Computer Output to Laser Disc
Computer Output to Laser Disk ( Computer Output to Laser Disk also, used acronym COLD) describes a process for the acquisition of output data streams such as print data objects (Computer Output), which are generated in computer systems, in an archive system.
The term dates back to the mid-1980s. At this time, out of computer systems were often archived in the form of "COM" Computer Output Microfilm. With the advent of digital optical storage media, the " COLD" was deliberately positioned proceedings against the microfilm. The term " COLD" should arouse the association to use a similar, but more modern methods as " COM". The term component " laser disc " goes back to the self- writable by the user version of a product from Philips (LD Laserdisc ), which, however, was no longer on the market in the mid- 1990s. The going back to this product term is used in the document management industry continues. He now stands for different methods of automatic processing of data streams, lists, Outbox, etc. For this purpose, the term enterprise report management, or the acronym ERM is in the Anglo- American usage increasingly used.
Incoming mail, outgoing mail versus
With the first commercial archive systems in the 1980s, initially the incoming mail was digitized ( in paper form) scanner and stored as a raster image. On the archiving of outgoing mail, so the documents themselves produced, was initially omitted. With the increase of process - or customer-oriented archiving the demand grew to deposit even with outgoing mail. Since these documents were usually produced on printers that offered itself to archive the print data itself. Since these data are typically created in larger runs ( spool files ), the specialized method of archiving these print data has evolved. Different strategies are used: storage as raw data, which are converted by calling layout resources in a displayable document storage in list form for structured reports and evaluations as well as structured display of data in applications, and conversion of the data stream into individual PDF or TIFF objects that correspond to the output documents sent figuratively.
Beginnings of COLD - archiving
Pressure data were in the 1970s and 1980s usually simple line data similarly reflect a typewriter, line by line and bottom of the page containing a control character to switch the page. To archive index values were tapped at fixed positions to determine about the billing or customer number from this data. Such a fixed position was, for example, line 8, column 40 to 48 The archive system saved these print data as a file along with these index values and the position of the page within that file. To display then the single page was copied from this file and displayed on a computer terminal. These features were usually components of the delivery of an archiving system.
Modern COLD systems
By the early 1990s, the demands of increasingly complex also in the mass pressure and correspondingly optimized print data streams such as PCL, PostScript, or AFP were developed that enable complex layouts. Storing print data such as an individual file was therefore not practical in all cases. According to modern COLD systems provide the following basic functions:
- Separating the documents with different page number,
- Index determination using freely definable logic,
- Conversion of print data into an archive suitable format such as TIFF or PDF / A,
- Creating special import files for different archive systems.
Thus the COLD archiving has become an important component of enterprise content management systems, which are to be regarded as the successor of the early electronic archive systems. COLD is used here both for processing the output for different formats as well as an input for the provision of postal outputs in a holistic view of all electronic documents (virtual file). COLD methods are also used for the migration of data storage and automated transfer of transaction data in document management solutions.