RE: recommend tape conversion services

Our Month End backups go in a case that's stored 'forever.' I've tried to make those cases a self-contained unit-- the goal is that a knowledgeable person can take one of our month end cases, and, given an iSeries of sufficient size, can reload everything needed to re-create the computer as it existed at that time. SAVSYS, SECDTA, CONFIG, etc. (back many years we couldn't take the time for a complete Option/21), plus all of the program and data libraries.

Since we've moved to newer hardware we've been able to run a complete Option/21 as our daily backup. Same retention, but recovery should be greatly improved!

There's still the problem of finding someone from 10 years ago who knows how to make the programs run...

Paul E Musselman
Paulmmn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

-----Original Message-----
From: MIDRANGE-L <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Rob Berendt
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2018 4:19 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: recommend tape conversion services

I'd like to know how many 5 1/4" diskettes they still keep laying around
with data from PC DOS 3.1 machines.

Getting back to IBM i:
Here's another thing that many people do not think of: How easy is it to
interpret the data from 1994? Let's say you had an application which
stored SSN in one file, payrate in another and so on and so forth (I've
worked with such applications). Let's say the application was a purchased
application which required a hardware key. And you've outsourced to ADP
since then and dropped maintenance long ago. And upgraded boxes three
times. Obviously the vendor will want the first born male child of all
employees for a key (if they are even still in business). Do you still
have someone who can tie that back together with the data only and no
programs?
Or you can go to even further extremes. Let's say the software used Field
Procedures or other techniques for encrypting data. Then it could get
really fun.

Our management here is the opposite. Old data is more of a risk than a
benefit. Purge, purge and more purging...

Rob Berendt