RCC is building an experimental data fabric that connects on-campus computing hardware to data storage in QRIScloud, the Queensland node of Australia’s research cloud.
Working with UQ’s IT Services Division on a proof of concept project, RCC is building MeDiCI, the Metropolitan Data Caching Infrastructure, that supports data collection on campus, close to scientific instruments, data sources and local computers. These collections will be connected to the significant storage and processing capabilities of the Polaris Data Centre, where QRIScloud is sited.
Polaris, located in Springfield, just outside of Brisbane, offers a state of the art environment, complete with automatic power backup, air conditioning and security monitoring, providing a robust platform for cloud computing and data storage.
Whilst UQ is presently connected to Polaris through high-speed network pipes, the systems currently operate separately and users are responsible for initiating data movement between the storage systems.
MeDiCI will deliver a hierarchical storage fabric with cache nodes on campus, and a high-speed network to Polaris. This allows researchers on campus to access local, high-speed storage, whilst leveraging QRIScloud.
Importantly, data will be migrated automatically between campus caches and Polaris over secure dedicated network pipes, providing an illusion of large data holdings on campus. Data can then be processed on campus or at Polaris using QRIScompute (QRIScloud’s compute service) and/or UQ’s new data-intensive high performance computer, FlashLite, which is also housed at Polaris. This will allow unprecedented access to data collections.
RCC is testing commercial off-the-shelf components, and expects to introduce a prototype service during 2016. Please contact RCC if you have specific interests or needs that might leverage MeDiCI: rcc-support@uq.edu.au.
