# Presentation: 403841

## Physical Media Survey

**July 2006**

**Management Council Update**

## Agenda / Topics

**Physical Media Working Group (WG)**
**Driving Level 3 Requirements**
**Physical Media Survey**
**Survey Questions**
**What Stood Out**
**Overall Survey Results**
**MC Recommendations / Next Steps for the WG**

## Physical Media Working Group (WG)

**   ****MC approved the formation of a Physical Media Working Group to address alleged PDS wide challenges associated with the use of physical media**
**The WG, in attempting to address the above charter, decided to solicit the assistance of the Nodes (and others) to:**
**Leverage their operational experience**
**Discover what challenges/problems exist**
**Quantify the extent of the problems**
**Correlate “problems” into system-wide solutions**

**Physical Media Working Group (WG)**

- The WG created a survey, “DRAFT QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SAMPLING NODE EXPERIENCES WITH PHYSICAL MEDIA”, in an attempt to answer the above issues.

## Driving Level 3 Requirements for the WG

**PDS will facilitate transfers of its data to users:**
- 3.2.2 PDS will develop and maintain a mechanism for offline delivery of portions of the archive to users
- 3.2.3 PDS will provide mechanisms to ensure that data have been transferred intact
**PDS will ensure the long-term preservation of the data and maintain their usability:**
- 4.1.2 PDS will develop and implement procedures for periodically ensuring the integrity of the data
- 4.1.3 PDS will develop and implement procedures for periodically refreshing the data by updating the underlying storage technology
- 4.2.3 PDS will monitor the evolution of technology including physical media, storage, and software in an effort to keep the archiving technology decisions relevant within the PDS

## Physical Media Survey

**    ****Each Node (and NSSDC) was asked to designate a participant (stuckee) to be responsible for completing the survey**
**Respondents**
-         (1) ATMOS - Nancy Chanover
-      (2) Goddard - Larry Martin
-      (3) RINGS - Mark Showalter
-      (4) NAIF - Boris Semenov
-      (5) GEO - Thomas Stein
-      (6) SBN - Ann Raugh
-      (7) SBN/PSI - David Tarico
-      (8) RS - Raymond Jackson
-      (9) RS - Richard Simpson
-    (10) PPI - Bill Harris
-    (11) IMG - Chris Isbell

**Physical Media Survey**

## Survey Questions

**The survey focused on three distinct media types:**
**CD Media**
**DVD Media**
**Grid Brick/Electronic Data Storage**
**Within each class of media, responders were asked the following:**
**To identify the types/percentages of problems**
**To identify what they were purchasing**
**To identify what they planned to purchase**

## What stood out

**More problems with DVD media, than CD media**
**9 out of 11 had problems writing/reading DVDs**
**5 out of 11 have had problems writing/reading CDs**
**Major variations of media, software, platform**
**Trending towards DVD and Grid Bricks as shown below:**
- 	(6a)  Over the next few years, do you see your node's use of CD / DVD / Data Brick technology:
-            CDs                     DVDs                  Data Brick
-    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
-    [ATMOS]   - decreasing          increasing            increasing
-    [Goddard] - increasing          increasing            staying the same
-    [RINGS]   - staying the same    staying the same      increasing
-    [NAIF]    - staying the same    staying the same      staying the same
-    [GEO]     - decreasing          staying the same      increasing
-    [SBN]     - staying the same    increasing            staying the same
-    [RSS]     - decreasing          staying the same      increasing
-    [PPI]     - decreasing          increasing            staying the same
-    [IMG]     - decreasing          staying the same      staying the same

## Overall Survey Results

**The overall results of the survey indicate:**
**The Nodes recognize the difficulty of discerning the precise reasons for media failure (i.e., trial / error in using different types of software / hardware; or expensive / specialized analyzer)**
**None of the Nodes currently have a policy in place that stipulates procedures for periodically refreshing media.  The Nodes recognize a need for developing a “media review / refresh policy”.**
**Nodes recognize a need to expend resources to keep the PDS abreast of hard-media technology.  The Nodes don’t want to expend their own resources on researching.  The Nodes recognize a centralized source would be more efficient than independent research.**
**The Nodes recognize the importance of PDS continuing to coordinate with external groups in resolving current issues / problems and anticipating future directions.**
**Trending towards DVD and Grid Brick Technologies.**

## MC Recommendations/Next Step(s) for the WG

**Develop PDS wide data transfer policy (3.2.2 & 3.2.3) **
**Develop media refresh checklist and policy (4.1.2)**
**Develop integrity validation checklist and policy (4.1.3)**
**Define media technology investigation plan (4.2.3)**
**Integrate work of PDS-NSSDC Tiger Team and develop a recommendation matrix for data movement/delivery in conjunction with the media investigation**
**Provide survey information as a resource for purchasing**
**Identify a recommendation for mapping volumes to media/delivery methods**
**Establish a site where individuals / groups can share experiences / solutions**

**MC Recommendations/Next Step(s) for the WG**

## Survey Results – Summary & Details

**http://pds-engineering.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm?pid=5&cid=67**

**Survey Results – Summary & Details**