What is ISO/IEC 29121 about?
ISO/IEC 29121 is an international standard that covers digitally recorded media for information interchange and storage.
ISO/IEC 29121 specifies the data migration method for optical disks like DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, +R, +RW, CD-R, CD-RW, BD Recordable, and BD Rewritable disks for long-term data storage.
By applying ISO/IEC 29121 for information storage, digital data can be migrated to the next new disk without loss from the present disk if data errors are completely corrected before and during the migration and provided copying of the data is allowed.
ISO/IEC 29121 specifies:
- A data migration method for long-term data storage
- Test methods for measuring maximum data error, including ambient condition, test area, test drive, disk preparation, and test execution
- An initial performance test and a periodic performance test that checks an error rate of data recorded on the disks with categorized maximum data error tables
- Precautions to reduce the possibility of deterioration in order to assure the integrity of the disks during their use, storage, handling, or transportation
- The estimated lifetime of Bmig (B0.000 1) life to determine the test interval for the periodic performance test
Who is ISO/IEC 29121 for?
ISO/IEC 29121 on data migration method for optical disks is useful for:
- Manufacturing companies of data storage devices
- IT companies who use data storage devices
- Data storage companies
- Data Analysis companies
Why should you use ISO/IEC 29121?
Many organizations now use optical disks for the long-term storage of information. It is assumed that a disk selected for recording has already been qualified for that purpose. It is therefore important to be able to verify that data have been recorded correctly and remain readable for the required amount of time.
ISO/IEC 29121 gives you a data migration method for long-term data storage and a data migration method for various types of optical disks. It focuses on longevity, as it is limited both by disk deterioration and by technology obsolescence. Users can have a maintenance policy that protects disks against unanticipated failure or use, such as by making one copy, another to function as a backup or master and another for routine access.
The quality of the disk can be specified as the number of erroneous inner parity detections with DVD-R, DVD-RW, +R and +RW disks using ISO/IEC 29121.
The quality of a DVD-RAM disk is defined instead by its byte error rate. Deterioration can be monitored by checking the error rate and continues to be monitored.
Methods described in ISO/IEC 29121 define a quality-control policy that can non-destructively identify deterioration, and thereby support timely and effective corrective action.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS ISO/IEC 29121:2021 supersedes BS ISO/IEC 29121:2018, which is withdrawn. BS ISO/IEC 29121:2021 includes some technical changes with respect to the previous version as follows:
- ISO/IEC 16963 has been identified as the referee test method for the lifetime estimation
- The ambient conditions for the measurement of maximum data error have been added
- The requirements for test drives have been changed considering the use condition of users
- The requirements for the estimated lifetime have been defined more clearly
- The requirements for the periodic performance test have been defined more clearly
