Moving a repository of scholarly content to a cloud

Abstract

Purpose-This paper aims to describe the problems faced by MyAIS, an open access repository of scholarly content, the reasons for moving to a cloud infrastructure and the design of the system. Design/methodology/approach-MyAIS is supported by an IBM HS22V multiple blade server using virtualization technology. A single blade server runs both MyAIS's back-end that handles the processing of digital repository and front-end that handles the web server. The whole system runs on a Linux platform. The virtualized servers deliver an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) to the Faculty of Computer Science, University of Malaya researchers as well as students. Findings-Sharing resources in the cloud cuts maintenance cost and leaves a smaller carbon footprint due to its modular design. Virtualization makes it easy to monitor access traffic and usage of hardware resources on-the-fly. The scalability and expansion of MyAIS is improved. It allows for faster system recovery in case of hard disk failure and speedy file move during migration. Larger bandwidth improves reliability and management of bottlenecks. Research limitations/implications-There are still bottlenecks at the wide area network level resulting in sluggishness during peak hours. Practical implications-There is significant improvement in storage expansion through shared hardware resources. Originality/value-Cloud as an IaaS helps reduce the total cost of ownership and maintenance, increase system scalability to handle increased traffic, meet increasing demand for storage space for full text resources, and reduce downtime. It makes backup and disaster recovery easier. It is possible to accommodate other university repositories in future.

Digital disaster management in libraries in India

“…According to Zainab et al (2013) virtual machines provide better solutions for backup and disaster recovery. The paper by Decˇman and Vintar (2013) suggests a new solution for short-and long-term digital preservation for the public sector with the idea of a centralized digital preservation repository in the form of a community cloud, available to all public administration organizations.…”

Developing a Cloud Computing Framework for University Libraries

“…In the work of Zainab et al [28], it was reported that the first reason of shifting research report into cloud computing is to reduce the total cost of ownership and maintenance of the cloud infrastructure. Secondly, scalability of the cloud service system is another objective, so that it is able to handle increased traffic.…”

“…Based on the web traffic statistic, the average visit per month for the year 2012 is approximately 87,000 users and we expect the numbers will grow in the coming years as resources in the repository also grew. The high volume of transaction is causing The server to behave extremely sluggish and crashes frequently [28]. On the hand, migration is necessary in order to meet the increasing demand for storage space for full-text digital resources.…”