SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantum Corp.
(NASDAQ: QMCO), a global leader in unstructured data and video
solutions, today announced that British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is
implementing Quantum Scalar® i3 tape libraries on the
brand-new RRS Sir David
Attenborough research vessel to back up vital scientific
data collected at the Earth's poles. The tape libraries provide
scalability for large data volumes, minimize the storage footprint
on a space-constrained ship, and facilitate easy transport of data
back to the organization's UK office.
"The Scalar i3 library allows us to have the library and server
blade in one box. We can just plug it into the network and go from
there," says Jeremy Robst, IT
support engineer for the British Antarctic Survey.
Planning a Data Backup Solution for a New Research
Vessel
The UK's National Environment Research Council (NERC)
commissioned a custom-built research vessel to facilitate
cutting-edge scientific projects at the Earth's poles. Operated by
BAS, the new ship—the RSS Sir David
Attenborough—is equipped with specialized laboratories
and instruments that enable researchers to study water properties,
sea animals, the sea floor, the atmosphere, and more.
The BAS IT team needed to implement all the necessary
information technology for the ship's research "cruises," which
typically last between six weeks and two months. Providing
sufficient data storage and backup capacity was a top priority. "We
estimated that researchers would produce roughly two orders of
magnitude more data than on our previous vessel," says Robst. "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."
Protecting Large Data Volumes with Quantum Scalar Tape
Systems
After considering tape solutions from multiple
vendors, the IT team selected Quantum Scalar i3 tape libraries. The
decision was partly based on the integrated, converged design of
the Scalar i3, which combines the library and a server blade in a
single enclosure. That design greatly simplifies installation.
The IT team is implementing two Scalar i3 libraries on the
Sir David Attenborough. One
supports the Veeam® software used for daily backups from
disk storage. The other library uses a Scalar linear tape file
system (LTFS), which supports file-system operations.
Gaining Compact Storage with LTO-8
Minimizing the
storage footprint is vital on a research ship— even on a seemingly
large, new vessel. By choosing Scalar i3 libraries equipped with
LTO-8 drives, the IT group can store up to 12 TB of data per
cartridge, or 30 TB compressed. "With the Scalar i3 library, we can
use the latest drive technology—and that lets us pack as much data
as possible into a very small footprint," says Robst.
Making It Easy to Transport Data Back to England
The IT team can make copies of
backed-up data using LTFS. Then, at the end of the research cruise,
the team can simply pack up the copies in their suitcases and bring
them back to the UK office by plane. "That way we can easily make
data readily available to other researchers," says Robst.
Preparing for the Maiden Voyage
The coronavirus
pandemic slowed the installation of the IT environment on the ship,
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."
Additional Resources
- Read the entire case study for British Antarctic Survey:
https://www.quantum.com/en/resources/customer-success/british-antarctic-survey/
- Learn more about Scalar tape libraries:
https://www.quantum.com/en/products/tape-storage/
About Quantum
Quantum technology and services help customers capture, create,
and share digital content—and preserve and protect it for
decades. With solutions built for every stage of the data
lifecycle, Quantum's platforms provide the fastest performance for
high-resolution video, images, and industrial IoT. That's why
the world's leading entertainment companies, sports franchises,
researchers, government agencies, enterprises, and cloud providers
are making the world happier, safer, and smarter on Quantum.
Quantum is listed on Nasdaq (QMCO) and was added to the Russell
2000® Index in 2020. For more information visit
www.quantum.com.
Quantum, the Quantum logo and Scalar, are registered trademarks
of Quantum Corporation and its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries.
Veeam is a registered trademark of Veeam Software. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Public Relations Contact:
Bob Wientzen
Quantum Corporation
720-201-8125
bob.wientzen@quantum.com
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SOURCE Quantum Corp.