Image courtesy of NASA
CASE STUDY Sky’s the Limit for StorNext at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center When NASA decided to create a fully digital solution for launch video capture and delivery systems at Kennedy Space Center—a 21st-century workflow for the post- Space Shuttle era— key priorities were performance, automation, and scalability. After an arduous request for proposal (RFP) process and a grueling acceptance test, the team installed a StorExcel-recommended solution based on Quantum StorNext Pro Studio and IPV Curator.
StorNext is designed to give everyone faster access to the data, to make content searches “and retrieval quick and easy, and to reduce the amount of administration time. It’s a win on every count.
Jeff Wolfe Communications system engineer, Abacus Technology FEATURED PRODUCTS ” Quantum gave us space in their Englewood, Colorado facility to set up and configure the exact system that we would be installing, so that we could perform all the acceptance “testing without interrupting any of the operations at Kennedy—it really worked well for us. Jeff Wolfe – Communications system engineer, Abacus Technology” SOLUTION OVERVIEW There are not very many imaging environments of-state processing center after each takeoff for more challenging—or more critical—than development and digitization. ∙∙ StorNext® Pro Studio the one that supports launches at NASA’s --StorNext QXS-1200 RAID array “It would take two days to get the film --Xcellis™ Workflow Director Kennedy Space Center. During the planned processed and available as a file, so the NASA --StorNext AEL500 Archive library liftoff of Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), 80 to team could analyze the high-res slow-motion ∙∙ Brocade 6505 switches 100 cameras will capture the event from every ∙∙ IPV Curator media asset manager footage,” explains Jeff Wolfe, Communications possible angle, and keep tracking the rocket ∙∙ Telestream Vantage transcoder System Engineer at Abacus Technology, the and its payload until it is out of sight. The NASA contractor for imaging services. “The KEY BENEFITS data—which includes images and video taken asset management system we had at Kennedy with motion picture film and high-resolution ∙∙ Fully digital workflow gives users fast could not handle the complete process because access to files, eliminating delays video cameras at speeds of up to 1,000 frames ∙∙ Faster and easier access to content it was really more suited to documents than to per second—weigh in at around 200TB per through the IPV media asset manager video and image data. It meant that access to interface—integrating search, retrieval, mission. This information must be available and sharing of files into the workflow the image data was delayed.” ∙∙ Automated protection on multiple to engineers and flight specialists in several storage tiers ensures safety and different NASA centers as rapidly as possible. The still images and video files collected availability of NASA’s irreplaceable assets within NASA serve multiple purposes and ∙∙ Integrated archiving gives users access to content stored on high-capacity, UPGRADING PERFORMANCE, ACCESS, need to be available to different audiences economical LTO media AND CAPACITY in different formats and resolutions. ∙∙ StorNext compatibility with other systems, including Apple Xsan, makes Defining requirements for, selecting, testing, and Scientists use them to assess effectiveness it easy to share assets with public installing its first fully digital workflow system for of equipment, systems, and procedures. affairs editors ∙∙ Scalability and support for cloud and launch videos was a major task for NASA and the The security team uses them as part of its object storage provide options to support contractors overseeing the transition. The original surveillance procedures. And the public affairs future growth ∙∙ System pre-staging simplified system, which dates back to the days of the Space department uses them to communicate the acceptance testing and helped Shuttle program, started with analog tape or as agency’s mission to its internal audience streamline installation photographic film that had to be rushed to an out- and to provide images to the general public. At the same time, the list of organizations together and provide optimal value based on “One of the things that we using Kennedy Space Center for launches our own experience,” says Kurt Clawson, CTO, like about StorNext is that is expanding, including Boeing, SpaceX, and Media & Technology at StorExcel. it gives us lots of options Blue Origin. NASA selected the solution that used Quantum for solving issues when “The video footage we collect is an irreplaceable StorNext 5 as the storage foundation and they come up, including asset that must be protected and retained, as IPV Curator as the media asset manager. well as being made available to a wide range StorNext Pro Studio offers an end-to-end use of the cloud and of different users at different locations, which workflow solution built with StorNext Q-Series object storage.” makes the management task particularly high-performance disk storage and an Jeff Wolfe challenging,” explains Wolfe. LTO-based StorNext AEL500 archive, which Communications system includes StorNext Storage Manager for data engineer, Abacus Technology SELECTING A DIGITAL WORKFLOW SOLUTION management. IPV Curator provides an end-to- FOR NASA end asset management layer that coordinates ABOUT NASA NASA’s key requirements for a 21st-century media production, editing, and content workflow solution were high performance, management. Also included in the final system Founded in 1958, the National automation, and scalability. Perhaps one were Telestream Vantage for transcoding and a Aeronautics and Space of the most critical was the capability to Brocade fabric switch. Administration (NASA) leads the download all the data from the cameras within With the new StorNext solution, all the cameras world in the science associated 24 hours of a launch. The new system would with aeronautics and space record the launch events digitally, and the content also need to easily scale to support future exploration in accordance with its is downloaded to the StorNext QXS-1200 high- missions and higher resolution formats. And it mission to reach for new heights performance RAID storage. As soon as the would need to work with existing media asset and reveal the unknown for the content is ingested, metadata is created and it management and workflow solutions used benefit of humankind. NASA is logged into the IPV media asset manager, and by other offices, including Apple Xsan. NASA conducts its work in four principal two copies are created in the Fibre Channel- needed to easily share data in an automated organizations, called mission ” attached StorNext AEL500 archive on LTO media. workflow, so it needed an integrated asset directorates. Aeronautics manages The primary disk copy is accessed by users management foundation. NASA’s data is research focused on meeting global directly while the files are active. As content ages irreplaceable—making thorough testing demand for air mobility in ways and becomes inactive, it is removed from the and evaluation of the entire system prior to that are more environmentally disk, but a copy remains available in the archive installation at Kennedy Space Center a key friendly and sustainable, while for users to access. With StorNext, files and priority. And NASA needed a cost-effective also embracing revolutionary metadata are visible through the media asset solution with a strong return on investment. technology from outside aviation. manager for all content, whether they are located Human Exploration and Operations “We wanted to be absolutely sure it could handle on disk or in the archive. For long-term retention, focuses on International Space the load we were going to throw at it,” says Wolfe, the second tape copy is removed from the library Station operations, development “and we wanted help and support during the and stored in a secure, off-line location. of commercial spaceflight installation phase to make sure that any issues capabilities, and human exploration “With StorNext, video files get into the system at that might come up could get resolved quickly.” beyond low-Earth orbit. Science high speed. Everything is protected immediately explores the Earth, solar system STORNEXT PRO, IPV, AND TELESTREAM so the data is safe and secure, and all the assets and universe beyond; charts the AUTOMATE WORKFLOW, PROTECTION, are available immediately to users using a single best route of discovery; and reaps AND RETENTION IPV management interface,” says Wolfe. the benefits of Earth and space A key partner on the project was veteran “StorNext is designed to give everyone faster exploration for society. And Space content and workflow integrator StorExcel, the access to the data, to make content searches Technology rapidly develops, designer and supplier for the NASA solution. and retrieval quick and easy, and to reduce the innovates, demonstrates, and “We wanted to give NASA a state-of-the-art amount of administration time. It’s a win on infuses revolutionary, high-payoff video workflow system based on best-of- every count.” technologies that enable NASA’s breed solutions that we knew would work well future missions while providing economic benefit to the nation.
www.quantum.com/customerstories CASE STUDY
Image courtesy of NASA
ABOUT STOREXCEL PRE-STAGING SIMPLIFIES SYSTEM Besides meeting the current ACCEPTANCE TESTING requirements at Kennedy Space Center, StorExcel is a reseller and systems The key to making the testing and the NASA team is looking ahead to the integrator that provides next- evaluation process run smoothly was next generation of storage challenges. generation content management the collaboration between Quantum and workflow automation “We know that we are going to see huge and StorExcel. Both companies worked solutions to meet the needs of increases in our storage requirements together to pre-stage the entire system for scale-out storage environments in the future,” Wolfe says, “with much acceptance prior to installation—validating in the public and private sector higher resolution formats, more users the storage system, and identifying markets. The company’s focus is needing access, and increased numbers and solving potential issues at the final on helping clients reduce their of missions, which use even more operational costs while accelerating installation site. cameras. One of the things that we like innovation with their business “Quantum gave us space in their about StorNext is that it gives us lots and mission-critical information. Englewood, Colorado facility to set up of options for solving issues when they StorExcel provides cost-optimized and configure the exact system that we come up, including use of the cloud and strategies, solutions and services would be installing so that we could object storage.” to complement current operations perform the factory acceptance testing with future extensibility and without interrupting any of the operations scalability for its clients. at Kennedy—it really worked well for us,” says Wolfe. “Since we had good test data from the system itself, when we saw performance differences at our site, it helped us identify issues that we needed to resolve.”
To contact your local sales office, please visit www.quantum.com
©2016 Quantum Corporation (NYSE:QTM). All rights reserved. Quantum, the Quantum logo, StorNext, and Xcellis are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Quantum Corporation and its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CS00387A-v01