Malang – To maintain the performance of campus digital services and address the challenges of evolving data center infrastructure, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang, through its Center for Information Technology and Databases (PTIPD), is procuring high-capacity SSD (Solid State Drive) storage. This procurement will take place in August 2024.

This action was taken in response to a Lenovo V3700 storage device failure incident used in a campus production server system. On June 19, 2024, the storage system experienced an error in the left canister bay. Despite numerous repair efforts, the issue could not be resolved due to the device's age being over eight years old and limited end-of-sales support.

To prevent further damage and potential data loss, the PTIPD team immediately migrated all virtual machines (VMs) to two other storage devices: an IBM V5000 and a Dell EMC ME4024. However, the consequence was decreased service performance due to the mounting workload and dwindling disk capacity.

“"This condition is very risky if it continues, especially when the campus faces high burdens such as the implementation of KRS, accreditation, or system-based exams," said Ainur Rahmawati, S.Kom as the data center infrastructure coordinator at UIN Malang.

SSD technology was chosen for its ability to handle significantly higher IOPS (Input/Output Per Second) compared to conventional hard disk drives (HDDs). SSDs enable faster data access and higher reliability, making them ideal for applications such as database services, academic information systems, and institutional website access that require high read/write speeds.

Sixteen 25TB SSDs with 24Gbps SAS technology will be installed in Dell EMC ME4024 storage units with available expansion slots. These SSDs will be configured in RAID 10 mode, resulting in a total partition capacity of 12.8TB, which will be used to support the campus' main server.

This project is not only crucial for the continuity of the campus's digital services, but also directly impacts more than 21,000 active users, comprising approximately 2,000 lecturers and administrative staff and 19,000 students. Services such as e-learning, academic information systems, internal cloud storage, and financial and personnel applications rely heavily on the stable and reliable performance of the storage system.

This storage infrastructure enhancement is part of UIN Malang's commitment to building a modern and resilient Smart Campus. This step also aligns with the management standards of the Public Service Agency (BLU) and the university's vision of improving the quality of technology-based services.

“"The outcome of this project is not only about capacity, but also ensuring the availability of services and the integrity of campus data in the future," Abid concluded.