Remote Emulation for Migration Services in a Distributed Preservation Framework: Paper - iPRES 2011 - Singapore

Previous studies have shown the feasibility of migration services when using emulation technology. To make rather complex setups of original digital ecosystems usable in standard mass migration workflows, a separation of the systems running and their interfaces is required. Here remote emulation can become a crucial building block of future distributed preservation workflows and access systems. In this paper we develop the requirements and a component model for migration-by-emulation services in a distributed environment based on division of labour. We suggest a modular system which offers interfaces to be accessed by standard preservation frameworks. It provides Web services allow access to original system environments via emulation engines with additional methods for automated interaction. The proposed migration units support versatile migration services and offer a wide range of file conversions based on a digital artifacts' original applications. The component-based architecture allows the distribution of system components among specialized memory institutions