12.08.2026

Following the successful introduction of the new HSM system based on the Versity ScoutAM Software for the DKRZ data archive at its Hamburg site, the remote data archive at the Max Planck Computing & Data Facility (MPCDF) in Garching has now also been migrated to the new software. With this, DKRZ is using a unified, modern foundation for climate data archiving at both sites.

The archive in Garching serves as an additional site for safeguarding important data sets. Selected data sets are stored there as replications to ensure their long-term availability and security. For this purpose, a new Spectra Cube tape library was installed in Garching last year alongside the existing Oracle tape library. It can accommodate up to 1,600 magnetic tape cartridges. With its current configuration, it provides approximately 21 petabytes of uncompressed storage capacity. With the newer generation of tape drives already installed, the library can support up to 29 petabytes.

With the migration to Versity ScoutAM, the way is now clear for transferring the data previously stored in the Oracle tape library to the new Spectra Cube tape library. The existing Oracle Library is currently still operating as read only. The remaining data will be transferred to the new system step by step over the coming months. This is a straightforward data migration: the data is read from the existing magnetic tapes and written to new tapes.

New Archiving Software Scales to the Exabyte Range

As part of the introduction of the new HSM system, DKRZ has also migrated its archiving software to Versity ScoutAM to manage the new data archive. The previous system was increasingly reaching its limits as data volumes and file counts continued to grow. ScoutAM is designed for archives at the exabyte scale and can efficiently handle very large numbers of small files. At the same time, the system enables faster, direct access to data and gives DKRZ full control over its archived data without relying on proprietary formats. Replication between Hamburg and Garching also increases the resilience of the archive.

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