IT Services for Research at School of Chemical Engineering

Storage and Backup Services

Instrument computers are connected to different research networks allowing researchers to transfer measurement data over the network to Aalto file servers. Automatic and centralized backups of measurement data provide file recovery after disk failure or accidentally deleted files and directories. Disk images are created from each instrument computer. This enables system recovery after disk failures to intact mass storage drives which means that re-installations, software installations and configurations are not necessary needed at all. Research networks enable printing to network printers and allow access to Aalto license servers. Instrument computers can also be monitored remotely. Problems with critical instrument computers are detected earlier with remote monitoring services.

Lifecycles of CHEM Instrument Computer Backups

Measurement data

Measurement data from all networked instrument computers (Windows 2000-) is automatically backed up daily from directories that are defined in configuration files of each instrument computer.

• Backup system: Bacula/Bareos
• Data storage: CHEM file servers
• Data retention time: 5 years when the instrument is in use
• Archive time period: 5 years after the instrument decommission

Mass storage images of instrument computers

Disk images are made of all instrument computers.  These can be used after disk failures to fully recover instrument computers to working states. Disk images 1, N-1 and N (most recent disk image) are stored on Aalto server. 

• Backup system: Clonezilla/ddrescue
• Storage for disk images: Teamwork.org.aalto.fi

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