Emulator
SAN Recovery - Emulator
An emulator is a device or a software solution that makes it possible to use programs on one type of computer even though they have been designed for a different type. In other words, an emulator provides an emulation of the functions of one system using a different system so that the second system behaves like the first system.
Examples of Emulation
Several printers are designed to emulate Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers because of the redundancy of software available for them. By emulating an HP printer, those printers can work with any software written for HP printers. This process actually tricks the running software into believing that the emulated device is actually a different one.
Example of a hardware emulator is the DOS-compatible card installed in some old-world Macintoshes like Centris 610 or Performa 630 with which they were able to run PC programs and FPGA-based hardware emulators.
Benefits of Emulation
Emulation is an effective digital preservation strategy to combat obsolescence. Emulator recreates an original computer environment and helps in maintaining a closer connection to the authenticity of the digital object.
Emulator lets users access any kind of application or the operating systems on a current platform, making the software feel that it is in its original environment. An ideal emulation solution should be extensible and a long-term solution that can be designed once and for all and applied automatically and in synchrony to all types of documents and media.
An emulation solution not only should apply to outdated systems but also should be forward compatible with future unknown systems. In short, when the new version of an application is released, we can create an emulator for that application, allowing access to all of the digital objects contained in it. It would address the compatibility issues and migration for every digital object created in the previous version of that application.
