(v.) (1) To
copy files to a long-term
storage medium for
backup. Large
computer systems often have two layers of backup, the first of which is a
disk drive. Periodically, the
computer operator will archive files on the
disk to a second
storage device, usually a
tape drive.
On smaller systems, archiving is synonymous with backing up.
(2) To compress a file.
(n.) (1) A disk, tape, or directory that contains files that have been backed up.
(2) A file that contains one or more files in a compressed format.
(adj.) In DOS systems, the archive attribute marks files that have been modified since the last backup.
