Improving Infrastructure for Data Access, Storage and Recovery, and Network Communication at Stroud Water Research Center

对于独立的生物野外站，如斯特劳德水研究中心（SWRC; http：//www.stroudcenter.org/），一个重大的挑战是保持先进的设施，相当于这些设施支持的独特的，创新的工作。这个NSF资助的项目使SWRC能够通过全面升级其网络基础设施来解决维持这种高水平支持的关键方面。这些改进将大大增加SWRC的数据存储容量，数据备份和恢复设备，并改善无线网络系统。这些升级不仅将改善当前的计算环境，而且还将允许未来扩展以容纳更多的用户和数据量。SWRC最近的许多项目，包括NSF资助的项目，反映了对环境监测和数据收集的更大承诺。这产生了巨大的数据集，对SWRC的数据和网络计算环境的容量造成了负担。不幸的是，支持这些新的环境研究领域所需的基础设施通常不包括在外部资助的项目中。 具体到SWRC，该项目将加强SWRC几十年来对维护数据访问和质量的承诺，同时增加SWRC的历史性“基础”数据集，这些数据集对其他淡水研究组织至关重要，并为河流生态教育，环境公共政策和流域恢复提供信息。该项目旨在将SWRC当前的数字数据存储从临时和被动解决方案转变为主动方法，包括创建一个12 TB的存储区域网络（SAN）阵列，该阵列可轻松扩展到60 TB。该项目的第二部分是将现有的磁带备份系统（单个磁带驱动器，800 GB的单个磁带容量，手动切换磁带）升级为容量更大的系统（多个磁带驱动器; 2.5 TB的单个磁带容量）和自动化系统。该项目的第三阶段包括升级目前无法满足日益增长的用户需求的无线通信网络。这次升级涉及一个新的控制器，将使无线接入点的数量增加一倍，将允许提高连接速度，并将大大提高工作人员和客人无线连接到内部和/或外部网络的能力。无线升级还包括一个室外兼容的接入点，使无线覆盖范围远远超出室内设施，并进入SWRC实验流域。户外无线连接对于支持SWRC举办的越来越多的户外教育和推广活动以及SWRC在整个实验流域部署的无线环境传感器阵列的快速扩展使用至关重要。

A significant challenge for independent biological field stations, such as Stroud Water Research Center (SWRC; http://www.stroudcenter.org/), is maintaining advanced facilities equivalent to the unique, innovative work those facilities support. This NSF-funded project allows SWRC to address a crucial aspect of maintaining this high level of support through a comprehensive upgrade of its network infrastructure. The improvements will dramatically increase SWRC's data storage capacity, data backup and recovery equipment, and improve the wireless network system. These upgrades will not only improve the current computing environment, but also allow for future expansion to accommodate additional users and data volume. Many recent projects at SWRC, including NSF-funded projects, reflect a larger commitment to environmental monitoring and data gathering. This generates huge datasets that tax the capacity of SWRC's data and network-computing environment. Unfortunately, the infrastructure needed to support these new areas of environmental research is generally not included in externally funded projects. Specific to SWRC, this project will enhance SWRC's decades ­long commitment to maintain data access and quality, while growing SWRC's historic,"foundational" datasets which are vital to other freshwater research organizations, and inform stream ecology education, environmental public policy and watershed restoration. This project seeks to transition SWRC's current digital data storage away from an ad hoc and reactive solution to a proactive approach that includes creating a 12 terabyte (TB) Storage Area Network (SAN) array that is easily expandable to 60 TB. The second part of the project is an upgrade of the existing tape backup system (single tape drive, 800 GB individual tape capacity, manual intervention to switch tapes) to a system that has much greater capacity (multiple tape drive; 2.5 TB individual tape capacity) and is automated. The third leg of the project includes an upgrade of the wireless communication network that currently cannot meet increasing user demands. This upgrade involves a new controller that will double the number of wireless access points, will allow for increased connection speeds, and will greatly enhance the ability of both staff and guests to wirelessly connect to internal and/or external networks. The wireless upgrade also includes an outdoor­compatible access point to allow wireless coverage well beyond indoor facilities and into the SWRC experimental watershed. Outdoor wireless connections are critical to support the increasing number of outdoor education and outreach events held at SWRC and the rapidly expanding use of wireless environmental sensor arrays that SWRC is deploying throughout the experimental watershed.