Prototype Preservation Environments

The Persistent Archive Testbed and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) research prototype persistent archive are examples of preservation environments. Both projects are using data grids to implement data management infrastructure that can manage technology evolution. Data grids are software systems that provide persistent names to digital entities, manage data that are distributed across multiple types of storage systems, and provide support for preservation metadata. A persistent archive federates multiple data grids to provide the fault tolerance and disaster recovery mechanisms essential for long-term preservation. The capabilities of the prototype persistent archives will be presented, along with examples of how the capabilities are used to support the preservation of email, Web crawls, offi ce products, image collections, and electronic records. Prototype Preservation Environments The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) collaborates with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on research on the development of a prototype persistent archive. The collaboration examines how advanced data management systems can be used to support the long-term preservation of data. The original goal included an assessment of mechanisms for management of technology obsolescence. The ability to migrate electronic records to new storage systems was called “infrastructure independence.” The preservation system should be extensible and be able to use more cost-effective storage technologies as they become available. A second goal was the assessment of scalability mechanisms that would enable LIBRARY TRENDS, Vol. 54, No. 1, Summer 2005 (“Digital Preservation: Finding Balance,” edited by Deborah Woodyard-Robinson), pp. 144–162 © 2005 The Board of Trustees, University of Illinois