Mitigation of obsolescence for archival services

A computer implemented method for determining costs associated with updating file formats, comprising:

• interfacing with a network-accessible data storage service facilitating archival of data associated with a user and retrieval of archived data;
• monitoring archival transactions and retrieval transactions involving the data storage service for identifying a file format in connection with the archival transactions or retrieval transactions;
• examining the archived data for identifying the file format in connection with a file included in the archived data;
• identifying a legacy file that is formatted in a legacy file format based upon detecting that the legacy file is configured in the legacy file format;
• identifying an optimal path from a plurality of paths for constructing the updated file from the legacy file;
• selecting plural optimal converters from a set of converters according to the optimal path, the selection comprising selecting a first optimal converter for converting or migrating the legacy file from the legacy file format to an intermediate file format, and a second optimal converter for converting or migrating the legacy file from the intermediate file format to an updated file format where the legacy and intermediate file formats correspond with earlier versions of software;
• and
• employing a processor for calculating a respective cost-benefit to the data storage service for each one of multiple conversion cases for employing optimal converters for conversion or migration of the legacy file to the updated file, the migration replacing the legacy file with the updated file and the conversion constructing the updated file that is distinct from the legacy file.

A computer-readable storage device bearing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a computer system comprising at least a processor and a memory, carry out a method for determining costs associated with updating file formats, comprising:

• interfacing with a network-accessible data storage service facilitating archival of data associated with a user and retrieval of archived data;
• monitoring archival transactions and retrieval transactions involving the data storage service for identifying a file format in connection with the archival transactions or retrieval transactions;
• examining the archived data for identifying the file format in connection with a file included in the archived data;
• identifying a legacy file that is formatted in a legacy file format based upon detecting that the legacy file is configured in the legacy file format;
• identifying an optimal path from a plurality of paths available by a catalog component for constructing the updated file from the legacy file;
• selecting plural optimal converters from a set of converters according to the optimal path, the selection comprising selecting a first optimal converter for converting or migrating the legacy file from the legacy file format to an intermediate file format, and a second optimal converter for converting or migrating the legacy file from the intermediate file format to an updated file format where the legacy and intermediate file formats correspond with earlier versions of software;
• and
• employing a processor for calculating a respective cost-benefit to the data storage service for each one of multiple conversion cases for employing optimal converters for conversion or migration of the legacy file to the updated file, the migration replacing the legacy file with the updated file and the conversion constructing the updated file that is distinct from the legacy file.