CC* Data Storage: High-Capacity Active Archive to Enable Economical Data Access and Distribution for Illinois Researchers and the National Community

With continued development of high-resolution instruments, networked sensors, and the ability to deploy these tools in an ever-growing number of capacities, the need for researchers to store and share large datasets has never been more pressing. Additionally, the rise of new data processing techniques leveraging the power of machine learning and AI algorithms allow researchers to glean new insights from existing datasets than was initially thought possible when the data was first captured. Science domains from agriculture to physics and medical imaging to astronomy, require larger and larger data storage options that allow for durable storage with robust data sharing capabilities. Granite is a cutting-edge tape-based data subsystem that allows researchers to store and retrieve data both via traditional POSIX methods, such as via Globus, and newer, more flexible standards, such as S3. These interfaces connect researchers to Granite’s 19-frame SpectraLogic TFinity dual-robotic tape library with 20 LTO-9 tape drives, 36PB of raw tape capacity, and Versity’s ScoutFS/ScoutAM archive management tools. Connectivity to Granite is provided by redundant 100Gbps paths to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Science DMZ, Internet2, the Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), the Big Ten Academic Alliance’s OmniPoP, and the Metropolitan Research & Education Network (MREN). Available to Illinois researchers via the Illinois Data Bank and other Illinois allocation processes, and to the national research community via integration with the NSF Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services & Support (ACCESS) capability, Granite serves a large segment of researchers across the United States. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.