Endy:Data storage: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:55, 4 June 2007

We need an easy, secure and efficient way to store all our files:

Most people use Bionet to backup their files.

Consists of two fiber channel disk filers (bionet and bionet2 located on the 3rd floor in building 68) that have about 3TB of usable storage shared among several labs. Data on this system is mirrored to NearStore R200 in building NE47 (as of 2007-06-04).
Storage space (as of 2007-06-04):
- total: 175GB
- available: 58GB
Problems with bionet:
- Not enough space to backup all our files e.g. microscope images
- As of 2007-06-04, bionet and bionet2 are out of the support contract; R200 is under a support contract paid for by the Biology Department. It means that if bionet filers fail, there should be a copy of the data stored on R200 in building NE47.

(lab and individual data storage, sharing and backup needs - please list what would you like have available)

Capacity: we want to be able to store all files in a single location
Easy: automatic backup
Secure: the backup system shouldn't be located in building 68, in case of a fire
Efficient backing up or retrieving files should be speedy
Affordable

Monthly service charge: $7.50 per month per computer
Storage limit: 300GB
- a soft limit, some users go over
- an approximate figure because it includes both "active" and "inactive" files but this is offset by data compression
TSM software is required to use the service and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux (free to MIT community per site license)
Backups are stored on one of the TSM backup servers in buildings W91 and E40 (not redundant)
Types of backup:
- Scheduled: everything by default but can be configured to exclude directories
- Manual: nothing by default, need to specify which directories to backup
Inactive files (old versions of current files and deleted files) are kept for 30 days using incremental storage (only changes are stored)
Need a separate account for each computer to be backed up
Performance will vary, depending on time of the day, network condition and machine itself)
5,000 users, 250,000 files restored per quarter
128-bit encryption available
coming soon (summer of 2007 at the earliest):
- free service (for personal use): 10-20GB
- enhanced service (for DLC use): 1TB and up, offsite mirroring, will be expensive, etc

ReadyNAS NV
ReadyNAS NV+
Infrant ReadyNAS NV+ and 1100: Small steps forward - review
- comes with a 5+5-user license for EMC's Retrospect for Windows and Macintosh client backup software
- The NV+ is a slight improvement over the NV, with most of the value coming in the Retrospect backup client bundle
- Since both the NV and NV+ use the same processor and have the same memory, the performance difference I saw is more due to better drives in the NV+ and newer firmware than anything else
- with the lowest price at time of review at $831 for a driveless NV+ and $517 for an NV, you might be better served by using the $300 to buy drives
Infrant ReadyNAS NV Review
- X-RAID (Expandable RAID) allows to add capacity without deleting existing data, automatically adjusts RAID level and formatted capacity to match the available drives
ReadyNAS NV - user review
ReadyNAS NV - AnandTech review
ReadyNAS NV - PracticallyNetworked.com review

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 === Bionet ===
-* Storage space (as of 2007-01-16):
+*Consists of two fiber channel disk filers (bionet and bionet2 located on the 3rd floor in building 68) that have about 3TB of usable storage shared among several labs. Data on this system is mirrored to NearStore R200 in building NE47 (as of 2007-06-04).
-**total: 110GB
+*Storage space (as of 2007-06-04):
-**used: 86GB
+**total: 175GB
-**available: 24GB
+**available: 58GB
-* Where is it physically located?
+*Problems with bionet:
-*:Building 68, 3rd floor
+**Not enough space to backup all our files e.g. microscope images
-* Are Bionet files regularly copied and stored somewhere else?
+**As of 2007-06-04, bionet and bionet2 are out of the support contract; R200 is under a support contract paid for by the Biology Department.  It means that if bionet filers fail, there should be a copy of the data stored on R200 in building NE47.
-*:Yes, to the MIT datacenter in W91.
-* Problems with Bionet:
-** Not enough space to backup all our files e.g. microscope images
-** Isn't Bionet not going to be backed up anymore?
-**:This is currently (2007-01-23) unknown, will depend on the allocated budget.
 == 3. Ideal specifications of our future backup system ==