DIST.AR.NET - Distributed Archival Network

The growing production of digital data challenges archiving institutions with new needs for a secure preservation of the cultural heritage of our time. The main subject of the research project 'Distarnet' is to define a protocol for a distributed system for long-term preservation of digital data. The various problems of archiving digital data are analyzed and an implemented solution is presented, taking into account the special needs of archives, museums and libraries being the holders of preservation and distribution of historical source material. Therefore closest attention is paid to the preservation of source material for future scientific researches. This paper is based on the current state of the research project and describes the protocol version 0.4.