The System Independent Data Format (SIDF) is a file system specification for

removable media In computing, a removable media is a data storage media that is designed to be readily inserted and removed from a system. Most early removable media, such as floppy disks and optical discs, require a dedicated read/write device (i.e. a drive) ...

that was designed to achieve storage

interoperability Interoperability is a characteristic of a product or system to work with other products or systems. While the term was initially defined for information technology or systems engineering services to allow for information exchange, a broader de ...

and to allow data interchange among software and hardware platforms. The data format was originally developed in 1990 by Tom Bogart while at

Novell Novell, Inc. () was an American software and services company headquartered in Provo, Utah, that existed from 1980 until 2014. Its most significant product was the multi-platform network operating system known as NetWare. Novell technolog ...

. In 1992, the System Independent Data Format (SIDF) committee, an industry consortium, was formed by Gary Mazzaferro while at Tallgrass Technologies to enhance the format. The SIDF committee included most data backup and archival software vendors at the time. In 1993, the specification was submitted to ECMA and adopted as an international standard by ECMA in December, 1994.

References

Computer file formats Computer storage media Ecma standards {{storage-software-stub

See also

References