2.5 Admins 228: Century-Scale Storage
2.5 Admins
Deep Dive
What are the key challenges of storing data for 100 years?
The main challenges include ensuring generational infrastructure, managing human resources over decades, and maintaining hardware and software compatibility. Data must be migrated to newer formats and hardware regularly, and institutions must be built to sustain interest and funding over a century.
Why is generational infrastructure critical for century-scale storage?
Century-scale storage exceeds the lifespan of a single human career, requiring organizations to recruit and train new talent over generations. This ensures continuity in managing and maintaining the data, as well as adapting to technological changes.
What is the 3-2-1 rule for data storage?
The 3-2-1 rule recommends having three copies of data, stored in two different formats, with at least one copy in a separate location. This strategy mitigates risks like hardware failure, natural disasters, or format obsolescence.
Why are open standards preferred for long-term data storage?
Open standards are preferred because they are not tied to a single commercial entity, reducing the risk of format obsolescence. They are also more likely to be maintained and supported over long periods, ensuring data accessibility.
What are the limitations of using hard drives for century-scale storage?
Hard drives have a limited lifespan and require frequent replacement. Additionally, maintaining the hardware, software, and expertise to read the data over decades is challenging. Funding and institutional support are also critical to sustain the effort.
How does RAID technology help in long-term data storage?
RAID technology, particularly with ZFS, helps mitigate data loss by providing redundancy and error correction. Regular scrubbing ensures data integrity, but the hardware must still be replaced periodically to maintain reliability.
What role does cold storage play in century-scale data preservation?
Cold storage, such as tapes or optical media, can serve as a backup in a multi-factor strategy. While it cannot be monitored or updated as easily as warm storage, it provides an additional layer of protection against catastrophic failures.
Why is institutional funding crucial for century-scale storage?
Institutional funding ensures the continuous financial support needed to maintain hardware, software, and human resources over a century. Without sustained funding, the effort to preserve data is likely to fail as priorities shift over time.
What are the risks of using proprietary file formats for long-term storage?
Proprietary file formats risk becoming obsolete if the supporting company goes out of business or stops maintaining the format. This can make it difficult or impossible to access the data in the future.
How does the concept of failure modes apply to century-scale storage?
Failure modes in century-scale storage involve planning for decades-long risks, such as weak management or institutional neglect. Redundancy and resilience must be designed to survive multiple failures over extended periods.
Shownotes Transcript
What it would take to reliably store data for a hundred years including Institutional funding and organization, decade-proof redundancy, multiple hot and cold copies,hedging your bets against multiple media, and more. Plus backing up ZFS without normal snapshots.
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