Upgrade of the CERI Student Computing Laboratory

University Of Memphis, Memphis TN

Investigators

Abstract

0949319 Withers This grant supports upgrade of the student research computational facilities at the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) at the University of Memphis. Specific equipment to be acquired includes: 1) an Apple dual quadcore Xserver with 12GB of RAM and 4TB of RAID5 disk storage; 2) 10 Apple MacPro workstations; 3) a 14 Tb file server; and 4) 4 Apple iMacs. CERI has an existing a Sun/Solaris network interconnected with UNIX Network Information Service (NIS) and Network File System (NFS) protocols, a PC/XP network interconnected with Microsoft Active Directory (AD) network services, and an Apple/OSX network that are not formally interconnected. The new Apple hardware and software will allow fully connectivity between the MacOSX and Solaris networks using standard UNIX tools including NIS and NFS. The student computing facilities upgrade will homogenize compute resources at CERI with faculty computational resources thus simplifying systems administration. The equipment will support student and PI research that relies on seismological and GPS geodetic observations for studies of crustal structure and lithospheric dynamics. Currently NSF-supported studies ranging from the U.S. mid-continent to Antarctica are poised to advance understanding of crustal structure in sparsely surveyed areas of the globe (vis. Antarctica), understanding of the effects of cryosphere and hydrological loading on the Patagonian crust and by inference crustal and upper mantle rheology, and improve our appreciation of seismic hazards and related mitigation strategies in the Mississippi River Valley. The computational equipment will be supported by two existing full time systems administrators. The equipment will support the research and research training objectives of two early career female geoscientists. ***