A new storage area network (SAN) that was installed here last month vastly elevates our storage capacity-from 75 gigabytes (GB) to 4,200 GB. This much-needed increase was crucial because of the center’s explosive research storage requirements-for imaging and visualization techniques, as well as our other storage demands. Just a single imaging scanning session, for example, can consume 30 GB, with a typical experiment involving many sessions. Previously, critical data were difficult to back up in a timely manner and some experiments were put off because of a lack of storage.
After exploring the offerings of several SAN vendors, a generous gift was provided by Hewlett-Packard (HP), considered the current market leader in storage. Our initial contact with HP was facilitated by Chancellor John Wiley. HP representatives then visited the center, discussed our needs, and toured the Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior, the Stem Cell Research Program, and other areas. The outcome: HP donated half of the system’s total cost of $400,000.
The SAN will not only solve our current storage problems; it is explicitly designed to grow as our storage needs continue to increase. At this time, we are in the testing stages of this new system, with Keck to be the first actual user.