Investigating an Open Source Cloud Storage Infrastructure for CERN-specific Data Analysis

We present a first case study where an open source storage cloud based on Openstack - SWIFT is used for handling data from CERN experiments using the ROOT software framework. This type of storage clouds promise to be easy to deploy and provide transparent access to data using standardized protocols. We examine the scalability and performance of the system using test cases which are derived from the normal usage and the structure of the ROOT software. The results show that cloud solutions like the SWIFT storage system could fulfill the requirements by the CERN scientific community. To verify this, a more extensive effort with many more tests and use-cases is needed. However, the impact of providing alternate storage solutions is large and further work is motivated.