Current Hard Disk Technologies
Materials saved to storage devices with a variety of underlying magnetic or solid-state (flash) technologies that are hardwired into a computer still under warranty or supported: typically hard disks that are less than five years old.
Examples
Direct Attached Storage (DAS) such as magnetic or solid-state drives integrated into individual laptops or workstations and into smaller scale storage facilities
Hazards
Encryption; poor handling; poor storage; lack of consistent replication; failure of external (dependencies, e.g., suppliers, security); political or commercial interference; failure of internal dependencies (e.g., power supply, disk controller); overly aggressive compression; poor information security; lack of integrity-checking; lack of strategic investment; lack of warranty; unenforceable warranty; Uncertainty over IPR or the presence of orphaned works
Hardware/MediaMitigations
Backup to different technology; backup to diverse locations; documentation of assets; integrity checking; preservation planning; refreshment planning; export functionality; resilient to hacking; selection and appraisal criteria; version control; resilient funding; technology watch; enforceable warranty; disaster planning
Bit List History
Added to list: 2019Last Review
2023 Review
This entry was added in 2019 to ensure that the range of media storage is properly assessed and presented. It was reviewed in 2021 with a noted trend towards greater risk in light of the continued shift towards reliance on cloud storage with computers increasingly reducing hard disk for solid-state storage and commercial motivations for less support, and reviewed in 2022 with no noted increase in trend towards even greater or reduced risk.
The 2023 Council agreed with the current Vulnerable classification, with overall risks remaining on the same basis as before (‘No change’ to trend), while also noting a slight decrease in the effort needed to preserve and the imminence of action required when compared to the 2021 Jury review.
2024 Interim Review
The 2024 Council agreed These risks remain on the same basis as before, with no significant trend towards even greater or reduced risk (‘No change’ to trend).
There were also noted areas of overlap with the Portable Media category (See: ‘Current Portable Magnetic Media’). As people increasingly select other storage methods, such as cloud, they are less likely to maintain existing content on portable hard disks, which means the portable hard disks are more likely to be overlooked or ignored (e.g., left in drawers) rather than checked and refreshed. Questions arise concerning hard drives and SSDs packaged as portable devices, and for this reason, further cross-category review is recommended for the next 2025 review.
Additional Information
There are also indications of increasing prevalence of soldered-in flash storage which cannot easily be accessed in the case of device failure.Case Studies & Examples
- Some new technologies like shingling, HAMR/MAMR and multiple actuators have given HDD technology–and, more importantly for preservation, interfaces such as SATA and SAS–a new lease on life. Nevertheless, the writing is on the wall as flash and related technologies move to NVME and CXL interfaces. See Pure: No more hard drives will be sold after 2028, Mellor, C. (2023), Blocks & Files [accessed at 2023-10-24].
- For example, SSDs can be remarkably sensitive to storage conditions when unpowered. See JEDEC SSD Specifications Explained, Cox, A. (2013), JC-64.8 [accessed at 2023-10-24].
- Storage, Digital Preservation Coalition (2016), Digital Preservation Handbook [accessed at 2023-10-24].