SRB Services

1. SRB Services Adil Hasan CCLRC e-science (on behalf of Roger Downing, Tom Mortimer-Jones)

2. UK e-science • Tasked with providing IT infrastruture to allow projects the ability to maximally exploit their (and related) data. • Data management a critical component. • SRB provides underlying data management for many of these projects.

3. What is SRB? • A system that allows us to provide a uniform way of accessing all our geographically distributed storage resources. • Easily locate the data on our distributed resources. • Provide access control to our data. • Keeps track of our data. • Gives the potential to federate with other SRB systems.

4. Storing data in SRB Can I use the system? Yes! SRB SRB Redirect client connection to Hexagonal server Client Server Store this data on the hexagonal server. SRB Is the client authorized? Yes! Server Once data stored update MCAT with location and other info SRB Server MCAT

5. Getting data out of SRB Can I use the system? Yes I’m redirecting the client to the hexagonal server SRB SRB Server I want X data Client Here’s X data SRB Where is X data? Server It’s on the hexagonal server Is the client authorized? Yes SRB Server MCAT

6. SRB - and there’s more! ZoneJapan ZoneFrance Greenland (client)

7. SRB User Interface • Have C-based command line user interface (Scommands). • Have Java, C, Python, Perl client-side APIs. • Have currently two GUIs: • MySRB - accessible through browser. • inQ - client-based GUI (Windows only).

8. SRB GUIs

9. SRB Services -What we do • Provide advice and help in designing a system for managing data based on SRB. • Setup SRB, provide support and training. • Provide in-house tools to help build the system and enhance functionality (monitoring tools, etc). • Focused on providing tools to enhance production quality and give projects greater autonomy.

10. SRB Services • Currently support 7 large-scale projects in diverse areas (arts and humanities, biotech, synchrotron). • Host and maintain the Metadata Catalogue-enabled SRB server for all projects. • Host and maintain the SRB server interfacing to the CCLRC tertiary tape store (ADS) used by all projects.

11. SRB Monitoring Sls times Sput times Example graphs taken from live monitoring page (courtesy of R. Downing, T. Mortimer-Jones, R. Tyer)

12. An Example Project SRB-enabled Central Disk Server Tertiary Storage Note that only File-specific Metadata stored in MCAT. Project-specific Metadata should be in Separate catalogue like ICAT Clients MCAT-enabled SRB

13. When to use SRB • If you do not have a system that: • Keeps track of where data is. • Provides a uniform way of accessing all your resources. • Provides access control. • Provides the possibility of federating with other SRB systems. • And you want such a system then consider using SRB.

14. When not to use SRB • When all the data is temporary and location well known. • When amount of data is very small, 1-2 users and manageable with a simple ASCII file. • In a very dynamic environment where storage resources appear and disappear (although SRB can cope).

15. iRODS • Containers replacement • webdav interface to iRODS • Log file framework (incl error logging) • Admin interface to iRODS • GSI authentication • Testing of iRODS

16. Summary • SRB services is a central body with a good deal of experience in using SRB. • Provide custom-tools, advice and other tools to enhance production SRB service and allow projects a greater deal of autonomy in dealing with their data management system.