National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation Charts a Better Course with StorNext

The NASMG uses remote sensing data to develop geoinformation systems, with a special expertise in city environments. Projects combine high-resolution Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) images with aerial photography, then analyze raw images using multiple steps that account for vegetation, slope, and other factors to extract object-oriented identification of structures, and finally create accurate maps. The highly collaborative work combines the work of multiple researchers and applications using different computer platforms.

Storage Infrastructure Overwhelmed By Growth

Faced with a petabyte of existing data and the need for a high-performance, shared workflow, the NASMG decided to re-architect their storage infrastructure. The new system would need high-performance, extreme reliability, support for multiple platforms, and the ability to scale easily. For cost reasons, the solution also needed support for both Fibre Channel and Ethernet connections—and to provide a way to preserve and protect assets so data could be reused.

Stornext Scale-Out Storage Provides End-To-End Solution

The NASMG selected Nikoyo (China) Electronics Systems, Ltd.—a Beijing-based specialized integrator—to help them.

“When we looked at the needs of NASMG, we knew that the best system for their high-speed workflows would be an integrated StorNext scale-out storage solution from Quantum,” says Huang Lei, Account Manager, Nikoyo (China) Electronics, Ltd.

In the new system, StorNext QD6000 RAID arrays provide high-performance primary storage, while dual-redundant StorNext M662 Metadata Appliances manage access to data in all locations using a file system interface. Access to the data is provided over Fibre Channel, but also over 10GbE Ethernet connections. A StorNext AEL tape archive provides a cost-effective storage tier for long-term retention.

High-speed, Collaborative Workflows

Data is ingested to the high-speed disk arrays, and made available to the research teams. StorNext supports Linux, Windows, UNIX, and Mac platforms, and it allows multiple users to access the same file sets at the same time to increase collaboration and allow projects to be completed more quickly. For high-performance analysis, workstations connect through a Fibre Channel SAN fabric at link speed. StorNext manages the storage to optimize the use of disk resources, enable multi-channel parallel processing, and carry out load balancing. Ethernet connections to the same files support remote locations or tasks requiring lower performance. The system scales easily, allowing The NASMG to quickly add capacity to the common pool of storage.

Automated Archiving And Long-term Retention

The StorNext AEL tape archive provides the NASMG with two key features—low-cost storage for archiving and automated protection. Files not being actively worked on are moved by the StorNext system to the StorNext AEL tape archive automatically, based on user-defined policies, freeing up disk. Access is simple—archived files appear to be in the same file system location they were originally. To access a file, users simply select it; if the file is in the archive, it will automatically be moved back to disk and accessed. For protection, StorNext automatically creates copies of working files on tape, allowing them to be moved to off-site locations to provide disaster tolerance for all of the NASMG's assets.