Automated tape archive tiering has been added to the SSD and HDD-based BeeGFS parallel file system to store inactive AI and high-performance computing (HPC) environment data.
BeeGFS supplier ThinkParQ and tape archive supplier GRAU DATA have set up a strategic partnership through which the XtreemStor tape archive system has been integrated with BeeGFS. This, the two say, provides a storage infrastructure that can handle the high performance of data-intensive AI, HPC and big data workloads and the long-term storage of the data needed for, and generated by, them.
GRAU DATA CEO Herbert Grau said: "The combination of XtreemStore and BeeGFS is a game-changer for organizations that need both performance and flexibility. Together, we offer a solution that eliminates the boundaries between HPC, cloud, and traditional storage.”
New partner Frank Herold, CEO at ThinkParQ, matched this, saying: "BeeGFS is one of the leading parallel file systems in AI and HPC environments. Through integration with XtreemStore, joint customers can now also benefit from intelligent, cost-efficient data management without compromising on performance.” BeeGFS ensures parallel, high-performance data access, while XtreemStore uses intelligent tiering to place active data on fast media and inactive data on cost-effective tape archives. BeeGFS’ data migration interface enables data to move from SSDs to hard disk drives in its clusters of storage servers with the XtreemStor moving it from the HDDs to LTO tape drives via an S3 object interface and REST API. The partnership applies to both single and distributed customer sites.
Basically BeeGFS customers get automated archiving added to their high speed, parallel data access, which will fit the requirements, the two partners say, of users in medicine and life sciences with, for example, genome sequencing, AI/machine learning with LLMs and agents, and, of course, HPC with large scale simulation data.
An extra angle here is that, as both GRAU DATA and ThinkParQ are Germany-based suppliers, European data sovereignty requirements can be fully met.
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Tape Library supplier Spectra Logic can combine its tape libraries with disk-based file and object storage using its StorCycle SW, BlackPearl storage systems. So too can Quantum, with its StorNext data management software, ActiveScale object storage and Scalar/Raptor tape libraries.
IBM’s Spectrum Scale works with IBM TS tape drives and Spectrum Protect, and supports data movement and synchronization between Spectrum Scale data on fast media and tape.
GRAU DATA has existing fast media to tape deals with QStar and PoINT Systems. Hammerspace integrates its fast media data orchestration with GRAU, PoINT and also QStar. The GRAU-ThinkParQ deal matches European data sovereignty requirements for parallel-file systems-to-tape-archive setups better than any of these though.