The IGOR File System for Efficient Data Distribution in the GRID

Many GRID applications such as drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry or simulations in meteorology and generally in the earth sciences rely on large data bases. Historically, these data bases are flat files on the order of several hundred megabytes each. Today, sites often need to download dozens or hundreds of such files before they can start a simulation or analysis run, even if the respective application accesses only small fractions of the respective files. The IGOR file system (which has been developed within the EU FP6 SIMDAT project), addresses the need for an easy and efficient way to access large files across the Internet. IGOR-FS is especially suited for (potentially globally) distributed sites that read or modify only small portions of the files. IGOR-FS provides fine grained versioning and backup capabilities; and it is built on strong cryptography to protect confidential data both in the network and on the local sites storage