This machine is unable to boot from USB, so the only options are an external Firewire drive (hard to find), netboot (possible, but quite some work to set up) or a (single-layer) DVD in the internal DVD-ROM drive.
I haven't used writable optical media in years. It seems that, at least here in Germany, inexpensive blank writable CD and DVD media are still readily available, but I wonder for how long.
So I'm thinking of a "lifetime buy" (maybe a 100-pack CDs and DVDs each), but I'm worried about the durability of unwritten optical media.
I would love to hear about your experiences with (long-term) availability and storability of optical media. Except for keeping the discs out of the sunlight and heat, are there recommendations for storing blank media?