Storage sub-WG kick-off

Monday 3 Dec 2018, 16:00 → 17:00 Europe/Zurich

German Cancio Melia (CERN), Martin Gasthuber (DESY)

We propose to start off with the areas and structure listed below - which may evolve and be adapted as necessary. The idea is to set up a (T)wiki page where area editors will be able to add contributed content, starting off by using/updating Bernd’s latest report [1].

There are a couple of areas marked with a question mark where we should discuss whether it would make sense to handle them as separate areas or not.

Storage Subgroup 

Looking for contributors (and editors) for each of the areas below.

Storage Areas:

• HDD
• SDD
• ? NVM
• ? Disk storage infrastructure (servers, interconnects, etc)
• Tape (and associated infrastructure)
• Others (optical, etc)
• ? Cloud storage

Structure: for each of the above-mentioned areas:

• Current technology specs, status and outlook
  • capacity, density, sequential and random I/O performance
  • reliability and required/possible redundancy levels
  • lifetime
  • relevance to HEP use cases
• Market status and outlook
  • % market, units/PB shipped, annual growth rate
  • pricing evolution, (discount rates)
  • vendors and their status and market share, sales, net revenues
  • Impact on HEP
• Comparisons within same area
  • eg. HAMR vs MAMR
• Comparisons across areas (disk vs SSD vs tape vs...)
  • [this section needs then to be consolidated across all areas]
• Relevant Documentation links
  • References, specs, news and rumour pages, etc

[1] https://indico.cern.ch/event/658060/contributions/2889027/

quick notes from the phone call today:

 

• Please send your e-mail addresses to Martin & Germán
• Area review: 
  • Rename “NVM” as “Storage-class memory”
  • Cloud storage to be used only as cost benchmark so not an area of its own
  • For the time being, we concentrate on HW aspects and do not include SW solutions (distributed fs, HSM solutions etc), we may broaden the scope in the future
• Area contributors (feel free to join!):
  • HDD: Vladimir, Loic
  • SDD: Vladimir
  • Storage-class memory: Martin
  • Disk storage infrastructure: Shkelzen, Vladimir
  • Tape: Kai, Martin, Vladimir (/somebody else from CNAF), Germán
  • Others (Optical etc): <nobody so far>
• We will (at least initially) use Google docs for our document
• NDA/non public information: not to be included
• Timelines:
  • German will setup a Google doc skeleton document & circulate it
  • By mid January, contributors to fill in skeleton doc (can start from Bernd’s last report, https://indico.cern.ch/event/658060/contributions/2889027/)
  • Another call in February (TBC)
  • Summary to be presented at next WLCG workshop / HEPiX (both in March)
• Next call: January 14th, 16:00