Storage FAQ

What options do ITS provide for bulk storage of research data?

ITS currently has several systems available for researchers to store their data:

Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, and you should consult with your IT staff before choosing one that will work best for you. Value Storage and Value Storage Lite are the ideal bulk storage locations for many researchers, because of the low price and easy accessibility for Unix workstations.

What options do individual schools and colleges provide for bulk storage of research data?

Some of the schools and colleges within the university may also have their own storage services that researchers can use for bulk data storage. These storage services each have different and distinctive feature sets. Please contact the IT staff in your unit for the full details on options that would work best for you.

I have a LOT of research data I’d like to move over the network in a short amount of time. What’s the best way to do this?

One of the main focuses for the University in the coming months is not just building a place where people can store massive amounts of data in a short period of time, but also an environment that facilitates the quick movement of data between storage environments. There are several initiatives in planning that should help with this.

I would like to use XSEDE (formerly Teragrid). What’s the best way to get my data from the University of Michigan to there?

Flux has the Globus Grid FTP software installed on it, and is also an option on Globus Online, which is a useful tool for transferring data. Flux also has the Indiana University Data Capacitor mounted as a storage system on the compute nodes. The IU Data Capacitor is also mounted on various XSEDE/Teragrid sites for use. Space allocations on the Data Capacitor can be requested in a similar manner as computational resources using the TeraGrid POPS website.

I have collaborators at another institution. What are my options for sharing research data with my collaborators there?

The best method for bulk data movement of lots and lots of data may be the Globus Grid FTP software, in concert with a storage service with the ability to transmit large amounts of data quickly. There are also other services, such as Google Docs, which can be used for more collaborative storage needs.