Using Par2 with backup to DVD

[TType85]

I have some *very* important files (all of our wedding photos) that I want to make multiple back ups of. I have had some issues with older DVD-R and +R discs coming up with CRC errors after a while (2+ yr old ones).

Would creating PAR2's for the files and storing them on the disc be a good idea? Should I store the PAR2's on a seperate disc?

As it stands right now I have copies of the disc off site (parents house, in their safe) but I am paranoid about this data (that day is never going to happen again!)

 

[BillLeeLee]

If you are going to generate parity files, it'd be wiser to store them separately from the data. Otherwise, it seems more like putting your eggs in one basket. What if the disc (that has both data and parity data) gets corrupted and the parity files are also hosed?

On the hardware side - what kind of discs do you use?

I basically only trust a few brands for any disc that I expect to last for over 2 years -

1.) Taiyo Yuden - far and away the best you can get without paying for stuff like Mitsui Gold
2.) Mitsubishi chemical
3.) Ricoh Japan

I stay away from CMC magnetics (basically the majority of discs you'll find in retail channels) for any kind of archive, though I do have CMC discs I burned music onto 4 years ago that work fine to this day, and are subjected to horrible conditions (high heat, sun exposure).

Other tips - make multiple backups of the same data if you use DVDs. Their high capacity (relatively, compared to CDs) make me incredibly paranoid about them, since I keep all my photographs on DVD for archiving.

However, do not use the same set of DVDs for the multiple backups. Using DVDs from the same batch is a bad idea since they could all be defective. I keep a few hundred blank DVDs from 6 different batches (and 4 different companies) in my desk, and I make around 3 - 4 copies of data I want to archive.

And remember to store them in a cool, dry, dark place (a safe is a good idea like you have going).

I'm so paranoid - I wish I had an EMC Centera storage server. I wonder if I can get a huge discount since I work for them now...