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The OURRstore system, an NSF-funded storage archive, is a very cost-effective way to archive data that needs to be securely reliably kept.  OURRstore uses LTO media, which has a bit error rate 10 times lower than spinning disk, with an expected lifetime of at least 8 to 15 years.years.  (The tapes theoretically can last longer if properly stored, but the hardware that reads the tapes might not.)  OURRstore increases the reliability and safety of storage by creating redundant copies of the data, and periodically monitoring the health of data in the system.  OURRstore procedures creates at least 2 copies of archived data, though we strongly recommend using the 3 copies option.  One copy stays in the OURRstore robot, and is the 'online' copy, retrievable at any time.  A second copy gets shipped back to UAMS, where we store it in a secure an environmentally controlled, physically locked location, giving an offsite backup of our data stored in OURRstore.  In a pinch, we can recover data from the copy sent to us.  The optional (but highly recommended) third copy is taken out of the robot and stored in a secure, environmentally an environmentally controlled storage facility at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Campus.  This third copy allows them to generate replacements for the primary copy should that be necessary without the risk of shipping the backup copy kept at UAMS to Oklahoma.

OURRstore is the least expensive, most reliable archival storage option available to UAMS basic science researchers.

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We are only charged the media costs (extremely low compared to other options) plus a small additional amount for shipping tape to and from Oklahoma.  At current pricing available to UAMS this works out to a one time charge of about $33.55 per TB for the recommended 3 copy option for storage that should keep data safe for at least 8 years, maybe longer.  The less secure resilient (higher risk) 2 copy option would be $22.96 at current pricing for a minimum 8 year storage life.  These prices are expected to drop over time as we qualify less expensive vendors, media prices drop and capacities rise.  The For last batch of cartridges that we ordered shipping cost ~$13were about $13.50 apiece, with insurance and tracking, from FedEx, and the above numbers reflect that estimated shipping charge. 

Ideally researchers should include the archiving costs in their grant budgets.  This might be difficult for ongoing grants, since they might not have budgeted for archival costs.  Similarly, pilot research projects also might not have a budget for archiving costs.  In some cases, departments might be willing to cover the costs..  Due to UAMS procurment policies the cartridges first have to be received at UAMS, then shipped to OURRstore.  Then after filling them with data redundantly, OURRstore ships 1 out of every 2-3 cartridges back to UAMS.  Hence we pay 3 to 4 increments of shipping for every 2 to 3 cartridges, depending on the storage option chosen.  The above numbers reflect all these estimated shipping charges. 

For comparison to other storage options, this works out to $4.19 per TB per year currently, with pricing continually dropping, compared to, for example, Amazon Glacier Deep Archive (their least expensive option) at about $12 per TB per year plus any data egress and networking charges.  (Often the networking and data egress charges are more expensive than the storage costs for Amazon.) expensive than the storage costs for Amazon.)  And often cloud storage providers charge extra for keeping data redundantly in multiple storage locations, increasing the cost.

More importantly, with OURRstore you purchase tape cartridges as a one-time, up-front payment good for OURRstore's lifetime, instead of paying monthly recurring charges as you would with most cloud storage providers.  So when a particular grant expires and the money ends, your files are still safe and sound.  (With a monthly storage service charge, cloud storage service will delete your files if you run out of funds to pay for the storage.  

Ideally researchers should include the archiving costs in their grant budgets.  This might be difficult for ongoing grants, since they might not have budgeted for archiving costs.  Similarly, pilot research projects also might not have a budget for archiving costs.  In some cases, departments might be willing to cover the costs for archiving data.

Alternatively, if you wish, you may purchase your own media (at least 2 cartridges, preferably 3) and a return shipping label.  With this alternative, please coordinate with us on shipping address and the specific model of LTO cartridges allowed.  OURRstore will not accept unapproved cartridges.  Currently only the following specific models are allowed:

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In some cases, purchasing physical cartridges might be easier to put in a budget than the reimbursement costs.  However, depending on which option you use to archive data to OURRstore (see below), we may not be able to guarantee that your data is on the cartridges that you purchased.   Instead, the usable storage capacity of the cartridge would be added to your account for you to draw from, and your cartridges would be put into the pool of cartridges that we use for everybody.  If you need tighter controls (i.e. your data and nothing else goes on the cartridges that you purchase), then you would need to used the "complicated" option for archiving data to OURRstore mentioned below (i.e., you would need to get your own OURRstore account and manage your own archiving, instead of using the pooled services that the HPC admins provide).

Restrictions on data that can be archived on OURRstore

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1. The data should be relatively static (i.e. does not change), as OURRstore is only intended as a securerobust, redundant archiveresilient archive, not a backup solution where one is making daily or weekly copies of changing data.  (You may use ROSS, the Research NAS, or a cloud option if you need backup.)
2. The data must be STEM related data (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).  NSF's definition of STEM includes physical sciences, biosciences, geosciences, engineering, mathematics, technology (for example, computer and information sciences), and social sciences.
3. While the data may include deidentified human subject data, it may not be clinical research data (i.e. data directly related to patient care or clinical studies of human disease).  If the human research is basic science research, that is acceptable.
4. Legally regulated data (for example, HIPAA, Controlled Unclassified Information, FDA clinical trial, ITAR/EAR, FERPA) is currently FORBIDDEN on OURRstore, per their agreement with NSF.
5. If your files are subject to one or more Institutional Review Board (IRB) agreement(s) governing human subjects research, then it’s YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to ensure full compliance with your IRB agreement(s).

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Data stored on OURRstore should be collected into compressed archive files, preferably between 20 and 200 GB in length, for the best storage efficiency without excessive access times.  Currently, the absolute minimum size of an archived file is 1 GB.  The absolute maximum size is 1 TB.  These archive files need to be created at UAMS prior to electronic transfer to the OURRstore system.  The initial transfer is disk to disk, hence goes pretty quickly.  Once the data is in the OURRstore disk cache, the OURSStore archive management software will start copying the data onto a media cartridge for safekeeping.  When a cartridge is full, the system makes a copy of the cartridge, ejects it from the system, and the OURRstore team, using the prepaid label that we provide them, ships that copy back to us.  We then store that copy offline in a secure locationlocked, environmentally controlled location in Arkansas.  If the optional third copy is requested, the OURRstore system makes that third copy, which is ejected from the system and stored in an environmentally controlled location in Oklahoma.

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