ERA Research Laboratory Demonstrations
The Transcontinental Persistent Archives Prototype
(TPAP)
Images of the Persistent Archives Prototype
(TPAP)
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NARA's current, fully accessioned electronic records are stored on tapes on shelves |
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Using NARA's TPAP, this
VCR-sized grid brick has
the capacity to store all of
the records stored on the
tapes in the picture.
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The TPAP is a research test bed that supports collaborative efforts and is a key component of the infrastructure in the ERA Research Laboratories. It will inform the development of NARA's Electronic Records Archives (ERA) System.
The prototype was developed in partnership with the Data Intensive Cyber Environments (DICE) Group at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS). It is based on the DICE Group's Storage Resource Broker (SRB) technology, a data and storage virtualization technology.
Moving forward the TPAP will be migrated to the next generation data management technology, currently under development by the DICE Group. The integrated Rule Oriented Data System (iRODS) will allow researchers to turn archival policies into rules that can be automatically executed by the TPAP.
The TPAP is a distributed federation of different, and independently administered, computing platforms that interact as a single virtual repository - also known as a data grid. The TPAP presently has seven nodes located at:
- The National Archives at College Park in College Park, MD
- The main National Archives building in Washington, DC
- The Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) in Rocket Center, WV
- UCSD in San Diego, CA
- UMIACS in College Park, MD
- Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) in Atlanta, GA
- The Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) in Chapel Hill, NC
Using the SRB, the TPAP addresses many of the challenges inherent in preserving, protecting, and providing access to the Nation's electronic records due to the diversity, complexity, and enormous volume of the electronic records being created today.
The TPAP won one of four inaugural Internet2 Driving Exemplary Applications (IDEA) Awards. Read the press releases at:
