About ISO/IEC 18630 standard(Quality discrimination method for optical disks and operating method of storage systems for long-term data preservation)

  • What's ISO/IEC 18630 standard?

    The practice of storing digital data on recordable optical discs began to gain currency in around 2000, and in 2023, in response to demands for standardization, the “ISO/IEC 18630” standard was enacted as an International Standard specifying quality determination methods using lifetime estimates and recording quality, and methods for operating these systems.

    This standard specifies a quality discrimination method for optical discs and operating method of storage systems for long-term digital data preservation using optical discs and optical disc drives.
    It is applicable to recordable (write-once) optical discs which can prevent physical overwriting and deletion by erroneous or intentional operation when giving greater importance to evidence.
    It is also applicable to read-only (ROM) optical discs.
    Additionally, this standard also specifies operational methods for defect management (DM) to improve the reliability of write-once BDs.

    This standard enables users to build data storage systems that use recordable and/or read-only optical discs for long-term data preservation.
    Optical discs with sufficient quality can be confirmed based on the results of the initial quality test.
    Through the periodic quality test described in this standard, the possibility of data restoration from the optical disc can be continuously monitored.

    • Design
      Desgin
    • Medical records
      Medical records
    • Old documents
      Old documents
    • Contracts/ledgers, etc.
      Contracts/ledgers, etc.
    • Photographs
      Photographs

    It can be applied to a variety of digital data.

  • What are these operational methods?

    Inspections utilizing digital data errors as an index are used to confirm that discs are in a state that will allow long term storage on creation.
    Periodic quality inspections are performed around every five years, with migrations performed as required.
    The standard also lists specific operational methods for management of long-term storage of digital data.

    What are these operational methods?

    • Digital data error classifications when creating new write-once optical discs

      Recording status Optical disc type
      DVD-R BD-R
      Inspection item
      PIE SUM8 RSER
      Burst Error
      1 Good condition Less than 100 Less than 3.5×10-4
      and
      Less than 800 bytes
      2 Condition requiring action 100 or more 3.5×10-4 or more
      and / or
      800 bytes or more
      • Error classification excerpts from ISO/IEC 18630 (for estimated lifetimes of at least 30 years)

    • Digital data error classifications when performing periodic quality inspections of write-once optical discs

      Recording status Optical disc type
      DVD-R BD-R
      Inspection item
      PIE SUM8 RSER
      Burst Error
      1 Good condition Less than 140 Less than 5.0×10-4
      and
      Less than 1,200 bytes
      2 Condition requiring action 140 or more
      Less than 280      		 5.0×10-4 or more
      Less than 1.0×10-3
      and / or
      1,200 bytes or more
      Less than 1,900 bytes
      3 Condition requiring immediate action 280 or more 1.0×10-3 or more
      and / or
      1,900 bytes or more
      • Error classification excerpts from ISO/IEC 18630 (for estimated lifetimes of at least 30 years)

  • As required hardware

    A combination of optical discs and recording drives able to offer the requisite initial recording quality and maintain it over an extended period is required.
    Additionally, inspection machines capable of measuring digital data errors are required for initial and periodic inspections.

    As required hardware