Network Transfer Question

[team4344]

II work in a regulated environment where original data can only be used for analysis in experiments.

I have a laboratory instrument in a laboratory that record data directly onto a computer in the laboratory. I then transfer the data from my computer to my computer in my office.

Can anything happen to data which is copied / transferred over the network to class is as not being original anymore. What things can change in the data when its transferred over the network, and what unintentional problems can occur ( like for example data missing or accidentally changed during the transfer ) Is this possible ?

Any information that you think may be of use to me, please do let me know..

Many thanks for everyone’s help, its much appreciated.

Regards

Olly

 

[haviv512]

Theoretically anything can happen: data getting lost, changed.
It all depends on the data transfer protocol you are using.I am inclined to believe that your data transfer application will give you an error and/or prompt you if data is lost or corrupted .
What protocol/application are you using to transfer the data from one place to another?
Are you transferring files(text/binary?) or raw binary data ? Which protocols?

 

[bcastner]

Compress the data files using .zip or .rar and then transfer them.

If there is something wrong at the far end the decompression routine will identify the data as being incorrect.

 

[mpennac]

There are several checks in place to make sure the data you send from one device to another does not get changed by the network.

1) If you are using Ethernet to transfer the data, a Cyclical Redundancy Check field is used to make sure the data received exactly matches the data sent. When the sending device transmits a frame, it calculates the CRC based on the contents of the data and header portion of the frame. It then puts this 32 bit field at the end of the frame. When the receiving device receives the frame, it calculates its own 32 bit CRC. The receiving device then compares the calculated CRC with the CRC at the end of the frame. If they are different, the frame is disgarded and must be retransmitted by either the transport or application layer. If the CRC matches, the contents of the frame is passed up the protocol stack.

2) The IP header has a checksum field that is used to validate the integrity of the IP header. Works pretty much the same as the Data Link CRC described above. It only protects the IP header however.

3) If you are using TCP, it too has a checksum field that protects the TCP Header and the data portion of the frame.

Every single case I have seen of corrupted data has been a result of the sending program corrupting the data, then the network reliably transferring the corrupted data to the other end.

Mike

http://www.netprospecialists.com