Evolution of NSSDC Computing and Mass Storage Environment

By Nancy Laubenthal

A number of changes have been made to the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) computing environment over the past two years. There are a couple of reasons for those changes. Firstly, in an effort to make the NSSDC computing environment more secure, more robust and more manageable, we are dedicating a single machine to a single function where possible. Secondly, the mass storage has been augmented to support expanding data requirements.

To realize the goal of having a single machine dedicated to a single function, we have procured a number of low-cost servers to augment our computing environment and to serve a specific function: a Sun Netra server to host our RAID mass storage and to serve as the NSSDC FTP site (ftp://nssdcftp.gsfc.nasa.gov), a DEC Alpha serving as the NSSDC Oracle database machine, a Sun Ultra Sparc serving as the web server machine (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov), and a PC running LINUX to serve as the primary mail server. This has off-loaded functions from existing machines, allowing them to serve single functions, such as a Sun Enterprise 3000 for ingesting data into the NSSDC permanent data archive and into the FTP site, a Sun Enterprise 250 for hosting user interface web applications, a Sun Enterprise 250 for developing NSSDC data management software, and a DEC Alpha 3000-600 for general purpose computing. By segregating functions on separate machines, we can tailor the security measures appropriately, and we can restrict users and permissions as needed.

The NSSDC mass storage component has been expanded to meet growing data storage requirements. We continue to use RAID disk storage for our active archive storage, from where space science data is easily accessed via an FTP site and other interfaces. We have recently procured a new 1.6 TB RAID system, and will move the FTP site to this new RAID where it will have room to grow. We will then dedicate the older 0.8 TB RAID to the IMAGE archive and other special purposes. Our permanent archive continues to be hosted on a near-line DLT jukebox attached to the above-mentioned Sun Enterprise 3000. Future evolution will occur as we determine what media best suits our future permanent Space Science data archive.