Redump is the only backup.
If you want to explore the database, go to . Search for your favorite obscure PS2 game ( Kuon , Rule of Rose , Blood Will Tell ). Look at the "Dumping Info" tab. You will see the date someone in Finland dumped their copy, the drive they used, and the exact "MXD" code stamped into the plastic ring.
The Redump archive is the only copy of the PS2 library that will outlive the original media. ps2 redump archive
Redump has cataloged over 14,000 unique disc serials. That includes the Japanese "Best" reprints that have different anti-piracy rings, the European multi-language variants, and the demo discs from Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine that contained early builds of Silent Hill 2 . Getting a game into the Redump database isn't gaming. It is labor .
In 2035, when every retail Final Fantasy X disc has delaminated, how will a historian know what the original retail code looked like? They won't trust a "scene release" from 2003—those often had music removed or copy protection stripped. Redump is the only backup
You need a specific old PC with an IDE ribbon cable. You need a Plextor drive (manufactured circa 2006) because only those drives can read the "subchannel data" correctly. You run a program called DICUI (Derivative Image Creation UI). It takes 45 minutes to read one DVD.
Redump’s mantra is pathological perfection. Look at the "Dumping Info" tab
There is a philosophical argument here: If a corporation abandons a cultural artifact, and a community preserves it perfectly, has a crime been committed? The archivists don't care. They care about CRC32 values. You don't need to download all 7TB. You just need to know it exists.