Overall the system, fielded in 1991, has sped up the process for retrieving information from reservists' military personnel files. We check to see if they are critical and if so, we try to get a backup document from the microfiche so we can re-scan it. Any additional documents submitted on a soldier had to be loaded on a separate platter. This resulted in microfiche printouts with missing documentation. At the same time, all of an individual's documents will be located by Social Security number and consolidated onto the same platter using specially-designed software.
RAID is a magnetic storage unit similar to a mainframe computer.
RAID does not have the intense mechanical operation used by jukeboxes. This reduces the likelihood of the system breaking down. RAID storage is a step towards providing access to the field. Because RAID is less likely to malfunction, the number of users can be increased. However we have limitations at this point.