Oxford Implements Hybrid Scale-Out NAS for High-Performance Computing

Oxford University has implemented a hybrid scale-out network-attached storage (NAS) system to support its high-performance computing (HPC) center for research.

According to Andrew Richards, head of the Advanced Research Computing (ARC) Centre at Oxford, the center doesn't have a large IT support staff available at all times, so they needed a solution that offered "manageability, load balancing and performance monitoring," he said in a prepared statement. The solution also needed to be compatible with a range of HPC systems already in place at the center.

The university selected the ActiveStor 14 hybrid scale-out NAS system from Panasas with 330 TB of storage. According to the company, the system provides the university with "a single pool of storage under a global name space." The technology is based on a fifth-generation storage blade architecture, uses a combination of high capacity hard disk drives and solid state drives and runs the Panasas PanFS storage operating system. According to information on the company's site, the ActiveStor 14 system is suitable for environments requiring high capacity and throughput.

The ARC Centre provides researchers throughout the university with access to HPC resources, including distributed memory, shared memory and graphics-processing unit (GPU)-enabled HPC clusters. According to the company, the ActiveStor 14 system will provide university researchers "with the storage required for home areas, general purpose mid-term projects and high-performance short-term jobs."

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • university building with classical architecture is partially overlaid by a glowing digital brain graphic

    NSF Invests $100 Million in National AI Research Institutes

    The National Science Foundation has announced a $100 million investment in National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes, part of a broader White House strategy to maintain American leadership as competition with China intensifies.

  • black analog alarm clock sits in front of a digital background featuring a glowing padlock symbol and cybersecurity icons

    The Clock Is Ticking: Higher Education's Big Push Toward CMMC Compliance

    With the United States Department of Defense's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 framework entering Phase II on Dec. 16, 2025, institutions must develop a cybersecurity posture that's resilient, defensible, and flexible enough to keep up with an evolving threat landscape.

  • blue AI cloud connected to circuit lines, a server stack, and a shield with a padlock icon

    AI Security Controls Lag Behind Adoption of AI Cloud Services

    Nearly nine out of 10 organizations are already using AI services in the cloud — but fewer than one in seven have implemented AI-specific security controls, according to a recent report from cybersecurity firm Wiz.

  • Training the Next Generation of Space Cybersecurity Experts

    CT asked Scott Shackelford, Indiana University professor of law and director of the Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, about the possible emergence of space cybersecurity as a separate field that would support changing practices and foster future space cybersecurity leaders.