back to article Building iRODS to take load off scientists' back

Panasas and Western Digital are combining high-speed data access and low-cost, bulk data storage for life sciences researchers through a partnership and integration exercise centred on the open-source data management software iRODS. The use of the systems is described here. This is how it works: Lab equipment generates data …

  1. IgorS

    Not a single file namespace solution

    I don't think IRODS share the namespace between zones.

    So the picture above would not have a single, global namespace.

    1. irods

      Re: Not a single file namespace solution

      Correct - the namespace is not shared across independent Zones, but with Federation, they can see each other and share access while retaining the access controls in force by each Zone's policies.

      Storage appliances shipped with iRODS allow easy abstraction and affords powerful collaboration.

  2. rmurphy

    This doesn't work

    Hi Chris,

    The architecture described here does not have a "single file namespace".

    Each iRODS zone has its own namespace and is its own administrative entity, so there are 3 separate namespaces in this deployment as shown - one for each storage system.

    Further (incredibly), metadata does not get transferred when files are copied between zones.

    Given these constraints, the usefulness of this architecture seems dubious.

    1. irods

      Re: This doesn't work

      Correct - metadata is not copied across Zones by default (once the files are in the other Zone, they are not 'yours' anymore), but copying the metadata can be easily scripted if required and agreed to by each Zone's policies.

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