STORCLOUD: A High Bandwidth Storage Area Network Initiative

StorCloud, a new initiative this year, builds a High Performance Computing (HPC) storage capability to showcase HPC storage technologies (topologies, devices, interconnects). StorCloud’s “storage on request” area network capability, comprised of state-of-the-art heterogeneous devices and technology, supports researchers and demonstrates high bandwidth applications.

StorCloud provides:

• a showcase for evolutionary and revolutionary HPC storage technologies in a heterogeneous environment
• one PetaByte of randomly accessible storage to SC2004 participants
• one TeraByte per second infrastructure bandwidth
• one GigaByte per second backup bandwidth
• a leverage for SCinet infrastructure
• a management and allocation resource facility for SC2004 participants.

Storage, file system and software vendors contributed equipment and expertise to this initiative. Storage equipment is attached and assigned to host platforms throughout the convention as requested. Host platforms will partition, format, and use the storage as needed. Sharing devices are also accommodated between cooperating parties. StorCloud is architected and deployed entirely by volunteers from government, industry and academia. It combines state-of-the-art access mechanisms, storage devices, and control/management software to provide an extreme storage capability to conference exhibitors. Additionally, StorCloud is hosting an applications competition, StorCloud Challenge. Teams are given time, space and bandwidth to demonstrate their high bandwidth applications using StorCloud. For more information on the StorCloud initiative, contact the committee at storcloud04@nacse.org.