SATABeast Selected for Major Project Handling Huge Quantities of Scientific Research Data
Nexsan Technologies, leader in innovative and secure storage solutions, have announced that its SATABeast disk-based storage arrays have been selected by the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics (WTCHG). The Nexsan systems will provide secure storage for huge quantities of scientific research data on the genetic causes of diabetes, obesity and other common ailments as part of a major collaboration project with leading research bodies around the world.
Scientific analysis of genetic material generates large output files. These files are each about 50 megabytes in size and have to be kept online so they can be accessed by researchers worldwide. As a result of this activity, the WTCHGs data yield has soared from 20GB a day a couple of years ago to a current daily level of 200-300GB.
As a result, scientific, research-focused organisations like ours are faced with extremely complex storage management tasks, states Dr Bardsley, IT manager for WTCHG. We selected the SATABeast for its advanced mechanical design, which not only provides excellent cooling, reduced drive vibration and high levels of energy efficiency, but also makes it extremely reliable.
We have research programmes that have been running now for three years or more, he adds, and you cannot put a price on how valuable that is. Nexsan has the industry-leading storage density which makes it ideal to handle our data.
With a 120-node Linux cluster and 25 core servers, the WTCHGs IT department is responsible for ensuring end user data processing needs are sustained. The new collaboration project required storage consolidation so that researchers could access DAS [Direct Attached Storage] on-line. The Nexsan arrays are directly attached to a server which feeds into a fibre channel switch for distribution to other servers. Overall data capacity has been increased to 42TB 30 TB of which has already been consumed by the collaboration project.
We are delighted to have been selected by a world-leader in scientific research like WTCHG, said Brendan Kinkade, vice president of marketing at Nexsan. Our SATABeast is an extreme density, energy-efficient storage array designed to excel in demanding storage environments precisely like this one.
WTCHG purchased the SATABeasts through S-Store, a Nexsan partner and UK-based reseller.
Featuring both Fibre Channel and iSCSI connectivity, SATABeast provides unmatched flexibility along with enterprise-class features, performance and proven reliability. SATABeast employs Nexsan's revolutionary AutoMAID energy-saving technology, which transparently places SATABeast disk drives in an idle state, reducing power consumption and operational costs. AutoMAID delivers the cost-saving benefits of MAID (Massive Array of Idle Disks), without the limitations of slow access times and special host software. AutoMAID is the first power saving technology that supports standard high performance RAID implementations as well as backup, VTL (Virtual Tape Library) and archiving applications.
About Nexsan Technologies
Nexsan Technologies is the worldwide leader in secure and energy-efficient storage solutions. Nexsan delivers secure storage appliances and modular, high capacity disk storage systems for a broad range of applications including fixed content storage and archiving, compliance and litigation support, primary storage, disk-based backup, digital video security, medical imaging, email and rich media. With a complete line of storage solutions that offer exceptional price/performance, Nexsan is the choice of Fortune Global 500 companies, major governmental agencies, and leading organizations worldwide.
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