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Old June 19th 18, 06:20 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
Flasherly[_2_]
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Posts: 2,407
Default Archival Storage

Recent assessment over the state of things, I'm running 10TBytes of
HDDs: Five TBye HDD or at once and in addition from a backup reserve.
Everything, all the way to a couple of Seagate 200G drives, even a
pair of 250G WD Caviers. The latter, although the Seagates are by no
means either immune, were not perfect serial# matches in the only
unsuccessful RAID array I've attempted, and may be operational
abominations if not worse. I'll give them a shot at redemption once
more and soon enough: My only two egregious instances of W.D. I can
recall.

For placement reference purposes, all the above occur a decade and
highly likely longer ago.

Then comes the next generation, only one survivor, of two, in a
sub-1T, 500G class WD of unusual proven merit;- it's 750G relative,
though I'd marked bad, I once tried again to power up, but couldn't
and tossed to a dumpster yesterday.

Leaving a residual half a dozen or so mixed 1.5T and 2T HDD class
drives. All date back over five years likely approaching ten. Most
I'd have bought just before the infamous Asian Tsunami, some mark for
a demarcation of decline in subsequent production quality of HDDs
after. Prices then had dropped near to what a low budget sale model
now runs, at 1T to 2T for near or under $50 new for some regard or
skewed to an HDD suited archival purposes.

Interesting aspect I noticed in some related archival notes is a state
of stasis and how that effects SDDs. A SDD left with storage media,
unattended and unpowered over an extended period, risks losing its
coherency from a degenerative charge state to maintain the continued
integrity of its storage cells. Can't say if there are further
side-effects, whether subsequent power restoration and the rewrite
then would occur at a normal optimal. As well I found mention of
adverse power cycling on SDDs, (sic) found more or less due to
interruption from power grids, as an lower indication of longevity,
I'll assume even over mechanics, given a manufacturer rating for MTBF
on the SSD.

Still, I doubt any mechanical drive stored extensively either may be
uncategorically regarded for being unscathed upon retrieval. That it
is, still, not at all a lessor factor for cash outlay to play this
game of significance, for any presume rights advanced over the Midas
storage capacity.

-
When the legions of Tacitus observed the aristocracy defecting, at the
onslaught of rams placed to inner second-wall of Jerusalem, and going
through their excrement for ingested golden coins, he issued strict
orders they were not to be ensnare and atrociously mutilated by first
opening their bellies in search of pillage. Orders which the legions
by in large ignored.