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I would consider a NAS or Network Assisted Storage device such as the Drobo, found here. Make sure you get a model that can connect directly to a network and not just via USB. But even that will fill up with time. It might be handy to look back and see how much data is being written over the course of a couple of months to figure out what your needs are. I would suggest a NAS that once a year (or as needed) the data is removed and moved to a external server. So old data is still available, but probably via a slower connection, and your NAS is free to consume more fresh data.

Digital storage is always an issue. Hopefully you can find a solution that works for you.

Good luck!

Hugh Newman
 
Graduate Researcher

Dept. Physics and Physical Oceanography

Memorial University

St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada



> Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:45:59 -0600
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: thoughts on data storage for imaging facility
> To: [log in to unmask]
> 
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> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
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> 
> Dear all,
> 
> I have been searching for ideas regarding  what would be a suitable solution
> for data storage for our microscopy facility (www.imaging.nuigalway.ie). The
> first thought on this are to providing a data storage server that would be
> networked to all microscopes (currently 10 standalone systems , scaling to
> 20 instruments in the future). We can cater for multi channel time lapse
> live cell imaging so experiment  data sizes may go to the order of GB but
> the norm is smaller data sizes. 
> 
> I have a concern over upload download access speeds, security, what is the
> right amount of storage that will cover our needs.
> 
> Does anyone out there have any suggestions / recommendations on how to go
> about specifiying this system?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Peter Owens, National University of Ireland Galway.
> 
>