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What types of media can be used
in Sites?
A full list of workstations in Campus Computing Sites is available for
viewing/download. This displays individual site information based on removeable
media drives and machine type: Removable Media Drives
in Campus Computing Sites(PDF) -- Fall 2006.
Floppy & Zip Disks Are Going Away
What's wrong with the floppy disk?
The computer industry is phasing out the floppy drive. The 3.5" was model released
in 1980 and, after increasing in storage capacity to 1.44 megabytes, has been stuck
there for years. File sizes have continued to grow as people do more and more
multimedia-related work on computers. Apple Computer eliminated floppy drives from
their machines starting in 1998. Dell Computer has ceased including floppy drives
in base computer configurations in 2003 -- although they can be added as an extra
cost option. The longevity of the floppy disk media may also be a concern. One
industry study revealed that a floppy disk in normal daily use could be expected to
last about three years. Campus Computing Sites has been trying to emphasize
replacement technologies for the floppy disk and drive in the years since Apple
began this trend. No new floppy disk drives will be purchased for use in
Campus Computing Sites.
What's wrong with the Zip disk?
The Zip disk, basically a "superfloppy", is available in capacities of 100, 250, and
750 megabytes. While the Zip disk was a popular consumer alternative to the floppy
disk, it has been much less successful in the corporate world. Some computers in
Campus Computing Sites have 100M or 250M Zip drives. The same reliability concerns
that affect traditional floppies also affect Zip disks and the disks themselves are
pricey compared to how much information they store. No new Zip disk drives
will be purchased for use in Campus Computing Sites.
Please see the Removable Media PDF file for
specifics on what drives are in what computers in what sites.
Alternatives to Floppy & Zip Disks
There are several alternatives to the floppy disk available to users of Campus
Computing Sites:
IFS - Institutional File System
The Institutional File System is on-line file space available to students as part of
the Basic Computing Package (BCP). All U-M students receive 1 gigabyte of storage
space with their BCP. This storage space is backed up to tape and is automatically
mounted on your computer desktop for you when you log in to a Sites PC or Macintosh.
Storing files in IFS couldn't be easier -- just drag the file onto the IFS icon and
your file will be copied over to the IFS servers. Since IFS is part of your BCP,
there is no additional cost to you to make use of this storage option. More
information on IFS can be found at
http://www.itd.umich.edu/itcsdocs/r1070/.
CD-R (Compact Disc - Recordable) 
The CD-R format was introduced in 1988 and allowed the user to "burn" data to a CD
disc once. The burned data was not erasable. CD-R discs were the first discs that
could be made on a computer in a drive and did not need to be sent out to a service
bureau for stamping. While a great advance, the discs were initially quite expensive
(over $10 a disc) and the burn times could be an hour or more. With today's disc
costs (under 25 cents in bulk) and fast drives (burn times of a minute or two), the
CD-R is much more viable as a floppy disc replacement. Of course there is still the
matter of not being able to erase the data on the disc and reuse it.
CD-RW (Compact Disc - ReWriteable) 
Rewriteable CD technology hit the market in 1996. Once again, the initial high cost
of drives and discs has dropped to the point that CD-RW discs (storing 650-700M) are
an attractive floppy disc alternative. In bulk, CD-RW discs can now be found for
under 50 cents each.
DVD-R (DVD - Recordable) 
In 1997 the prerecorded VHS videotape met its maker in the form of the DVD disc. DVD
initially stood for Digital Video Disc, then Digital Versatile Disc, and now its
just "DVD". Whatever you call it, DVD has been one of the most successful technology
introduction in history, with more players and more discs being sold in less time
than any format before it. The greater storage needs of video drives the DVD's
data capacity of 4.7G (almost seven CDs worth of data). In 1998, the DVD-R was
introduced, making that tremendous storage capacity available to computer users.
USB Keychain Drives (aka jump drives, thumb drives and flash drives)
The USB Keychain Drive is a mouthful of a name for a very simple idea: it's a device
with some static RAM in a keychain-fob-sized package with a USB connector. Static
RAM does not require a power source to preserve data, so your data stays intact even
when the device isn't connected to a computer. There are no moving parts inside,
so the "drive" part of the name is something of a misnomer, but no moving parts
means less to go wrong. The USB connector allows the drive to be connected to newer
PC and Macintosh computers. The connector provides the power to read and write data
to the drive and both the PC and Macintosh operating systems in Sites can read the
data from most brands without needing any special drivers. The USB Keychain Drives
are available from a wide variety of manufactures in capacities from 32M to 512M.
Costs also vary, but the 128M units are currently around $35. These drives are also
faster than floppies, but they aren't going to win any speed contests with current
optical drives when it comes to quick data transfers.
Some vendors sell a "secure" keychain drive that may not work properly on
computers in Campus Computing Sites because the drive expects to have permission to
run its special security software on the host computer. Unfortunately, there is no
work-around for this problem at this time.
Should you encounter problems with a keychain drive on a Sites computer, please
send email to sites.suggestions@umich.edu including the type of keychain drive, its
capacity, the type of computer you were connecting to, and the time and Site you
were in when the problem occurred along with the text of any error messages you
received.
Related Information
DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD-R+W
This acronym madness is currently unimportant -- what you need to know is that
there are currently competing industry groups pushing multiple, incompatible
rewriteable DVD formats. Until this mess is straightened out, Campus Computing
Sites will not be deploying rewriteable DVD technology.
Problems with Optical Media
CD-R and DVD-R discs can only be written
once, CD-RW can be written to around 100,000 times, and all optical media can be
rendered unusable by a nice big scratch on the disc surface. This is optical media's
Achilles' Heel the way exposure to magnetic fields is magnetic media's (floppy,
Zip). However, provided you take care of your optical media, it should last much
longer than comparable magnetic media. While claims and figure vary, a floppy disk
should last about three years without a problem and optical media can last 25-100
years (of course, good luck finding a drive to read that disc in a hundred years!).
Remember, not all drives are available in all sites. Please see the Removable Media PDF file for specifics on what drives
are in what computers in what sites.
Questions or comments about Campus Computing Sites? Mail
the Sites Suggestions mailbox at:
sites.suggestions@umich.edu
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