Data Grid Access Layer (DGAL) LIEF Project

The Data Grid Access Layer (DGAL) project was a 2007 collaboration between Monash University, the University of Queensland and the Australian National University. It was funded by ARC (through an ARC LIEF Grant) and the three participating universities. The project provides high performance data access and file transfer infrastructure and expansion of capacity of physically distributed data storage facilities spanning Brisbane, Canberra, and Clayton.

At Monash, the DGAL project funded the provision of high performance file servers and expansion of storage capacity of the Monash Large Research Data Store facility, established by the earlier LaRDS and DSIeR projects. The DGAL project added the following capabilities to the LaRDS facility:

• 40TB online disk storage capacity, plus
• 280TB near-line (robot) tape library capacity.

In addition, the DGAL project also funded dual high performance GridFTP data mover servers, and an expansion of LaRDS system server capacity supporting HSM, SRB and database applications.