Arizona Research Labs is now rolling out the new ALICE (Arizona Lifesciences Information Cataloging Environment) system.  This document outlines the various functions of ALICE to provide a better understanding of what the system is and how it can be used. 

Understanding the Arizona Research Labs ALICE System

Arizona Research Labs is now rolling out the new ALICE (Arizona Lifesciences Information Cataloging Environment) system.  This document outlines the various functions of ALICE to provide a better understanding of what the system is and how it can be used. 

The ALICE system is a three-tier data management system designed to ensure the safety, security, and accessibility of computer data within ARL.  The three primary functions of the system are backup, archive, and shared network storage. 

Backup:

The first and most important function of the ALICE system is to provide a stable backup platform for ARL computers.  This portion of the system performs daily backups of ARL computers, effectively maintaining a “mirror image” copy of all data stored on the computers.  Should a computer connected to the ALICE system suffer catastrophic data loss due to hardware failure or virus attacks, all lost computer data can be restored in entirety to its original location. 

Archive:

The second function of the ALICE system is to archive historical data for secure long-term storage.  Using the archive function, important project data that is no longer in active use can be sent to storage archives where the data is retained indefinitely in a secure location. 

Using this function eliminates the need for creating CD libraries of historical data.  It also helps to free up hard drive space on local computers by allowing historical data to be off-loaded to the ALICE server and then erased from the local computer.  All archived data can be retrieved from the system at any time should it be needed.  

Shared network storage:

The phrase “Shared network storage” refers to a very large active hard drive space contained within the ALICE system that is quickly and easily accessible.  This shared data storage space is so easily accessible that files can be “drag-and-dropped” to it or even saved to it directly without ever storing the files on a local computer’s hard drive. 

Within the ALICE system, there are a series of high-performance hard disks which are similar to the one in your desktop computer.  These hard drives work and act like just like any other hard drive with one notable exception: they are accessible via the local area network.  This means that multiple computers can utilize these hard drives simultaneously. 

In order to use this hard disk array, ARL computers connect directly to a specified “shared” location that is stored on the hard drives.  In this way, the remote ALICE hard disks can be used on ARL computers as though they were directly connected to the computer. 

There are three major advantages to using this network storage space instead of storing files on a local hard drive.  First, all data stored on the shared network space is automatically backed up each day.  This ensures continued safety of current project data.  Second, the shared network space can be accessed from any authorized ARL computer.  It can even be accessed by multiple computers at the same time for multi-user and collaborative purposes.  Finally, the data can be actively accessed by Macintosh, Windows, and Linux platforms simultaneously for easy collaboration in ARL’s multi-platform environment.