Haars0011: IA migration §6: new Data storage best practices (P2.14) (via create-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

2026-06-19T12:15:43Z

IA migration §6: new Data storage best practices (P2.14) (via create-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)

New page

A few practices that keep your data safe, your costs down, and the cluster fast for everyone. For the storage areas themselves, see [[Storage Systems Overview]].

== Put data in the right place ==

* Keep active compute data on [[Compute Storage|Lustre]] (<code>/lustre/nobackup</code> by default), not in your [[Home Directory|home directory]].
* Keep programs, scripts, and configuration — small, important files — in your home directory.
* Move data you have finished with, but want to keep, to [[Archival Storage|archival storage]].

== Protect what matters ==

* Know what is backed up and what is not — see [[Backup Policy]]. Treat <code>/lustre/nobackup</code> and <code>/lustre/scratch</code> as expendable.
* Keep your own copy of anything you cannot regenerate.

== Keep it tidy and cheap ==

* Clean up <code>/lustre/scratch</code> and node-local <code>/tmp</code> when you are done — scratch may be purged automatically, and storage is charged per TB (see [[Tariffs]]).
* Delete intermediate files you no longer need.
* Compress large datasets that you are keeping but rarely touch.

== Work efficiently ==

* Avoid creating very many tiny files; Lustre performs best with fewer, larger files.
* Do not run heavy I/O (including writing logs) against your home directory — use Lustre.

== See also ==
* [[Storage Systems Overview]]
* [[Backup Policy]]
* [[Quotas]]
* [[Archival Storage]]
* [[Data Transfer Best Practices]]

Data storage best practices - Revision history

Haars0011: IA migration §6: new Data storage best practices (P2.14) (via create-page on MediaWiki MCP Server)