McGill U Selects Open Source Storage Solution

McGill University’s School of Computer Science – which runs almost exclusively on open source software –  has implemented an open source storage solution.

According to a prepared statement, the Canadian university purchased three storage appliances from iXsystem, the largest of which offers more than 1PB of storage. It previously had run Linux and BSD file servers to meet the school’s storage needs, but required a more centralized solution that could keep pace with data growth and be easily managed. The university asked iXsystems to present a TrueNAS solution that was scalable and met other specifications (flexibility, performance, protection, etc.). Other vendors that were considered included Dell, DDN Storage, Oracle and Nexsan.

"We selected iXsystems because of the robustness of the TrueNAS appliance platform as well as iXsystems' commitment to Open Source,” said Ron Simpson, operations supervisor at McGill, in a statement. “TrueNAS offered the best bang for the buck by a long shot, with 2.5x the amount of storage for the same dollar. We also liked the fact that iXsystems has direct access to FreeBSD developers, and its Support Team has been incredible in terms of hardware replacement, support and onsite visits.”

The systems team at McGill manages several highly specialized computing environments across campus that central IT doesn’t oversee. While the institution previously stored all of its data using direct access storage (DAS) on multiple devices, the TrueNAS systems consolidates storage, reducing administrative overhead “by drastically reducing the potential points of failure” for data storage, according to a case study about the implementation. Furthermore, the TrueNAS technology utilizes a ZFS-based file system to ensure data is protected and not lost.

To learn more about the open source storage solution, visit the iXsystem site.

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs AI Content Safeguards into Law

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed off on a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • close-up illustration of a hand signing a legislative document

    California Passes AI Safety Legislation, Awaits Governor's Signature

    California lawmakers have overwhelmingly approved a bill that would impose new restrictions on AI technologies, potentially setting a national precedent for regulating the rapidly evolving field. The legislation, known as S.B. 1047, now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom's desk. He has until the end of September to decide whether to sign it into law.

  • illustration of a VPN network with interconnected nodes and lines forming a minimalist network structure

    Report: Increasing Number of Vulnerabilities in OpenVPN

    OpenVPN, a popular open source virtual private network (VPN) system integrated into millions of routers, firmware, PCs, mobile devices and other smart devices, is leaving users open to a growing list of threats, according to a new report from Microsoft.

  • interconnected cubes and circles arranged in a grid-like structure

    Hugging Face Gradio 5 Offers AI-Powered App Creation and Enhanced Security

    Hugging Face has released version 5 of its Gradio open source platform for building machine learning (ML) applications. The update introduces a suite of features focused on expanding access to AI, including a novel AI-powered app creation tool, enhanced web development capabilities, and bolstered security measures.