Basically, par is an algorithm designed to check and reconstruct files that have been partially or entirely corrupted. I am not sure how it works, but the algorithm itself is pretty advanced. What you can do with it, though, is create an archive of par2 files that will be able to rebuild any files that becomes missing or corrupted, even without knowing which file it is going to be ahead of time. I put together the files for a single DVD, trying to get as close to 3.7 GB as possible, and fill the remaining space on the disc with par2 files. That comes out to around 20% redundancy, so that 1/5 of the files on the disc can be come unreadable, and I will still be able to recreate everything that was there.
Par2 is basically just a more robust version of the par implementation, and has pretty much taken over; not many people are ignorant enough to use the old par style anymore.
QuickPar is the best program out there for par2 creation, and also acts as an md5 and sfv file verification checker.
http://www.quickpar.org.uk/
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