Building data storage systems and data networks to support digital microscopy

Abstract

As laboratories like the Materials Analysis User Center (MAUC) in the HTML at ORNL move from analog to digital imaging systems, the process for acquiring, processing, analyzing, and publishing research results is changing. In this case since original scientific data exist only in digital form, analog systems for gathering, storing, and transmitting data are being set aside in favor of digital systems. In order to adequately protect original scientific data and to ensure that digital laboratories have the same (or greater) functionality as analog laboratories, scientists must focus on building information systems that make data highly available, highly reliable, and quickly accessible. Meeting these three objectives imposes special requirements for both data storage systems and data networks. A data storage system for a digital microscopy laboratory must have a very large capacity (at MAUC, 30 GB). In addition, the data stored within the system must be highly available and highly reliable.