Backing Up Scientific Data on Floating Research Vessels

RRS David Attenborough爵士，以知名的自然主义者命名，是英国自然环境研究委员会（NERC）委托的全新的定制船舶。这艘船配备了专门的实验室和仪器，以支持尖端的科学项目，研究水质，海洋动物，海底，大气层等。

The BAS IT team was tasked with implementing all the necessary information technology for the ship’s research “cruises,” which last between six weeks and two months. Providing sufficient data storage and backup capacity was a top priority.

“As we planned for the new vessel, we estimated that researchers would produce roughly two orders of magnitude more data than on our previous vessel,” says Jeremy Robst, the IT support engineer in charge of Linux systems, data storage, and backup systems for BAS. “That might mean anywhere from 10 to 100 TB during a single research cruise. We had to supply storage and backup equipment that could handle that data.”

使用数码胶带保护大数据量
Tape libraries play a key role in safeguarding research data. After initially storing data on disk, the onboard ship team backs up data daily to tape. If there are any hardware issues with disk storage, the team can restore data from tape during the cruise.

Using tape also makes it easier to transport data back to the organization’s office in Cambridge, England. “With tape, we can store very large data volumes on compact media, and then simply put the tapes in our luggage when we head back to England,” says Robst.

选择融合量子标量磁带库
在从多个供应商中考虑磁带解决方案后，IT团队选中了Quantum Scalar I3磁带库。该决定部分基于SCALAR I3的综合融合设计。“Scalar I3库允许我们在一个盒子中拥有库和服务器刀片，”Robst说。“我们可以将其插入网络并从那里转到。”

IT团队在David Attenborough爵士上安装了两个标量I3库。一个库使用veeam磁带服务器iblade，它支持来自磁盘存储的日常备份的Veeam软件。另一个库使用标量线性磁带文件系统（LTFS）iBlade，它支持文件系统操作。“通过我们的双图书馆设置，每个标量I3库都可以作为另一个备用，”Robst说。

Gaining Compact Storage With LTO-8
最小化存储足迹对于空间受限的研究船只至关重要。通过选择配备LTO-8驱动器的标量I3库，IT组可以存储多达12 TB数据，或者30 TB压缩。

Making It Easy to Transport Data Back to England
IT团队可以使用LTFS制作备份数据的副本。然后，在研究巡航结束时，团队可以简单地包装副本并将他们带回英国办公室。“我们可以轻松地将磁带放入库中，并将数据易于使用给其他研究人员。”

准备少女航行
The coronavirus pandemic slowed the installation of the IT environment on the Sir David Attenborough, but the IT team is ready to put the new storage environment through its paces. Says Robst: “We’re hoping that by the end of the year, we’ll have taken the vessel to sea to really experience how these libraries can help assist with some important research.”