How to Use MD5
by: Sal Cangeloso
An important part of data recovery is knowing that the data which is stored is correct. This process is generally easier said than done, after all, how can you tell that data is complete and accurate? As important as this is, it is not something you would think can be easily accomplished without lots of time or some very fancy equipment.
Using an MD5 checksum you can do exactly that- verify the integrity of data. This can be used in a number of different situations and in any number of different ways, but it is a simple and effective way to verify large amounts of data.
Message-Digest algorithm 5 is a cryptographic hash function with a 128-bit value which can be found all over, especially on the internet. A checksum is a kind of redundancy check which can verify the integrity of data in a number of ways. The most basic form of checksum will verify the size of a set amount of data, assuming that if the data has the correct number of bytes it was transferred without a problem. Using MD5, a unique string of letters and numbers can be put together so signify the data which is in question. Here is a sample string:
ecd4cb123cd3099f9c3e56f948b65375
The goal of this would be to identify data which needs to be backed up, and then create a MD5 checksum. With this done the data can be copied into place and the MD5 checksum can be reviewed so as to verify the data was copied without incident. Now the data is verified and redundant so you know that you have a safe backup of it.