1. (a) Local governments must ensure that the accuracy, completeness, and accessibility of information are not lost prior to its authorized destruction date because of changing technology or media deterioration, by converting electronic storage media and taking other action as required to provide compatibility with current hardware and software. The migration strategy for upgrading equipment as technology evolves must be documented and include:

   1. (1) periodically recopying to the same electronic media as required, and/or transferring of data from an obsolete technology to a supportable technology; and
   2. (2) providing backward system compatibility to the data in the old system, and/or converting data to media that the system upgrade and/or replacement can support.

2. (b) Paragraphs (1)-(3) of this section outline the maintenance of backup electronic media stored offsite.

   1. (1) Magnetic computer tapes must be tested and verified no more than six months prior to using them to store electronic records. Pretesting of tapes is not required if an automated system is used that monitors read/write errors and there is a procedure in place for correcting errors.

   2. (2) The storage areas for electronic media must be maintained within the following temperatures and relative humidities:

      1. (A) for magnetic media--65 degrees Fahrenheit to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and 30% to 50% relative humidity;
      2. (B) for optical disks--14 degrees Fahrenheit to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, and 10% to 90% relative humidity.
   3. (3) A random sample of all magnetic computer tapes must be read annually to identify any loss of data and to discover and correct the causes of data loss. At least a 10% sample or a sample size of 50 magnetic tapes, whichever is less, must be read. Tapes with unrecoverable errors must be replaced and, when possible, lost data must be restored. All other tapes which might have been affected by the same cause (i.e., poor quality tape, high usage, poor environment, improper handling) must be read and corrected.

3. (c) Local governments must recopy data maintained on electronic media according to the following schedule.

   1. (1) Data maintained on magnetic tape must be recopied onto new or used tape a minimum of once every three years.
   2. (2) An alternative option for recopying magnetic tape is for the data to be recopied onto new tape a minimum of once every 10 years, provided the tape is rewound under controlled tension every 3 1/2 years. The requirement for rewinding does not apply to 3480-type tape cartridges.
   3. (3) Data maintained on optical disks must be recopied a minimum of once every 10 years.
4. (d) Floppy disks (diskettes) or any type of flexible disk system may not be used for the exclusive storage of records subject to these sections.

5. (e) External labels, or an eye-readable index relating to unique identifiers, for electronic media used to process or store electronic records must include the following information:

   1. (1) name or other identifier of the organizational unit responsible for the records;
   2. (2) descriptive title of the contents;
   3. (3) dates of creation and authorized disposition date;
   4. (4) security classification;
   5. (5) identification of the software (to include specific application if appropriate) and hardware used; and
   6. (6) system title, including the version number of the application.

6. (f) Additionally, the following information must be maintained for electronic media used to store permanent electronic records:

   1. (1) file title(s);
   2. (2) dates of coverage;
   3. (3) the recording density;
   4. (4) type of internal labels;
   5. (5) volume serial number, if applicable;
   6. (6) the number of tracks;
   7. (7) character code/software dependency;
   8. (8) information about block size;
   9. (9) sequence number, if the file is part of a multi-media set; and
   10. (10) relative starting position of data, if applicable.

7. (g) The following standards must be met for electronic records stored as digital images on optical media.

   1. (1) A non-proprietary image file header label must be used, or the system developer must provide a bridge to a non-proprietary image file header label, or the system developer must supply a detailed definition of image file header label structure.
   2. (2) The system hardware and/or software must provide a quality assurance capability that verifies information that is written to the optical media.
   3. (3) Periodic maintenance of optical data storage systems is required, including an annual recalibration of the optical drives.
   4. (4) Scanner quality must be evaluated based on the standard procedures in American National Standard for Information and Image Management--Recommended Practice for Quality Control of Image Scanners (ANSI/AIIM MS44-1988) and American National Standard for Information and Image Management--Recommended Practice for Monitoring Image Quality of Roll Microfilm and Microfiche Scanners (ANSI/AIIM MS49-1993).
   5. (5) A visual quality control evaluation must be performed for each scanned image and related index data.
   6. (6) A scanning density with a minimum of 200 dots per inch is required for recording documents that contain no type font smaller than six point.
   7. (7) A scanning density with a minimum of 300 dots per inch is required for engineering drawings, maps, and other documents with background detail.
   8. (8) The selected scanning density must be validated with tests on actual documents.
   9. (9) The use of the Consultative Committee on International Telegraphy and Telephony (CCITT) Group 3 or Group 4 compression techniques is required for document images without continuous tonal qualities. If use of a proprietary compression technique is unavoidable, the vendor must provide a gateway to either Group 3 or Group 4 compression techniques.
   10. (10) Optical drive systems must not be operated in environments with high levels of airborne particulates.
   11. (11) All aspects of the design and use of the imaging system must be documented, including administrative procedures for digital imaging, retrieval, and storage; technical system specifications; problems encountered; and measures taken to address them, including hardware and software modifications.
8. (h) Smoking, drinking, and eating must be prohibited in electronic media storage areas.

Source Note:The provisions of this §7.76 adopted to be effective March 12, 1993, 18 TexReg 1271; amended to be effective October 2, 1995, 20 TexReg 7484.