Large scale research data storage system reviewed positively

Together with the applicants from the NEMO communities and with colleagues from Tübingen, the University IT Services has successfully placed an application for a large storage system. Apart from meeting current storage demands, a fundamental part is the entry into research data management. The coordination of the application and of the further steps will be taken care of by the eScience department.

Functional structure of the planned federated storage system

A DFG application, made together with researchers from neurosciences, elemantary particle physics, microsystems technology and signal science, was reviwed positively by the DFG in the joint application session to further research infrastructure in Baden-Württemberg. This application was coordinated by the eScience department with colleagues in Tübingen and handed in in December of last year. Thereby, the first big step was made towards supporting research not only with more powerful, federated storage systems, but also with the entry into the (technical) data management in the long run.

Parallel to this, also the bwHPC-S5 support project was reviewed positively. This will extend the work of bwHPC-C5 by the component of the (research) data management by years. A first imagineable timeline, from the perspective of the University IT Services, looks as follows:

The main DFG committe must still give an official confirmation of the reviewers vote, after which we will receive the grant. This is expected to happen more around the end of the year.
Afterwards, due to the complexity and extent of the device, a EU-wide tender will come (comparable with the aquisition of NEMO, however, more difficult), which probably will not have a result before mid-2019.
The set-up and launch will thus not take place before the second half of next year.

Fortunately, the University IT Services is able to provide capacities temporarily from other systems (Regionales Zentrum Virtualisierung). Thereby, first concepts may be tested, which should then be used in the new system. First thoughts to the system were presented at last years DFN forum (Link to the paper). Staff-wise, the current team will be completed by a further position, which will be provided by the positively reviewed bwHPC-S5 as well. For the entry into a long-term and sustainable research data management, a "Storage Adisory Board" will be introduced analogically to the NEMO Cluster advisory board.