[ale] is USB stick safer than CD-ROM/DVD

[Michael H. Warfield]

On Mon, 2008-04-28 at 12:23 -0400, Bob Toxen wrote:
> First, DVDs generally should be more rugged than USB sticks and will
> suffer less from single points of failure.  (If one of the control
> transistors in a USB stick fails one could lose all data.)
> 
> Second, a likely failure mode is the entire device being destroyed due
> to excessive temperature (e.g., the air conditioning fails in August),
> fire, smoke, or water damage.  (We are talking long-term storage.)
> 
> My recommendation is to back up critical data on multiple media stored
> in multiple physical locations.  For example, burn two sets of DVDs and
> two sets of USB sticks.  Store one set "at home".  Store each of the
> other sets in different geographically separated places.  For example,
> store the second UCB stick in your bank safe deposit box and store the
> second DVD set at your parents house if they can be relied on not to
> damage them, e.g., in the underground basement.
> 
> I also store my most critical data in encrypted form on a server I have
> access to in another state.  Thus, if a storm destroys my house and my
> safe deposit box a few miles away I still have my data.

> The reason for using both USB sticks and DVDs (or DVDs and magnetic
> tape) is that one media may go out of style before you can read the data
> and convert.  (I probably have waited too long before pulling data off
> of my 9-track tape and QIC tape cartridges.)

	If you still have data on QIC tapes you are probably in deep doo.  Try
finding a QIC drive that hasn't melted down the synthetic rubber capstan
idler.  Had that happen at a customer site and discovered all of my
replacement drives (couple dozen all told), the capstan wheels had
deteriorate to a sticky goo.  This was several years ago.

> Bob Toxen
> bob at verysecurelinux.com               [Please use for email to me]
> http://www.verysecurelinux.com        [Network&Linux security consulting]
> http://www.realworldlinuxsecurity.com [My book:"Real World Linux Security 2/e"]
> Quality spam and virus filters.
> Quality Linux & UNIX security and SysAdmin & software consulting since 1990.
> 
> "Microsoft: Unsafe at any clock speed!"
>    -- Bob Toxen 10/03/2002
> 
> On Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 11:14:45PM -0400, jtholmes wrote:
> > We have so many pictures on DVD that it takes about
> > 4 DVD's to hold them all and it keeps growing.
> 
> > I was wondering if a 16Gb USB stick would be just
> > as safe as a DVD, i.e not suspectible to being erased
> > magnetically etc.
> 
> > Any input would be appreciated.
> > thanks

	Mike
-- 
Michael H. Warfield (AI4NB) | (770) 985-6132 |  mhw at WittsEnd.com
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