Ali R. Butt

"Rethinking Storage Space Management in High-Performance Computing Centers"

Modern scientific applications, such as computer models for analyzing data from particle colliders or space observatories, process data that is exponentially growing in size. High-performance computing (HPC) centers that support such applications are now faced with a data deluge, which can no longer be managed using ad hoc approaches in use today. Consequently, a fundamental reevaluation of the data management tools and techniques is required. In this talk, I will describe a fresh approach to HPC storage space management, especially for the center scratch space --- a high speed storage used for servicing currently running and soon to run applications --- which effectively treats the storage as a tiered cache and provide comprehensive integrated storage management. I will discuss how the caching model is achieved, and how its mechanisms are supported through just-in-time staging and timely offloading of data. Finally, I will show how this approach can also mitigate the effects of center storage failures. The overall goal is to improve HPC center serviceability and resource utilization.

Bio: Ali R. Butt is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Virginia Tech, USA. Ali received the Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University in 2006. His research interests are in experimental computer systems, especially in file and storage systems. His current work focuses on I/O and storage issues of modern High Performance Computing systems and data-intensive computing. Ali is the recipient of NSF CAREER Award (2008), IBM Faculty Award (2008), and a Virginia Tech College of Engineering "Outstanding New Assistant Professor" Award (2009).