A Reference Architecture for Research Data Storage
David Abramson1, Luc Betbeder-Matibet, Stephen Bird, Jake Carroll, Rhys Francis, Wojtek Goscinski, Ai-lin Soo, Garry Swan, Carmel Walsh, Glenn Wightwick, Max Wilkinson 1University Of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
Abstract
There is little doubt that we have entered an era where data underpins modern science and research in general. In support of this, numerous infrastructures have been designed and built, ranging from proprietary on-prem systems through to distributed commercial clouds. Such implementations provide a range of functions during the research lifecycle from provisioning and cataloguing data assets through to storing and presenting data to computing platforms. In this paper we analyse the underlying principles of such systems, and develop a high level Research Data Reference Architecture (RDRA). Specifically, we identify 7 key features of a RDRA, develop a capability model that allows varying degrees of control, and describe the key building blocks of a prototypical architecture. This RDRA has been designed to guide the design, construction and procurement of implementations without mandating any particular approach, technical solution or product choice. As a result, it allows implementers to make local and commercial decisions while still meeting the core requirements of a research data management platform. The intended audience is teams charged with implementing infrastructure in research organizations. We evaluate the RDRA against a few real world systems, each with vastly different cost and performance characteristics.
Biography
David Abramson is a Professor of Computer Science, and currently heads the University of Queensland Research Computing Centre. Prior to joining UQ, he was the Director of the Monash e-Education Centre, Science Director of the Monash e-Research Centre, and a Professor of Computer Science in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash.
From 2007 to 2011 he was an Australian Research Council Professorial Fellow.
Abramson has expertise in High Performance Computing, distributed and parallel computing, computer architecture and software engineering.