature in HD DVDS is its built-in copy restriction or content protection technology, which was developed by AACS LA (Advanced Access Content System License Administrator). It incorporates a “Audio Water-mark Protection” system that has a waveform altered in such a manner that it acts as a code which is recognizable by a DVD player. This helps the player to differentiate between an original disc and a copy. The copy will be discarded by the player upon detection. None of the previously available media had any such content protection features.
The HD DVD players are priced slightly higher than the DVD players, with the Toshiba HD DVD players ranging form $500 to $800. While the Samsung HD DVD players are priced around $140 to $250 varying with the features provided. As the technology becomes widespread and more readily available, the prices will automatically drop with the increase in consumer demand.
In a nut shell, the HD DVD discs and players are the most successful audio-visual technology ever to be produced. With its compatibility with the current DVD technology and affordability and unsurpassed quality, it will certainly be the market leader in the home entertainment sector.
by:John Dulaney
DVD+Player
Read more
Monday, November 13, 2006
When Size Matters
Next to price, capacity has been among the top issues that level out solid-state flash disk with magnetic hard drives. If not for those two factors, solid-state disks would be the runaway winner offering ruggedness, speed and small footprints. However, recent developments are starting to change the conditions. According to the “New Data Center” benchmark published by Nemertes Research, “Storage is growing at a rate of 22% year-on-year through 2005 and 2006 (predicted to continue through 2007), and many companies top even that growth, reporting growth rates of 100%, 150%, and in some cases 300% or more.” This only proves the point that storage capacity has gone into the level of a commodity.
Way back in the pre-PC era, storage would only refer to an attic, storeroom, or any space where you dump infrequently used items that you plan to access in the near future. People are only limited to any amount of space available for that purpose. You’ll have to literally fit them all in, otherwise, it goes to thrash. The same principle applies to data storage prior to its commoditization. Previously, unless you’re working for the military or handle other highly confidential data, you wouldn’t need that much storage space.
But that ain’t true now.
What’s Driving Capacity to get Bigger
According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Tracker, worldwide external disk storage systems factory revenues grew 8.5% in the second quarter to $4.2 billion for the 13th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth. The total disk storage systems market grew to $5.9 billion for the quarter, up 6.0% from the prior year’s quarter. For the first time, total disk storage systems capacity shipped 704 petabytes, growing 51.5% from the same quarter one year ago.
A huge part of this increasing demand comes from the enterprise. Online transactions and networked storage require high capacity and speed for a good backend systems support. Blade storage has come into the picture offering advantages in size, functionality and cost of ownership. It offers bigger capacity at smaller footprints, eliminating complex set-ups for cooling facilities and cables. Given this scenario, upgrades in storage capacities come as frequently as the demand for more space peaks.
Military and industrial applications take another chunk of the demand. As of late, high capacity takes center stage in defining the results of experiments, research or data gathering projects. Such has happened in the NASA CREAM Project where a total of 36GB of heavy-nuclei data was recorded onto a 43GB E-Disk flash drive over a period of 41 days and 22 hours on-flight. The project’s objective was to investigate the composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays on board a Long Duration Balloon (LDB) vehicle developed by NASA. In cases like this, data storage capacity is as crucial as any other component of the project. It becomes the by-product of initial investigations, giving scientists critical information for accurate conclusions and discoveries.
The consumer industry is not so far behind when it comes to demand for bigger storage capacities. The introduction of Windows Vista to the market marks the need for more storage if only to improve performance by speeding up basic operations such as start-up, shut down and resume functions.
The widespread digitization of data and its convenient access via the web is another issue. From high-resolution videos to satellite maps ready for downloading as needed, consumers have become trigger-happy mammals in hoarding all kinds of information within the bounds of their interest. Knowing you have them on your PC ready for access anytime is a surefire cause to long for more storage capacities. This demand is coming not from one entity but from the widest range of industries including government, enterprise, military, healthcare, banking, education and of course consumer. All of these industries have somehow expanded their applications producing more files that will eventually need bigger storage. Desktop publishing, animation and digital video editing have increased the demand for storage in offices. 3G and multimedia cellphones on the other hand, triggered the increase in capacity for mobile storage.
The last but biggest influence for the growth in solid-state storage capacity is the substantial decrease in the prices of raw materials. Since the solid-state disk’s inception about fifteen years ago, the decline in prices have been dramatic year on year. Just last year, the cost of flash memory was $55 per GB; now it is pegged at $30. Factors like cheaper raw materials, simpler processes, competition and higher demand continually push the price of storage downward, thinning the difference when compared to magnetic hard drives.
In the end, capacity and price are interlocking factors causing the growth of storage capacities. The huge capacity that was once only offered by magnetic hard drives is now possible for solid-state disks at a price point that can fight head-on in the market.
by: Joanne De Peralta
storage
Read more
Way back in the pre-PC era, storage would only refer to an attic, storeroom, or any space where you dump infrequently used items that you plan to access in the near future. People are only limited to any amount of space available for that purpose. You’ll have to literally fit them all in, otherwise, it goes to thrash. The same principle applies to data storage prior to its commoditization. Previously, unless you’re working for the military or handle other highly confidential data, you wouldn’t need that much storage space.
But that ain’t true now.
What’s Driving Capacity to get Bigger
According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Tracker, worldwide external disk storage systems factory revenues grew 8.5% in the second quarter to $4.2 billion for the 13th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth. The total disk storage systems market grew to $5.9 billion for the quarter, up 6.0% from the prior year’s quarter. For the first time, total disk storage systems capacity shipped 704 petabytes, growing 51.5% from the same quarter one year ago.
A huge part of this increasing demand comes from the enterprise. Online transactions and networked storage require high capacity and speed for a good backend systems support. Blade storage has come into the picture offering advantages in size, functionality and cost of ownership. It offers bigger capacity at smaller footprints, eliminating complex set-ups for cooling facilities and cables. Given this scenario, upgrades in storage capacities come as frequently as the demand for more space peaks.
Military and industrial applications take another chunk of the demand. As of late, high capacity takes center stage in defining the results of experiments, research or data gathering projects. Such has happened in the NASA CREAM Project where a total of 36GB of heavy-nuclei data was recorded onto a 43GB E-Disk flash drive over a period of 41 days and 22 hours on-flight. The project’s objective was to investigate the composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays on board a Long Duration Balloon (LDB) vehicle developed by NASA. In cases like this, data storage capacity is as crucial as any other component of the project. It becomes the by-product of initial investigations, giving scientists critical information for accurate conclusions and discoveries.
The consumer industry is not so far behind when it comes to demand for bigger storage capacities. The introduction of Windows Vista to the market marks the need for more storage if only to improve performance by speeding up basic operations such as start-up, shut down and resume functions.
The widespread digitization of data and its convenient access via the web is another issue. From high-resolution videos to satellite maps ready for downloading as needed, consumers have become trigger-happy mammals in hoarding all kinds of information within the bounds of their interest. Knowing you have them on your PC ready for access anytime is a surefire cause to long for more storage capacities. This demand is coming not from one entity but from the widest range of industries including government, enterprise, military, healthcare, banking, education and of course consumer. All of these industries have somehow expanded their applications producing more files that will eventually need bigger storage. Desktop publishing, animation and digital video editing have increased the demand for storage in offices. 3G and multimedia cellphones on the other hand, triggered the increase in capacity for mobile storage.
The last but biggest influence for the growth in solid-state storage capacity is the substantial decrease in the prices of raw materials. Since the solid-state disk’s inception about fifteen years ago, the decline in prices have been dramatic year on year. Just last year, the cost of flash memory was $55 per GB; now it is pegged at $30. Factors like cheaper raw materials, simpler processes, competition and higher demand continually push the price of storage downward, thinning the difference when compared to magnetic hard drives.
In the end, capacity and price are interlocking factors causing the growth of storage capacities. The huge capacity that was once only offered by magnetic hard drives is now possible for solid-state disks at a price point that can fight head-on in the market.
by: Joanne De Peralta
storage
Read more
Saturday, November 11, 2006
What Is Optical Disk?
OPTICAL DISK
Optical disk is an electronic data storage medium from which data is read and written to by using a low-powered laser beam. It is flat, circular, plastic or glass disk on which data is stored in the form of light and dark pits. The laser beam reads the pits and the data can be accessed. There are three basic types of optical disks:
• Read-only optical disks: The optical disks, which are recorded at the time of manufacture and cannot be erased. CD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and DVD-Video are the read-only disks.
• WORM: WORM stands for write-once, read many. The optical disks that can be recorded by the user only once but cannot be erased. After they have been recorded once, they behave like a read-only optical disk CD-R, DVD-R, and WORM disks are write-once.
• Rewritable/Magneto-optic disks: The optical disks that can be erased and written to with the new information. CR-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and magneto-optic disks and Data play are rewritable. Rewritable disks use magneto-optic or phase change technology.
An optical disk offers many advantages over magnetic storage media.
• Highest storage capacity
• Low cost per Megabyte of storage
• Environmental condition tolerance
• High data stability
• Long media life
An optical disk has much more storage capacity on the order of gigabytes, than a magnetic disk. It can hold up to 6GB of data in comparison to 1.44 MB of a diskette. Optical disks are inexpensive to manufacture. Data stored on optical disks is resistant to power surges or magnetic disturbances, such as head crashes or corruption form stray magnetic fields. Hence, they provide high data stability. Optical disks are less vulnerable to extremes of hot and cold as compared to the magnetic disks. Optical disks have long media life than magnetic disks.
OPTICAL STORAGE DEVICES
CD-ROM
CD-ROM: is an abbreviation of Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. A CD-ROM is a CD that contains computer data, which cannot be read or rewritten. In computers, CDROM is the most commonly used optical storage technology. CD-ROM is a compact disc that contains information, which is accessible by a computer. It is composed of polycarbonate plastic, thin reflective metal layers, made of aluminium and a lacquer coating. Data is stored on the disc as a series of light and dark pits; the light portion refers to the spaces between the pits. A laser beam reads the pits and the data can be accessed.
CD-ROM is an adaptation/EXTENSION of the compact disc that is designed for music storage and playback. The format of CD-ROM is very similar to an audio CD; the only difference being the standards used to store data. A standard 120 mm CD-ROM holds up to 700 MB of data, or about 70 minutes of audio. This may mean that One CD can contain over one thousand novels; an average novel being composed of 60, 000 words. Once the data is written to a standard CD-ROM disc, it cannot be altered or rewritten.
A CD-ROM can be read using a CD-ROM drive, which is almost common on the personal computers. A CD-ROM drive may be connected to the computer in several different ways depending on the type of interface, such as:
• IDE (ATA)
• SCSI
• SATA
• Firewire
• USB
Almost all modern CD-ROM drives can play audio as well as video CDs.
CD-ROM STANDARDS
CD-ROM format provides an outstanding solution to the problem of storing large digital files. Several formats are used for data stored on CD-ROMs. These include Red book standards for audio-CD, White Book and Yellow Book for CD-ROM. An ISO 9960, which defines the standard file system of a CD-ROM is due to be replaced by ISO 13490.
CD-ROM FORMAT
One CD-ROM sector contains 2352 bytes, which is further divided into 98 24-byte frames. A CD-ROM contains a third layer of Reed-Solomon error correction in order to achieve improved error correction and detection.
Mode-1 CD-ROM: It has full three layers of error correction data, which contains 2048 bytes of the available 2352 per sector. Mode-2 CD-ROM: It is mostly used for video files, which contains 2336 user-available bytes per sector.
CD-ROM SPEEDS AND USES
+ Early CD-ROM drives were known as single-speed and could read the data at the speed of 150 KBps.
+ CD-ROM drives can transfer data up to the speed of 7800 KBps
+ CD-ROM can store audio, video, text and program instructions. It is used to store software programs.
DVD-ROM
DVD-ROM: is an abbreviation of Digital Versatile Disc- read only memory. DVD-ROM is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, which includes movies with high video and sound quality. DVD-ROM is a non-volatile optical storage medium similar to CD-ROM, which contains computer data that cannot be erased or rewritten. These DVDs are read-only disks that have storage capacity for 133 minutes of high quality video, in format, and audio full- length feature film. The discs are pressed in a similar fashion as the CDs. The reflective surface is gold or silver colored.
DVD-ROM can be accessed using a DVD-ROM drive attached to the personal computer. DVD-ROM drives are backward compatible, i.e. they are also capable of reading CD-ROMs and audio CDs as well. The DVD-ROM supports disks with capacities of 4.7 GB to 17 GB and access rates of 600 KBps to 1.3 MBps. A standard DVD disc store up to 9.4 GB of data. DVD-ROMs are of same size as a compact disc, but holds data about 7 times more. DVD can store that much of data because both the sides of a disc are used, with sophisticated data compression technologies.
DVD-ROM is a variation of CD-ROM that is being used in place of CD-ROMs in many personal computers. All DVD-ROMs contain a file system, UDF, which is an extension of the ISO 9660 Standard used for data CDs.
CD-RW
CD-RW is an abbreviation of compact disc-rewritable. It is a recordable CD format that can be erased and rerecorded multiple times, just like a floppy disk or a hard disk. It is a rewritable version of CD-ROM. CD-RW disc is round plastic, about 5 inches in diameter. CD-RW disks can be played or recorded in the CD-RW drive only. These disks behave unusable when put in a regular CD-drive or a CD-R drive cannot be played. A CD-RW drive can read everything except a DVD.
A CD-RW can hold 650 Megabytes of data (unlimited number of times) written by a CD-RW drive. CD-RW cannot be selectively overwritten but can be extended. CD-RWs must be closed before they can be read in a normal CD-ROM drive. CD-RW disks cannot be read using a CD-ROM drive built before 1997. CD-RWs can be randomly read and written because of the variation of UDF format. CD-RW disks and drives are more expensive than a regular CD-ROM drive or media. A CD-RW disc can be read optically by laser light.
DVD-RW
DVD-RW: stands for Digital Versatile Disk-Rewritable. It is a re-recordable optical disc, which can record up to 4.7 GB per side in a similar fashion to a CD-RW. DVD-RW supports sequential read/write access i.e. the device may need to wait for the correct location in a constantly revolving medium. The information stored on DVD-RW can be erased and rerecorded over multiple times without damaging the medium.
DVD-RW is a phase-change erasable format based on DVD-R, using similar mark length, track pitch and rotation control. The format is supported by the DVD Forum. DVD-RW is also called “DVD Dash RW" and "DVD Minus RW”.
DVD-RW can be played in many DVD drives and players. Depending on quality, recording time varies from 1 hour to 6 hours.
If these optical disk gets damaged then the stored data becomes in accessible, these lost or damaged data can be recovered by usinig Stellar Phoenix CD Data Recovery Software
by : Park Oskar
Optical Disk
Read more
Optical disk is an electronic data storage medium from which data is read and written to by using a low-powered laser beam. It is flat, circular, plastic or glass disk on which data is stored in the form of light and dark pits. The laser beam reads the pits and the data can be accessed. There are three basic types of optical disks:
• Read-only optical disks: The optical disks, which are recorded at the time of manufacture and cannot be erased. CD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and DVD-Video are the read-only disks.
• WORM: WORM stands for write-once, read many. The optical disks that can be recorded by the user only once but cannot be erased. After they have been recorded once, they behave like a read-only optical disk CD-R, DVD-R, and WORM disks are write-once.
• Rewritable/Magneto-optic disks: The optical disks that can be erased and written to with the new information. CR-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and magneto-optic disks and Data play are rewritable. Rewritable disks use magneto-optic or phase change technology.
An optical disk offers many advantages over magnetic storage media.
• Highest storage capacity
• Low cost per Megabyte of storage
• Environmental condition tolerance
• High data stability
• Long media life
An optical disk has much more storage capacity on the order of gigabytes, than a magnetic disk. It can hold up to 6GB of data in comparison to 1.44 MB of a diskette. Optical disks are inexpensive to manufacture. Data stored on optical disks is resistant to power surges or magnetic disturbances, such as head crashes or corruption form stray magnetic fields. Hence, they provide high data stability. Optical disks are less vulnerable to extremes of hot and cold as compared to the magnetic disks. Optical disks have long media life than magnetic disks.
OPTICAL STORAGE DEVICES
CD-ROM
CD-ROM: is an abbreviation of Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. A CD-ROM is a CD that contains computer data, which cannot be read or rewritten. In computers, CDROM is the most commonly used optical storage technology. CD-ROM is a compact disc that contains information, which is accessible by a computer. It is composed of polycarbonate plastic, thin reflective metal layers, made of aluminium and a lacquer coating. Data is stored on the disc as a series of light and dark pits; the light portion refers to the spaces between the pits. A laser beam reads the pits and the data can be accessed.
CD-ROM is an adaptation/EXTENSION of the compact disc that is designed for music storage and playback. The format of CD-ROM is very similar to an audio CD; the only difference being the standards used to store data. A standard 120 mm CD-ROM holds up to 700 MB of data, or about 70 minutes of audio. This may mean that One CD can contain over one thousand novels; an average novel being composed of 60, 000 words. Once the data is written to a standard CD-ROM disc, it cannot be altered or rewritten.
A CD-ROM can be read using a CD-ROM drive, which is almost common on the personal computers. A CD-ROM drive may be connected to the computer in several different ways depending on the type of interface, such as:
• IDE (ATA)
• SCSI
• SATA
• Firewire
• USB
Almost all modern CD-ROM drives can play audio as well as video CDs.
CD-ROM STANDARDS
CD-ROM format provides an outstanding solution to the problem of storing large digital files. Several formats are used for data stored on CD-ROMs. These include Red book standards for audio-CD, White Book and Yellow Book for CD-ROM. An ISO 9960, which defines the standard file system of a CD-ROM is due to be replaced by ISO 13490.
CD-ROM FORMAT
One CD-ROM sector contains 2352 bytes, which is further divided into 98 24-byte frames. A CD-ROM contains a third layer of Reed-Solomon error correction in order to achieve improved error correction and detection.
Mode-1 CD-ROM: It has full three layers of error correction data, which contains 2048 bytes of the available 2352 per sector. Mode-2 CD-ROM: It is mostly used for video files, which contains 2336 user-available bytes per sector.
CD-ROM SPEEDS AND USES
+ Early CD-ROM drives were known as single-speed and could read the data at the speed of 150 KBps.
+ CD-ROM drives can transfer data up to the speed of 7800 KBps
+ CD-ROM can store audio, video, text and program instructions. It is used to store software programs.
DVD-ROM
DVD-ROM: is an abbreviation of Digital Versatile Disc- read only memory. DVD-ROM is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, which includes movies with high video and sound quality. DVD-ROM is a non-volatile optical storage medium similar to CD-ROM, which contains computer data that cannot be erased or rewritten. These DVDs are read-only disks that have storage capacity for 133 minutes of high quality video, in format, and audio full- length feature film. The discs are pressed in a similar fashion as the CDs. The reflective surface is gold or silver colored.
DVD-ROM can be accessed using a DVD-ROM drive attached to the personal computer. DVD-ROM drives are backward compatible, i.e. they are also capable of reading CD-ROMs and audio CDs as well. The DVD-ROM supports disks with capacities of 4.7 GB to 17 GB and access rates of 600 KBps to 1.3 MBps. A standard DVD disc store up to 9.4 GB of data. DVD-ROMs are of same size as a compact disc, but holds data about 7 times more. DVD can store that much of data because both the sides of a disc are used, with sophisticated data compression technologies.
DVD-ROM is a variation of CD-ROM that is being used in place of CD-ROMs in many personal computers. All DVD-ROMs contain a file system, UDF, which is an extension of the ISO 9660 Standard used for data CDs.
CD-RW
CD-RW is an abbreviation of compact disc-rewritable. It is a recordable CD format that can be erased and rerecorded multiple times, just like a floppy disk or a hard disk. It is a rewritable version of CD-ROM. CD-RW disc is round plastic, about 5 inches in diameter. CD-RW disks can be played or recorded in the CD-RW drive only. These disks behave unusable when put in a regular CD-drive or a CD-R drive cannot be played. A CD-RW drive can read everything except a DVD.
A CD-RW can hold 650 Megabytes of data (unlimited number of times) written by a CD-RW drive. CD-RW cannot be selectively overwritten but can be extended. CD-RWs must be closed before they can be read in a normal CD-ROM drive. CD-RW disks cannot be read using a CD-ROM drive built before 1997. CD-RWs can be randomly read and written because of the variation of UDF format. CD-RW disks and drives are more expensive than a regular CD-ROM drive or media. A CD-RW disc can be read optically by laser light.
DVD-RW
DVD-RW: stands for Digital Versatile Disk-Rewritable. It is a re-recordable optical disc, which can record up to 4.7 GB per side in a similar fashion to a CD-RW. DVD-RW supports sequential read/write access i.e. the device may need to wait for the correct location in a constantly revolving medium. The information stored on DVD-RW can be erased and rerecorded over multiple times without damaging the medium.
DVD-RW is a phase-change erasable format based on DVD-R, using similar mark length, track pitch and rotation control. The format is supported by the DVD Forum. DVD-RW is also called “DVD Dash RW" and "DVD Minus RW”.
DVD-RW can be played in many DVD drives and players. Depending on quality, recording time varies from 1 hour to 6 hours.
If these optical disk gets damaged then the stored data becomes in accessible, these lost or damaged data can be recovered by usinig Stellar Phoenix CD Data Recovery Software
by : Park Oskar
Optical Disk
Read more
Friday, November 10, 2006
Hard Drive Backup vs. Data Recovery Services
Do you have a plan in case of an unexpected loss of data? All computers no matter how secure or well maintained can at some point, lose data, either by human error, power outage, or hardware malfunction. Are you prepared for such a circumstance? If not, and your only recourse is to take your hard drive to a data recovery service, you may find your business down for days or weeks, having to pay for a costly repair and data recovery, and some of your data may be gone forever. Data recovery is a highly technical and highly skilled craft and therefore, expensive.
Obviously, no one can plan for unexpected data loss, but what you can plan for is restoring lost data economically and promptly. Hard drive backup is a way to insure your business against unexpected data loss. Backing up your data gives you a way to restore lost data in-house which means less costly than a data recovery service, probably quicker and lesser chance of permanently lost data.
There are basically two types of backups. A 'real' incremental backup is usually a single, encrypted file or image of the hard drive. The file is created, encrypted and if need be unencrypted by a proprietary software. By making incremental images of your hard drive using such software, you have the ability to restore your drive or individual files to a state at a previous point in time. One disadvantage of this kind of backup is that you must use the same software to unencrypt the image files as you used to encrypt them. If you lose that software for whatever reason, you may not be able to restore your data.
The other type of backup is what most people think when they think of a backup and that is simply a copy of everything on your hard drive or specific files on it. Cloning files on a hard drive requires no special software, and therefore it's simpler and cheaper. What's not as simple is being able to restore you data to a previous point in time. It's not impossible, just not as convenient as making image files as described above.
When making a backup, what should you backup? Well, most modern operating systems have simplified things a bit by separating user created files, user settings, operating system files, and applications. You can of course backup everything, but it might be simpler to make incremental and frequent backups of the user data and settings only. That way you can save time making backups and save space on your backup media. You can always reinstall the operating system and applications, and then use your backup to restore the lost data. That is of course if your operating system and all your applications have the capability to save user settings and customizations that you can backup and consequently restore. If not, you might waste a lot of time resetting everything after a fresh install, in which case it might be better to backup everything on your hard drive. These are things you'll have to consider for your particular situation.
Now that you've decided what kind of backup to make and what you want to backup, you have to decide on what type of media to record your backups. Here are a few options to consider, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
Tape has been around a long, long time and is used by businesses large and small with complex multi-user systems and vast databases of information. Tape is relatively inexpensive and easy to remove to a remote location if need be. Although it can be slow to record to tape.
DVDs or other optical data storage usually cost more per unit of memory than tape, and they have less storage capacity per unit and are even slower to record. But, they are faster to read from and also very easy to remove to a remote location.
Another option is getting extra hard drives. Although the most expensive option for backup media, they are the fastest to read and write. But, depending on the type, it may or may not be removable. Being able to remove your backups becomes a serious consideration when the security of your data is a concern.
Now that you have a backup, what should you do with it? Keeping your backup locally, either as part of your system or in the same building is convenient. It also makes the job of getting your backup in time of need much quicker. But what if your system is completely destroyed by fire or some other natural disaster? You might lose your data and your backup. This illustrates the advantage of keeping your backups in a remote location. Although your backups might be safer in a remote location, you lose the convenience of being able to quickly restore lost data since you would then have to retrieve the backup from another location before you can use it.
One final consideration about backing up your data is the security of your data. If you protect sensitive data on your system with encryption or other means, wouldn't you want the backup of that data to be protected as well? Encrypting data doesn't necessarily provide bullet proof protection and making backups or copies of sensitive data just means more opportunities for potential thieves to get their hands on it, especially if you spread those copies out in remote locations for safety. That's just more places in which you'll have to provide security of those backups.
Hope this article gives you some idea on what your options are and the disadvantages and advantages of each.
by : Luke Garfield
Backup
Read more
Obviously, no one can plan for unexpected data loss, but what you can plan for is restoring lost data economically and promptly. Hard drive backup is a way to insure your business against unexpected data loss. Backing up your data gives you a way to restore lost data in-house which means less costly than a data recovery service, probably quicker and lesser chance of permanently lost data.
There are basically two types of backups. A 'real' incremental backup is usually a single, encrypted file or image of the hard drive. The file is created, encrypted and if need be unencrypted by a proprietary software. By making incremental images of your hard drive using such software, you have the ability to restore your drive or individual files to a state at a previous point in time. One disadvantage of this kind of backup is that you must use the same software to unencrypt the image files as you used to encrypt them. If you lose that software for whatever reason, you may not be able to restore your data.
The other type of backup is what most people think when they think of a backup and that is simply a copy of everything on your hard drive or specific files on it. Cloning files on a hard drive requires no special software, and therefore it's simpler and cheaper. What's not as simple is being able to restore you data to a previous point in time. It's not impossible, just not as convenient as making image files as described above.
When making a backup, what should you backup? Well, most modern operating systems have simplified things a bit by separating user created files, user settings, operating system files, and applications. You can of course backup everything, but it might be simpler to make incremental and frequent backups of the user data and settings only. That way you can save time making backups and save space on your backup media. You can always reinstall the operating system and applications, and then use your backup to restore the lost data. That is of course if your operating system and all your applications have the capability to save user settings and customizations that you can backup and consequently restore. If not, you might waste a lot of time resetting everything after a fresh install, in which case it might be better to backup everything on your hard drive. These are things you'll have to consider for your particular situation.
Now that you've decided what kind of backup to make and what you want to backup, you have to decide on what type of media to record your backups. Here are a few options to consider, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
Tape has been around a long, long time and is used by businesses large and small with complex multi-user systems and vast databases of information. Tape is relatively inexpensive and easy to remove to a remote location if need be. Although it can be slow to record to tape.
DVDs or other optical data storage usually cost more per unit of memory than tape, and they have less storage capacity per unit and are even slower to record. But, they are faster to read from and also very easy to remove to a remote location.
Another option is getting extra hard drives. Although the most expensive option for backup media, they are the fastest to read and write. But, depending on the type, it may or may not be removable. Being able to remove your backups becomes a serious consideration when the security of your data is a concern.
Now that you have a backup, what should you do with it? Keeping your backup locally, either as part of your system or in the same building is convenient. It also makes the job of getting your backup in time of need much quicker. But what if your system is completely destroyed by fire or some other natural disaster? You might lose your data and your backup. This illustrates the advantage of keeping your backups in a remote location. Although your backups might be safer in a remote location, you lose the convenience of being able to quickly restore lost data since you would then have to retrieve the backup from another location before you can use it.
One final consideration about backing up your data is the security of your data. If you protect sensitive data on your system with encryption or other means, wouldn't you want the backup of that data to be protected as well? Encrypting data doesn't necessarily provide bullet proof protection and making backups or copies of sensitive data just means more opportunities for potential thieves to get their hands on it, especially if you spread those copies out in remote locations for safety. That's just more places in which you'll have to provide security of those backups.
Hope this article gives you some idea on what your options are and the disadvantages and advantages of each.
by : Luke Garfield
Backup
Read more
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Hard Drive Data Recovery
Hard Drive Data Recovery can be the point where you want to throw out out your complete system and start anew. But with the data loss you might as well shut down the whole business, right?
There are very few things that can totally disrupt an entire operation like hard drive crashes. So, how you recover lost data in a hard drive crash? The Hard Drive Data Recovery and Safety software offered by Stellar ensures Hard Drive Recovery and Safety against numerous threats like accidental formats, virus problems, software malfunction, file/directory deletion or sabotage.
Whether you are running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, 2003, XP), Apple, Novell, Linux, or Unix operating systems, Stellar can recover your hard drive crash.
Companies can spend in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in hard drive data losses and the recovery from such disastrous events. Stellar provides data recovery services from hard disk drives, tapes, zip disks, CD-Rom, flash cards and other storage media.
Stellar has the awards from such names as PC World and PCQ Labs to their credit for outstanding service and recovery of some top names in our business world. When it comes to recovering from your lost data, it pays to know who can bail you out, in your time of need.
Stellar offers a post-crash data recovery software that helps you in recovering your all-important data, lost after an accidental format, virus crash, partition loss, or software malfunction. It would pay you to seriously consider having this software on hand today and avoid the stress and the added expense of system recovery in the event of a real time crash. The old adage of ; " . . .an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" definitely applies when we're talking hard drive data recovery.
It's really a no-brainer if you'll consider this thought, if your system has been running for more than 3 years, you are vulnerable to a system crash whereby you stand to loose more data and downtime than your profit margins are designed to handle.
Choosing your medicine prior to the illness, in the case of hard disk drive data loss,your recovery can be as simple as a power surge glitch and resume. The choice is yours, best wishes.
by : Jim Wilson
Hard Drive Data Recovery
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There are very few things that can totally disrupt an entire operation like hard drive crashes. So, how you recover lost data in a hard drive crash? The Hard Drive Data Recovery and Safety software offered by Stellar ensures Hard Drive Recovery and Safety against numerous threats like accidental formats, virus problems, software malfunction, file/directory deletion or sabotage.
Whether you are running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, 2003, XP), Apple, Novell, Linux, or Unix operating systems, Stellar can recover your hard drive crash.
Companies can spend in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in hard drive data losses and the recovery from such disastrous events. Stellar provides data recovery services from hard disk drives, tapes, zip disks, CD-Rom, flash cards and other storage media.
Stellar has the awards from such names as PC World and PCQ Labs to their credit for outstanding service and recovery of some top names in our business world. When it comes to recovering from your lost data, it pays to know who can bail you out, in your time of need.
Stellar offers a post-crash data recovery software that helps you in recovering your all-important data, lost after an accidental format, virus crash, partition loss, or software malfunction. It would pay you to seriously consider having this software on hand today and avoid the stress and the added expense of system recovery in the event of a real time crash. The old adage of ; " . . .an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" definitely applies when we're talking hard drive data recovery.
It's really a no-brainer if you'll consider this thought, if your system has been running for more than 3 years, you are vulnerable to a system crash whereby you stand to loose more data and downtime than your profit margins are designed to handle.
Choosing your medicine prior to the illness, in the case of hard disk drive data loss,your recovery can be as simple as a power surge glitch and resume. The choice is yours, best wishes.
by : Jim Wilson
Hard Drive Data Recovery
Read more
