Capteren van data van verouderde dragers van Opera Ballet Vlaanderen/en: verschil tussen versies
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You need a SyQuest drive to read SyQuest disks. Just like for Zip disks, there is a different drive for each storage capacity. A 44 MB SyQuest drive can only read disks up to 44 MB, and the 200 MB drive can read 44 MB, 88 MB and 200 MB cartridges, among others. SyQuest drives were connected to a computer via an SCSI connector<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCSI</ref>. Because we didn’t have an old computer with an SCSI port, and modern laptops are no longer equipped with this type of connector, we went in search of an older computer model. And we found a Macintosh PowerBook G3 from 1999, which has SCSI, USB and PCCard ports and can run on both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X operating systems. Additional software was needed for the computer to communicate with the SCSI device: SCSIProbe 5.2.1. And the Classic Mac environment (Mac OS 9) was required for this. | You need a SyQuest drive to read SyQuest disks. Just like for Zip disks, there is a different drive for each storage capacity. A 44 MB SyQuest drive can only read disks up to 44 MB, and the 200 MB drive can read 44 MB, 88 MB and 200 MB cartridges, among others. SyQuest drives were connected to a computer via an SCSI connector<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCSI</ref>. Because we didn’t have an old computer with an SCSI port, and modern laptops are no longer equipped with this type of connector, we went in search of an older computer model. And we found a Macintosh PowerBook G3 from 1999, which has SCSI, USB and PCCard ports and can run on both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X operating systems. Additional software was needed for the computer to communicate with the SCSI device: SCSIProbe 5.2.1. And the Classic Mac environment (Mac OS 9) was required for this. | ||
− | We | + | We used both a SyQuest 44 MB and a 200 MB drive. We connected the reading equipment directly to the computer via the SCSI connection. Before the SyQuest disks were placed in the equipment, we activated the write protection on them so that the content on the disk could not be changed. The content from some SyQuests appears immediately on the computer’s desktop when they’re plugged into the equipment. But this wasn’t the case for other SyQuests, so we had to use the SCSI software (SCSI Probe). |
[[Bestand:Syquest disks.jpg|thumb|600px|center|Afbeelding 11: SyQuest disks.]] | [[Bestand:Syquest disks.jpg|thumb|600px|center|Afbeelding 11: SyQuest disks.]] |
Versie van 4 sep 2020 15:15
Summary
In the summer of 2017, PACKED vzw attempted to retrieve data from Opera Ballet Vlaanderen’s collection of outdated carriers: CD-Rs, CD-RWs, Zip drives, SyQuests and magneto-optical drives. Read here how we went about it.
Status
In July and August 2017, Emanuel Lorrain and working student Alex Jaou from PACKED vzw processed 474 carriers. A further 45 carriers couldn’t be processed because no suitable reading equipment had yet been found.
Issue
Opera Ballet Vlaanderen unites the Vlaamse Opera (Flemish Opera) and the Royal Ballet of Flanders, and presents major classical works and new creations from the world of opera, dance and ballet.
The institution has a collection of outdated carriers: 519 obsolete and/or unreliable carriers in the form of CD-Rs, CD-RWs, Zip drives, SyQuests and magneto-optical drives. Unfortunately, however, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen no longer has any equipment that can read the content on these carriers and/or transfer it to more modern storage media.
Following on from the Resurrection Lab project, PACKED vzw started collecting equipment that could read the most common outdated carriers and migrate them to contemporary data storage media. The Opera Ballet Vlaanderen collection was a suitable case for testing the old reading devices and the capture station set-up.
Methode
Following on from the Resurrection Lab project, PACKED vzw started collecting equipment that could read the most common outdated carriers and migrate them to contemporary data storage media. The Opera Ballet Vlaanderen collection was a suitable case for testing the old reading devices and the capture station set-up.
In some cases, disk images were also created alongside the logical images because they’re a better way of storing data from a carrier in its entirety. This is because the carrier is copied bit by bit when creating a disk image. So it’s not just the content from the carrier (the files) that are saved, but also all the system information that’s available from the carrier. Saving this data means you can stay as close to the authentic carrier as possible.
The copied carriers were listed in a spreadsheet with the following columns:
- UI (unique identifier): the unique identifier is comprised of the organisation’s initials (OB) followed by sequential 4-digit numbers. The numbering started at 1 (0001), so OB0001 for example refers to the first carrier processed.
- Institution: the institution’s official name, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.
- Disk type: the carrier type and capacity.
- Information on the carrier: all information written on the carrier, such as on labels or in pen on the carrier itself.
- Functional? If the carrier can be read by the reading equipment, it’s considered to be functional.
- Copied? This field indicates if all files could be copied from the carrier successfully. If it isn’t possible to copy all files, this is recorded in the ‘notes’ field.
- Notes: this column contains all the other relevant information about the carrier, e.g. that there were multiple disks in a box. All information about damaged files, files that can’t be copied or files that encounter a problem during the process is noted here.
Following the capturing process, the carriers were divided into two categories. The first category consists of carriers that were functional and could be fully copied. The second category is for carriers that couldn’t be copied.
Capturing data from CD-R and CD-RW
We used a MacBook Pro from 2010 with a Mac OS X El Capitan operating system to copy data from CD-Rs and CD-RWs, with a DVD-ROM drive from 2004 as the reading device. The advantage of using a DVD-ROM is that it can read disks but not write on them, so data cannot be changed by accident. The DVD-ROM drive has an IDE port[1]. We therefore used an IDE-USB cable to connect the IDE to the USB port on the MacBook.
We used a modern MacBook Pro to capture the data from the Zip disks 100. And we used a Zip 100 drive and a Zip 250 drive, both of which were manufactured in 2000. The Zip disk drives have a USB port so we could connect them to the laptop using a USB cable. We didn’t need any extra software to read the Zip drives. But because Zip drives don’t have a built-in write protection tab, we used a write blocker as an intermediate piece between the Zip disk drive and the MacBook Pro. A write blocker stops a computer from writing files on the external drive, which ensures that the data on the drive remains authentic.
The collection contains 227 optical disks: CD-Rs and CD-RWs. The majority of these disks were kept in boxes, usually identified with labels or writing on the disks themselves. 57 optical disks were not kept in a box, which clearly resulted in visible damage in the form of scratches. Of these 57 disks, 47 were fully functional and could be copied. In total we were unable to copy 31 disks, of which 10 were not kept in a box. Only 13 disks were unreadable and considered to be not functional.
Most of the problems encountered when trying to copy the content from the optical disks were caused by damaged files. These files sometimes blocked the copying process, which meant we had to restart the process without the damaged files. The majority of the damaged files were images, which mostly had a visible line cutting through them. If we were still able to copy the file, one of the two sections created by this line was missing. We weren’t able to copy some of the damaged files at all. Most of the damaged files had the .tiff
extension.
Type | Functional | Fully copied | Not functional | Not fully copied |
---|---|---|---|---|
CD-R | 214 | 196 | 12 | 30 |
CD-RW | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
total | 215 | 197 | 12 | 30 |
Capturing data from Zip disks 100
Zip disks are storage media for computers developed by Iomega. They appeared on the market in 1994 and were available with storage capacities of 100 MB, 250 MB and 750 MB. You need a Zip disk drive to read a Zip disk. The Zip disk drives differ in storage capacity: a Zip 100 drive can read a Zip disk 100 but not a Zip disk 250; a Zip 250 drive can read both a Zip disk 250 and Zip disk 100.
We used a modern MacBook Pro to capture the data from the Zip disks 100. And we used a Zip 100 drive and a Zip 250 drive, both of which were manufactured in 2000. The Zip disk drives have a USB port so we could connect them to the laptop using a USB cable. We didn’t need any extra software to read the Zip drives. But because Zip drives don’t have a built-in write protection tab, we used a write blocker as an intermediate piece between the Zip disk drive and the MacBook Pro. A write blocker stops a computer from writing files on the external drive, which ensures that the data on the drive remains authentic.
The reading equipment didn’t function well, however. The eject function didn’t work so we had to disconnect and reconnect the devices each time to manually remove the Zip disk from the equipment. We also weren’t able to remove some of the Zip disks in this way and had to forcibly remove them from the drive by hand. There was one Zip disk that we couldn’t place in the reading equipment at all.
The errors in the files were similar to the damage that we encountered with the optical disks. TIFF files had the most errors. There was a visible line that split the image in different sections when they were opened on the disk. When we were able to the copy this file, one of the sections created by this line was missing.
We processed 228 Zip disks in total. 220 of these Zip disks were functional and we were able to fully copy 219 of them.
Type | Functional | Fully copied | Not functional | Not fully copied |
---|---|---|---|---|
Zip disk 100 | 220 | 219 | 8 | 9 |
total | 220 | 219 | 8 | 9 |
Capturing data from SyQuest disks
SyQuests are storage media for computers in the form of cartridges developed by SyQuest Technology. They were available in different storage capacities, but the 44 MB, 88 MB and 200 MB versions were particularly popular. They were mainly used for larger files, such as for desktop publishing or digital photography. After 1991, when the 88 MB disks were introduced, they became a de facto standard in the Apple Macintosh world for the storage, transfer and backing up of large amounts of data.[2]
You need a SyQuest drive to read SyQuest disks. Just like for Zip disks, there is a different drive for each storage capacity. A 44 MB SyQuest drive can only read disks up to 44 MB, and the 200 MB drive can read 44 MB, 88 MB and 200 MB cartridges, among others. SyQuest drives were connected to a computer via an SCSI connector[3]. Because we didn’t have an old computer with an SCSI port, and modern laptops are no longer equipped with this type of connector, we went in search of an older computer model. And we found a Macintosh PowerBook G3 from 1999, which has SCSI, USB and PCCard ports and can run on both Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X operating systems. Additional software was needed for the computer to communicate with the SCSI device: SCSIProbe 5.2.1. And the Classic Mac environment (Mac OS 9) was required for this.
We used both a SyQuest 44 MB and a 200 MB drive. We connected the reading equipment directly to the computer via the SCSI connection. Before the SyQuest disks were placed in the equipment, we activated the write protection on them so that the content on the disk could not be changed. The content from some SyQuests appears immediately on the computer’s desktop when they’re plugged into the equipment. But this wasn’t the case for other SyQuests, so we had to use the SCSI software (SCSI Probe).
In totaal hebben we zestien SyQuests behandeld, waarvan één van 88MB en vijftien van 44MB. Van deze zestien cartridges waren er twaalf functioneel, en konden we er negen volledig kopiëren. Naast de logical images hebben we ook disk images van de schijven gemaakt. Daarvoor hebben we de software Disk Copy gebruikt die standaard op Mac OS 9 geïnstalleerd is. Van de schijven die niet functioneel waren, konden we geen disk image maken. We hebben ook geen disk images gemaakt van de schijven die problemen veroorzaakten tijdens het kopiëren. Van de negen volledig gekopieerde schijven, konden we van acht een disk image maken. In tegenstelling tot de vorige dragers, konden we hier bij de beschadigde bestanden moeilijk een terugkerende eigenschap vaststellen. De enige terugkerende eigenschap zagen we bij twee bestanden die de naam HYDEn.ch droegen en allebei beschadigd waren. De “n” in de bestandsnaam staat voor een cijfer.
Type | Functioneel | Volledig gekopieerd | Niet-functioneel | Niet volledig gekopieerd |
---|---|---|---|---|
SyQuest disk 44MB | 11 | 8 | 4 | 7 |
SyQuest disk 88MB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
totaal | 12 | 9 | 4 | 7 |
Capteren van magneto-optische disks
Magneto-optische schijven zijn een type optische schijven voor dataopslag die in 5,25”-formaat en 3,5”-formaat bestaan. De 5,25”-versie werd in 1985 op de markt gebracht; de 3,5”-versie bestaat sinds 1991. M.O. disks werden als zeer betrouwbaar beschouwd omdat de leesapparatuur tijdens het schrijven steeds controleert of de geschreven informatie foutloos is. Dat had wel als gevolg dat het schrijven op M.O. disks traag verliep. De 5,25” schijven hadden een capaciteit van 256MB tot 9,2GB, verdeeld over de twee kanten van de schijf. De 3,5” schijven hadden een capaciteit van 128MB tot 1.3GB, en konden slechts langs één kant beschreven worden.
De collectie van Opera Ballet Vlaanderen omvatte 48 M.O disks waarvan er negen een capaciteit hadden van 128MB, 31 een capaciteit van 230MB en acht een capaciteit van 640MB. Het waren allemaal 3,5” schijven. Voor het lezen van M.O. disks heb je een M.O. drive nodig. Leesapparatuur voor 5,25” schijven kan je enkel via SCSI aansluiten met een computer; die voor 3,5” schijven kan beschikken over een SCSI-, IDE- of USB-toegang. Wij gebruikten een M.O. disk unit van Sony uit 1995 die een SCSI-toegang heeft. Om die reden hebben we ook de Macintosh Powerbook G3 als werkstation gebruikt. Om de computer te laten communiceren met de drive hebben we de SCSIProbe 5.2.1. software gebruikt.
Onze apparatuur kon geen 640MB disks of 230MB disks lezen. Het was wel mogelijk om drie 128 MB disks te lezen en volledig te kopiëren. Van die drie schijven hebben we ook disk images gemaakt met Disk Copy. De rest van de 128MB schijven werd bijna onmiddellijk door het leesapparaat uitgeworpen en kan dus beschadigd of functioneel zijn, maar dat konden we nog niet definitief vaststellen omdat de leesapparaatuur niet betrouwbaar was. Van de drie disks die functioneel waren en die we volledig konden kopiëren, was er de volgende dag nog maar één functioneel toen we ze opnieuw probeerden te lezen. De anderen wilden niet inladen in het besturingssysteem, of werden onmiddellijk terug uitgeworpen.
Type | Functioneel | Volledig gekopieerd | Niet-functioneel | Niet volledig gekopieerd |
---|---|---|---|---|
3,5" M.O. disk 128MB | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
3,5" M.O. disk 230MB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
3,5" M.O. disk 640MB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
totaal | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Resultaten
De collectie van Opera Ballet Vlaanderen maakte het ons mogelijk om workflows en opstellingen uit te testen voor de captatie van data op veel voorkomende verouderde en/of onbetrouwbare opslagmedia. Van de 519 dragers die we van de instelling ontvangen hebben, konden we 450 dragers lezen. Hiervan hebben we er 428 volledig gekopieerd naar een hedendaagse gegevensdrager.
Het capteren van de optische schijven ging relatief vlot (94% was functioneel en 86% kon volledig gekopieerd worden). Ook het capteren van de zipdisks ging goed (96% was functioneel en kon volledig gekopieerd worden), maar gezien de problemen die we ervaarden met het uitwerpen van de dragers zijn testen met andere leesapparatuur nodig. In het geval van de SyQuest-disks is het moeilijk om conclusies te trekken omdat de steekproef te klein was. Slechts in 56% van de gevallen konden we de data volledig kopiëren naar een andere gegevensdrager. Aangezien 75% van die schijven functioneel waren, is het echter moeilijk af te leiden of die lage score veroorzaakt werd door de leesapparatuur of door het verval van de drager. Voor het capteren van de magneto-optische schijven hebben we nog geen goede oplossing gevonden.
Type | Functioneel | Volledig gekopieerd | Niet-functioneel | Niet volledig gekopieerd |
---|---|---|---|---|
cd-r en cd-rw | 125 | 197 | 12 | 30 |
zipdisk | 220 | 219 | 8 | 9 |
SyQuest disk | 12 | 9 | 4 | 7 |
magneto-optische disk | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
totaal | 450 | 428 | 24 | 46 |
Auteur: Nastasia Vanderperren (PACKED vzw), Alex Jaou en Rony Vissers (PACKED vzw)