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"Save the Bits" Can Save the Night! (1Dec93) (from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 36, 1 December 1993) Since the beginning of the current observing semester, KPNO has been saving all CCD images generated on our telescopes. (This project is known locally as "save the bits"). IR data will soon be included in this program. Raw images are shipped automatically over the ethernet to the Administration Building, where they are cached onto a disk and then written to Exabyte tape. Our fledgling data archive already proved its worth when we were able to restore a night's data accidentally destroyed through a processing error by an observer. Such accidents may be more common that we would all like to admit, and we want to encourage all observers who lose data, for whatever reason, to ask if we can restore it. Chances are, we can! A night's data is too precious to lose. We do stress, however, that observers should not rely on "save the bits" for routine data backup. The project is still in the experimental stage, and we cannot guarantee to be able to restore data under all circumstances. Normal tape backup procedures should still be followed by observers. Caty Pilachowski, Rob Seaman
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