On This Page:

• Overview
• /gscratch
• Kopah
• Lolo
• Data Transfer and Integration
• Best Practices
• Additional Resources

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Overview

UW-IT offers several research storage options to support the data lifecycle - from active analysis to long-term archiving. These services are designed for flexibility, performance, and data durability, and they integrate with the University of Washington's High-Speed Research Network and compute resources like Hyak. This article provides an overview of three main UW-IT storage services - /gscratch, Kopah, and Lolo. All three services are on-premises and have no data egress or access fees. 

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/gscratch - Hyak Parallel File System

Best for: High-speed data access during active compute jobs

Access: Available to Hyak users only

Tier: Hot storage

Features:

• Fast, low-latency storage directly attached to Hyak compute nodes
• Ideal for temporary or scratch space during compute jobs
• Infiniband connectivity for parallel I/O and HPC workloads
• 80 Gbps aggregate uplink for external collaboration
• Use standard Linux tools (e.g., scp, rsync)

Pricing:

1 TB included with every slice purchased

Learn more about Hyak

Pricing and Eligibility

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Kopah - S3-Compatible Object Storage

Best for: Flexible, scalable storage with multiple plan options

Access: Available to any UW-affiliated research group

Tier: Warm storage

Features:

• Numerous S3 tools and libraries
• Public and private buckets for collaboration and access control
• 80 Gbps aggregate uplink to Internet2 and other collaborators
• POSIX interface also available
• Complements /gscratch for groups transitioning from cloud services like Google Drive

Pricing: 

• $2.60 - $5.04 per TB per month, depending on storage plan

Kopah Eligibility Video:

 

Learn more about Kopah

Pricing and Eligibility

Try Kopah free for one month!

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Lolo - Long-Term Archival Storage

Best for: Safekeeping of research data for months to years

Access: Available to any UW-affiliated research group

Tier: Cold storage

Features: 

• Tape-based archive service with automated geographic redundancy
• Files cached on disk and backed up to two tape copies (Seattle & Spokane)
• Simple restore by browsing and accessing archived files
• Compatible with SSH-based tools (scp, rsync)
• 3-2-1 backup strategy compliance when paired with /gscratch

Pricing:

• $3.45 per TB per month

Learn more about Lolo Pricing and Eligibility 

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Data Transfer and Integration

• All services are connected via UW's High-Speed Research Network with up to 100 Gbps throughput. 
• Tools like bbcp, GridFTP, and rsync support fast data movement
• Easy transfers between Hyak, Kopah, and Lolo
• Globus has endpoints on Hyak and Kopah. With features like automated transfers, fault tolerance, and a simple web interface, it's a powerful tool for streamlining data movement in research workflows. 

Hyak Data Transfer Guide

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Best Practices: 3-2-1 Data Protection Strategy

We encourage researchers to follow the 3-2-1 backup strategy:

• 3 copies of your data
• 2 different storage types (e.g., disk + tape)
• 1 copy stored off-site

If you use both /gscratch and archive to Lolo, you're already meeting this standard:

• One copy on Hyak's /gscratch (disk-based)
• Two tape-based copies on Lolo, stored in Seattle and Eastern Washington
• Kopah also provides an additional copy of data

Note: Lolo and Kopah archiving is not automatic - you must initiate the copy process yourself.

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Additional Resources

Hyak Storage Overview

Kopah S3 Object Storage

Hyak Data Transfer