SURF Data Archive

The SURF Data Archive is the centralised location for data archiving and (long-term) storage. You can securely store research data there, even in volumes running into the petabytes. The archive provides quick access to SURF's computing facilities.

About

Long-term data storage

The Data Archive service is designed for long-term data storage. In this way, it differs from back-up systems, which are meant for recovering data which was accidentally lost. The archive is aimed specifically at the secure storage of data that are not actively used. For instance, researchers can opt to 'freeze' data from an article, or store raw data which need to remain accessible for future research. Data allocated to the data archive is stored in a tape library at our datacenter in Amsterdam.

“I need to cheaply store my dataset of over 100 TB”

Archive access

You can transfer data to the Data Archive online. The Data Archive supports a whole range of data transfer protocols, such as (HPN)SCP, SFTP, rsync and GridFTP. These protocols are compatible with both Linux and Windows environments. You can log into the Data Archive via SSH and manage your data via the command line.

Data management

For each project, you can indicate how long the data should be stored and who are authorised to access it. That way, it is possible for a research group or consortium to obtain access to the data. When it comes to data management, we generally adhere to the B2SAFE guidelines, though we may deviate from them in exceptional cases. We can then create a customised data policy with the aid of the iRODS data management system used by B2SAFE.

Team Data & Computing Services
Questions? Contact us.
+31 88 787 30 00
E-mail: info@surf.nl

Support
Servicedesk.surf.nl

Getting Started

Access to Data Archive

This service is available to higher education and research institutions. As a researcher you can be granted access on the basis of an existing contract or through SURF. Other research institutions or departments can request a quotation. We have set out the options below.

Access via SURF for individual researchers

If you are a researcher (scientific or otherwise) at a university or research institution listed in the overview of institutions, you can get access to the service by submitting an individual request to SURF when making use of the SURF compute services HPC Cloud, Grid and Big Data Services. When computing power is assigned on the Lisa Compute Cluster or Snellius, you also receive access to Data Archive storage. For more information, see access to the computing services.

Quotation

If you are a researcher or a research assistant in IT or other fields, and your institution does not have a contract with us, you can request a quotation by sending an e-mail to info@surfsara.nl. The rates will depend upon the amount and duration of storage you require from the Data Archive service.

Contract with your institution

It is possible to enter into a contract based on the total use desired or estimated by your institution. In this case, instead of researchers from the institution having to submit individual requests, the data storage capacity will be available on-demand. Rates depend on the size of the service bundle required by your institution. If your institution currently does not have a contract for this service, please get in touch with your local IT service or contact us at info@surfsara.nl.

Small and medium-sized enterprises and the industrial sector

Businesses also have access to SURFsara's infrastructure and expertise. To promote innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises and the industrial sector in the Netherlands, SURF is working together with the Ministry of Economic Affairs. This partnership makes it possible for innovative companies in the Netherlands to carry out pilot projects. As a result, they gain insight into the opportunities afforded by large-scale computing capacity or data processing for simulations, modelling, data science and machine learning, among other things. SURFsara contributes its expertise in e-infrastructure to this end. If the pilot project leads to a follow-up, we can provide you with a customised quotation (specific conditions apply). Please contact us at info@surfsara.nl.

Support & consultancy

Data Archive users can always count on us for support. For example, we can help you access the Data Archive and save your data to the right location. We can also advise you on making the data referable by linking it to persistent identifiers, or through the use of Data Persistent Identifier.

Helpdesk

If you have any questions, or want to report a problem, please submit them via the servicesdesk portal, send an email to helpdesk@surfsara.nl, or phone +31-20-8001400. The helpdesk is available during office hours (9:00–17:00).

For more in-depth advice on matters such as the configuration of your data infrastructure, please contact one of our consultants.