Research Infrastructure: CC* Data Storage: Broadening UMBCs Data Storage footprint to Advance Scientific Research and Discovery

The Retriever Research Storage System R-RSTOR enables UMBC researchers and collaborators to address important research in atmospheric science, analyze polar ice caps, and develop AI models for human and robotic interactions. The system supports increased collaborations with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) on research into the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, as well as broader community access through the Open Science Data Federation.

Utilizing the open-source Ceph file system that provides a flexible, high-performance, cost-effective, and scalable file architecture that will allow us to greatly expand allocations for all faculty conducting research.

This system integrates with UMBC's existing High-Performance Computing Facility and Science DMZ to streamline interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaborations. R-RSTOR is designed to utilize low latency non-volatile memory express (NVME) components and large-scale multi-petabyte solid state disc to reduce complexities and costs associated with data manipulation and transfer, which shortens the time to research.

The Ceph file system allows researchers the ability to handle file, block, and object-based file structures within a single system. Through the additional gateways running on the system, researchers can utilize application programming interfaces (APIs) for enhanced data mobility between on-premises and cloud environments, accommodating evolving computational requirements as more workloads shift to a hybrid cloud model.

This award by the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure is also supported by National Discovery Cloud for Climate (NDC-C) resources.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.