Data transfer and storage

Posted by simon walker (BI) on Sep 06, 2007; 10:13am
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/Data-transfer-and-storage-tp590250.html

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I'm looking for advice on how to set up a fast local network to transfer
data from pcs used to operate microscopes (acquisition pcs) to pcs used
for analysis (analysis pcs).
Currently we have 5 acquisition pcs connected on a gigabit lan to an
external hard disk (a Thecus device which also acts as a portal to our
main network) and a single analysis pc connected via the gigabit lan to
the same external hard disk.  The problem is that saving data to the
external hard disk from acquisition pcs takes longer than I'd like, and
analysing large data sets (>300 Mb) directly off the external hard disk
(rather than transferring it again onto the analysis pc hard drive) takes
forever.
I'm interested in how other facilities have addressed this problem.  Is it
possible to create a setup where data can be stored and accessed
externally at a speed comparable to internal storage?

Thanks in advance for any helpful suggestions.
Simon
Babraham Institute,
Cambridge.