Disaster Recovery Management for Digital Libraries

1. Disaster Recovery Management for Digital Libraries E.Soundararajan R.Baskaran & M.Sai Baba Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam

2. Disaster Recovery Management • Digital disaster recovery is defined as all activities designed to restore critical data, their supporting systems, and other digital services after a disaster. • The primary goal of the Disaster Recovery Management is to ensure the availability of the enterprise data and services without downtime or preferably less downtime to the end user community

3. Disaster Factors • Hardware failure and data loss • Network configuration errors • External attacks (Malicious software, Virus, Hacking etc) • Format obsolescence • Core utility or building failure • Software failure • Operator error • Physical security breach • Media degradation • Manmade as well as natural disasters.

4. Disaster Recovery Management Strategies & Solutions • People • The technical staff should be available all the time at the site . • Sufficient training needs to be given to them. • Physical facilities • Alternate work area to established within the same site, at a different company location, at a third-party-provided location, at employees’ homes or at a transportable work facility.. • Technology • The Digital Library infrastructure should be properly configured with false flooring, suitable ventilation and air conditioning, uninterrupted primary electrical power, fire alarm and control systems , the connectivity of the alternate technology area from the primary site, provision for staffing at an alternate technology site, availability of failover (to a backup system) and failback (return to normal operations) technologies to facilitate recovery, support for legacy systems and physical and information security capabilities at the alternate site.

5. Disaster Recovery Management Strategies & Solutions • Data • Timely and regular backup of critical data to a secure storage should be done. The issues to be considered here are : • (i) Method(s) of data storage (disk, tape, optical, etc), • (ii) connectivity and bandwidth requirements to ensure all critical data can be backed up in required time scales, • (iii) data protection capabilities at the alternate storage site, and • (iv) availability of technical support from qualified third-party service providers. • Policies and procedures • Define policies for IT disaster recovery and have them approved by senior management.

6. Disaster Recovery Management Solutions • The library should maintain multiple copies of digital collection content (data, documentation, metadata, and associated materials) in digital form. • At least one copy of the digital collection content will be stored offline on tape media or with a cloud storage company as a failsafe copy. • Digital Asset Management will monitor changes in the technology environment to manage risk as technology evolves and to provide continuing access and updated methods of access as necessary, such as migrating digital content to new formats or providing system emulators to access original formats.

7. Disaster Recovery Management Solutions • Testing and validation of current tape backup procedures • Improved physical and intellectual control over system hardware • Increased documentation of institutional knowledge • Creation of a Disaster Recovery Planning Committee • Initiation of staff training and tests of organizational compliance.

8. Primary Site Setup @SIRD, IGCAR

9. DR Site setup @SIRD , IGCAR

10. Summary • Establish restore methodologies and demonstrate that digital content can be restored from backups as needed. • Monitor the repository’s media for possible degradation and subsequent integrity • Adopt an environmental control monitoring system for the server room. • Install an uninterrupted power supply to the server room. • Mirror servers to be created for critical contents. • Develop a business continuity plan in the event of a physical or digital disaster that includes off-site services, and/or off-line manuals for departments. • Develop training plans and policies for data storage and recovery. • Keep multiple physical and digital copies of this plan and all disaster documents in safe and accessible places.

11. Thanks!