10 April 2017

Two Spectra Logic T950 tape libraries have been deployed. One features LTO-5 media and drives, while the other is equipped with IBM TS1150 technology.

The Imperial War Museums (IWM) has deployed a large-scale data archiving solution across its sites in England to more reliably store and manage its critical, wartime history data.

The organisation’s museums include IWM London, IWM North, IWM Duxford, the Churchill War Rooms and HMS Belfast.

It houses a collection of more than 10,700,000 items and manages a total of more than 550TB of data, including up to 10TB of new video footage each month.

Exponential data growth is anticipated over time.

Previously, IWM used a disk-based system to preserve its digital assets. But this lacked durability and scalability, was difficult to manage across the five sites, and proved to be extremely expensive.

As a result, the IT team replaced the system with tape-based solutions from US-headquartered storage specialist Spectra Logic.

Two of the vendor’s T950 tape libraries – one with Linear Tape Open-5 media and drives, the other with IBM TS1150 tape technology – were deployed.

Spectra’s BlackPearl converged storage system and ArcticBlue object storage based disk platform were also installed.

According to the vendor, the T950s provide the capacity, reliability and affordability IWM needed, while the BlackPearl and ArcticBlue appliances enable the storage of assets on multiple storage mediums.

It claims that by storing multiple copies of its data on genetically diverse media, the museum benefits from “optimal” digital preservation and protection.

Ian Crawford, IWM’s chief information officer, adds: “Following the deployment, we can reliably store large ZIP files of our DPX data using BlackPearl, safe in knowing that one copy of our data is stored on disk, and two copies on differing tape technologies.”