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Data Conversion - Media, Format & Optical

eMag's capability with data conversion is unsurpassed due to our extensive experience of over 25 years in service delivery work and the writing of proprietary software products tackling the reading of a myriad of tape types, and formats.

Data Conversion is defined as the changing of the data structure to accommodate new or different needs for the data. Examples of this could include converting from EBCDIC to ASCII, unpacking compressed fields, or restructuring the fields in a database.

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. An example of this may be reading a tape on an NT platform having being written as a UNIX TAR file.

Magneto-Optical Conversion is defined as restoring and converting images from optical platters to a required image format on another media such as a CD or DVD. An example would be converting scanned images that are archived on AS/400 platforms in MO:DCA type format to and image such as a TIFF or JPEG.

eMag Can Solve Your Data Conversion Needs

With either a software or a service at any of our worldwide locations:
US - Atlanta & New York, NY
Europe - Wales

Software
MM/PC - Windows/PC based conversion software
MM/UNIX - Mainframe to Unix conversion software

Services
Get a Data, Media, Format or Optical Conversion Quote
Are vendors forcing you to stay on old drives?
Electronic Discovery
Computer Forensic Analysis
Visit our Data Service Center

Media types we handle
A current list of logical formats with which we have experience
Why Do We Need Conversion Tools

We can even perform a service at your facility upon request. To determine the best route for your situation:

1. The data cannot leave your facility, the conversion tasks may be repetitive but not too large in volume, the data may require some manipulation or interpretation on site, you can attach the tape drives concerned to a Windows 95, 98, 2000 or NT PC via SCSI to perform the work. If yes to all or some of these situations MM/PC or MM/UNIX software may be the solution for you. A free trial download is available for both.
2. The data can or may be allowed off site, you have inadequate resource to perform the conversion on site, the conversion task is large, the conversions are too complex for your company to easily tackle. If yes to all or some of these situations, you may need to talk to one of our service centers in the USA or UK.

Data Conversion

Different operating systems have different application software, and each application normally has its own internal way of saving data. There are some standards such as CSV files for databases and RTF files for word processing text, however, these are few and far between and often only save the basic information rather than the full structure. Other significant areas of incompatibility come from mainframe type applications that use EBCDIC and packed numbers to keep their data. Conversion problems can arise with any interchange system, and although networks and the Internet can mask many media and format interchange problems, data incompatibility can still remain.

Simple Data Conversion

Can be defined as the transferring of files between different operating systems or backup routines without converting the data.

Examples:

• Transferring data from Unix backup tapes to a Windows compatible CD. Unix systems use a line feed and no carriage return. In this case the line feed would be changed to a carriage return.
• Transferring data between different PC backups (Ex. Sytos Plus to NT Backup).

Complex Data Conversion

Involves converting the file structure and in most cases writing the converted data to a different tape and/or operating system.

Examples:

• Conversion of DC600 System 36 files into Word files on a CD.
• Conversion of AS400 database in fixed length EBCDIC to an ASCII comma delimited or csv file for a PC.
• Convert files from old typesetting system tape backups for use in more modern DTP packages.
• Convert datasets and libraries from ICL and AS400 systems to ASA files for COM and COLD companies.
• Convert EBCDIC database with binary and packed fields to an ASCII comma delimited or csv file for a PC.

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Media Conversion

Media conversion is handling different magnetic or opto-magnetic media. With high-speed communications, it is now possible to send large files via Internet, and many people have seen this as the death of tape. But interestingly as communications get faster so do file sizes that need to be transferred, and with magnetic tape now able to store 100GB of data, it is still in many cases the best way to transfer large volumes of data. However, there are many types of tape drives, from 4mm DATs to DLT and IBM LTOs. To interchange data, it is essential to have a compatible drive that must read the relevant variation of tape that may be provided by the supplier of data. For instance on the IBM 3590 there 128 track and 256 track versions.

Examples:

• Duplicating a software suppliers' latest software releases on AS400 to different tapes for customers who are not using the same tape drive as the software supplier.
• Duplicating ICL open reel to ICL 3480.
• Duplicating sets of master tapes to create backup copies.
• Duplicating a DDS4 tape onto DDS1 tapes.

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Format Conversion

Format conversion is required if each computer has a different operating system. A Unix system often uses different file systems to a DOS system or an IBM mainframe. The way that files are stored on tapes can vary enormously due to both operating system and application. Even on a Windows based PC, tapes could be written with ArcServe, NT Backup, Legato and many more. As a rule, each tape writing method is incompatible with others.

Examples:

• Reading a tape on an NT platform having being written as a UNIX TAR file
• Tar or CPIO to PC
• AS/400 to PC to CD
• NT backup to PC to CD

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Magneto-Optical Conversion

Optical conversion involves converting your image files from optical platters including 3.5", 5.25", 12", 14", WORM, Permanent or Ablative WORM, and Read/Write cartridges to CD, DVD or in some cases, tape. Our expertise includes processing platters of all sizes including small MB varieties, 1.3GB, 2.6GB, 5.2GB and 9.1GB platters in "WORM" or "Re-Writable" formats. We will need to know your system type, application type and the software details that wrote the disks as well as the same for the converted disks, in order to provide an accurate conversion quote.

Examples:

• Converting scanned images that are archived on AS/400 platforms in MO:DCA type format to TIFF
• Direct conversion from proprietary systems
• Removal of partial data and output to CD
• Panasonic 650MB PD Cartridges to CD
• Pioneer WORM Cartridges to DVD

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