TOTAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT
                          

 Micro Advisory recognises the need to provide the best solutions to clients on
 storage media. As such, we strive to provide a full service support for all clients’
 storage media needs. We provide :

  1. Tape or Media Cleaning & Retention
  2. Media Evaluation
  3. Media, Data & Format Conversion
  4. Error & Data Recovery
  5. Media, Tape Destruction, Degaussing & Deposition

 1. Tape & Media Cleaning and Retention
 This is an important procedure to prevent any type of (in or out) I/O errors or
  miss handling (dropped) of tapes.

      Tape cleaning is always recommended for cartridges stored more than 6
 months. Media cleaning could prevent I/O error encountered while restoring.
 I/O errors are very commonly caused by dust or debris, stuck to the media
 while the  tape is exposed in the drive. A sudden change in temperature could
 cause a very high level of humidity in the cartridges casing, which are the
 cause of fungus growth. And this media is the cause of the read/write errors
 and in long run, these cartridges could cause faulty Read/Write Head in the
 drive.                             

    Tape Re-tensioning is always recommended for optimal performance,
 particularly if using a new tape. Re-tensioning restores the proper tape tension
 to the media and removes unwanted tight spots that develop naturally on tape.
 If a tape cartridge has not been used for over a month, you should re-tension
 the cartridge before using it.

 2. Media Evaluation
Tape backup storage is only as reliable as the media that it is stored on. A program to test the media is therefore an extremely valuable tool and can
help isolate faulty and dubious tapes.

 By doing regular tests on tapes, it will possibly determine if the tapes need
 replacing  or if there is a problem with contamination within the tape library
 or tape handling system.

 When testing tapes, the block size and density can be set as required. Tests
 can be done for a volume of data or a period of time. It is not practical to test
 many tapes for the full length, but with 3480s and ORT (9-track) this is a
 viable  option. For other tapes it is often adequate to test a full length of a
 serpentine tape.

 3. Media, Data & Format Conversion

      Data Conversion is defined as the changing of the data structure to 
      accommodate new or different needs for the data.

     Media Conversion is defined as a duplicate copy of data from one piece of
     media to another. The types of input or output media are irrelevant, as this
     is a straight bit for bit copy procedure.

    Format Conversion is defined as the transfer of data between logical
    formats, to enable the reading of data on one platform having been written
    on another.

 4. Error and Data Recovery
 Tape data recovery is the successful retrieval and copying of data from a tape
  cartridge that has been damaged.

 As in all data recovery operations, recovering data from tapes is very
 specialized. There are primarily two recovery types - Physical and Logical.

 Physical Data Recovery is necessary when there is a physical problem
 with the media or plastics which prevents the data from being read normally.
 This type of recovery may include dealing with issues such as deteriorating
 magnetic coatings, cracked or broken reels/cartridge shells, creased tape
 edges, twisted or folded tape, stretched or broken tape, etc. This recovery
 type also includes capturing the data from media that has mistakenly
 subjected to adverse conditions such as water, mud, or other debris.
 While these physical issues are often difficult to handle, recovery of these
 types can usually be achieved in the high 98+% range.

 Logical Data Recovery is typically the most difficult, and consequently,
 the most expensive. Recovering files logically includes recovering the data
 portion of a tape that was successfully recorded, but for some unknown
 reason cannot be read. The recovery of files from this type of problem often
 requires multiple passes using proprietary software that restores the file to
 the Harddisk. If hard errors occur, “dummy blocks” are written in their place,
 the file fragments are pieced back together and the logically re-created file
 written to the appropriate output tape.

 Other forms of Logical Data Recovery include tapes that were written
 with misaligned heads, and tapes that contain critical data and were
 re-initialized by mistake. All of these problems can be recovered, or at least
 partially recovered using internally developed proprietary software and
 processes.

 5.  Media, Tape Destruction, Degaussing & Disposition

 After a major media or data conversion or copying job, you may be faced with
 many old tapes that need disposal. All types of tapes can be completely
 degaussed before destruction or just destroyed, with guaranteed security
 and then disposed of in compliance with local environmental regulations.

 After a major media or data conversion or copying job, you may be faced with
 many old tapes that need disposal. Disposing of Magnetic Media may
 sound very simple, but improper and incomplete disposal of Recorded
 Magnetic Media may be very costly.  Incomplete disposal of Recorded
 Magnetic Media may expose confidential data to outsider and more
 importantly, competitors.

 Although burning is the easiest way to dispose of unwanted magnetic data,
 but it is illegal and may imposed a very severe penalty if found open
 burning in Malaysia.

 Micro Advisory, therefore, recommend the use of Micro Advisory’s total
 media management program.  Micro Advisory uses the latest technology of
 Media Destroyer, namely Destroyer DDS-02 which completely and securely
 destroys and cuts magnetic media into pieces before disposing it as
 unwanted rubbish at a legal dump site.

  Data Destruction is often referred to as "Degaussing", or erasing the
  data from the physical tape. This process does not destroy the media itself,
  only the recorded data.

   Media Destruction, destroys the physical media itself. Typically,
   the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) for a specific area frowns on
   simply "throwing tapes away" since they are not a biodegradable product.
   This action would also raise certain security questions in many of today's
   corporate auditor's minds. Therefore, MICRO ADVISORY offers a Media
   Destruction Service whereby the media is destroyed and disposed off
   in an  environmentally acceptable manner. We also provide a "Certificate of
   Media Destruction" that meets most auditor requirements.