SMA Technical Memo #138
As the MIT/SAO correlator comes on line, the maximum data production rate from the Submillimeter Array (SMA) on Mauna Kea in Hawaii could reach up to 2.75 Mbytes per sampling. For a typical integration time of 10 sec, the daily data production rate of the SMA would be 20 Gbytes/day. The raw SMA visibility data is required to be accessible to the scientists at both CfA in Cambridge and ASIAA in Taipei as well as eventually the international astronomical community. How to archive the data and manage the database will become a challenging issue to the SMA project. A good solution by utilizing the existing resources can be achieved. In this memo, we present the state of the art design for the SMA Astronomical Data Archive and Storage System. The detailed description on the development in the archiving software is also provided. The hardware devices required for implementing the massive data storage system are reviewed and evaluated based on the current technology and their market performance.