Hi all,
Not sure if this has been discussed to death, but would like some advise here.
My archiving process involves 3 copies of the photo files, at the least.
First copy is the working copy on my NAS (that's network access storage) that is shared in my family for all to use and see. My strategy for this copy is to update the NAS every 2 to 3 years to higher capacity drives and copy all files over.
Second copy is a synchronised copy using MS Sync Toy from the NAS to one of the additional drives in the home computer. This drive is strictly for backup process.
Third copy is a DVD copy that is made every few months when new photos are sufficient to make up a copy of DVD. Dates of creation of DVD is written on the DVD and new DVD will be made from the NAS copy every 3 years or so.
So far so good, fairly robust I would think, but there remains a big loop hole - garbage in garbage out. If my NAS copy is corrupted I will be making corrupted copies across all medium and be none the wiser until I need to open the file. I think this is called common mode failure. Although the DVD copy, at least the first generation, is not affected and could serve as a source for recovery.
Question 1: is there a software that I can use to scan or test the files for integrity? I would like to say test the integrity of the files every few months and hopefully detect corrupted files early enough, like before the DVD fail. Or I could test before I make the second generation copy of the DVDs.
One other way is to burn DVD from old DVD copies, but that would be backing up static copy - copy on NAS could get worked on so should always remain the latest version.
Question 2: Or there is another better way of doing this?
More or less totally unrelated to this issue of backing up is the multiple raw file format I have - I used PnS Canon thats CRW; Nikon DSLR thats NEF; and Fuji DSLR thats RAF. I guess one way is to convert them all to the adobe format.
Question 3: is there an automated way of doing this conversion?
TIA.
Not sure if this has been discussed to death, but would like some advise here.
My archiving process involves 3 copies of the photo files, at the least.
First copy is the working copy on my NAS (that's network access storage) that is shared in my family for all to use and see. My strategy for this copy is to update the NAS every 2 to 3 years to higher capacity drives and copy all files over.
Second copy is a synchronised copy using MS Sync Toy from the NAS to one of the additional drives in the home computer. This drive is strictly for backup process.
Third copy is a DVD copy that is made every few months when new photos are sufficient to make up a copy of DVD. Dates of creation of DVD is written on the DVD and new DVD will be made from the NAS copy every 3 years or so.
So far so good, fairly robust I would think, but there remains a big loop hole - garbage in garbage out. If my NAS copy is corrupted I will be making corrupted copies across all medium and be none the wiser until I need to open the file. I think this is called common mode failure. Although the DVD copy, at least the first generation, is not affected and could serve as a source for recovery.
Question 1: is there a software that I can use to scan or test the files for integrity? I would like to say test the integrity of the files every few months and hopefully detect corrupted files early enough, like before the DVD fail. Or I could test before I make the second generation copy of the DVDs.
One other way is to burn DVD from old DVD copies, but that would be backing up static copy - copy on NAS could get worked on so should always remain the latest version.
Question 2: Or there is another better way of doing this?
More or less totally unrelated to this issue of backing up is the multiple raw file format I have - I used PnS Canon thats CRW; Nikon DSLR thats NEF; and Fuji DSLR thats RAF. I guess one way is to convert them all to the adobe format.
Question 3: is there an automated way of doing this conversion?
TIA.
