DRAFT

Overview

The OURRstore system, an NSF-funded storage archiveproject, is a very cost-effective way to archive data that needs to be reliably kept.  OURRstore uses LTO media, which has a bit error rate 10 times lower than spinning disk, with an expected lifetime of at least 8 years.  (The tapes theoretically can last longer if properly stored, but the hardware that reads the tapes might not.)  OURRstore increases the reliability and safety of storage by creating redundant copies of the data.  OURRstore procedures creates at least 2 copies of archived data, though we strongly recommend using the 3 copies option.  One copy stays in the OURRstore robot, and is the 'online' copy, retrievable at any time.  A second copy gets shipped back to UAMS, where we store it in an environmentally controlled, physically locked location, giving an offsite backup of our data stored in OURRstore.  In a pinch, we can recover data from the copy sent to us.  The optional (but highly recommended) third copy is taken out of the robot and stored in an environmentally an environmentally controlled storage facility at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Campus.  This third copy allows them to generate replacements for the primary copy should that be necessary without the risk of shipping the backup copy kept at UAMS to Oklahoma.

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