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Overview
Lolo is UW's dedicated archival storage service designed for research data that needs to be retained long-term and accessed infrequently. It offers cost-effective, high-integrity storage with built-in redundancy and is ideal for safeguarding valuable research outputs over time.
Key Features
- Tape based using LTO-8 tape drives
- Optimized for larger, infrequently accessed files
- Fast access via SSH, ideal for files 100GB+
- Redundant storage across distinct data centers (4545 Building UW Seattle and TierPoint Spokane, WA)
- Connected to Hyak and campus via 10Gbps network
- Compatible with scripting and automation for bulk transfers
- Not optimized for small files - use archival formats like .tar to bundle data before upload
- Example use cases:
- Archiving project data post-publication
- Backing up HPC output from Hyak Klone, Tillicum GPU cluster, or Kopah S3 storage
- Grant-compliant long-term storage
- Retention of datasets for reproducibility
Business Model and Pricing
- $3.45 per TB per month
- Billed in 1TB increments
- Exempt from F&A costs
Get this Service
- Submit the Lolo Archive Intake Form
- New allocations under 10TB requested during business hours are typically provisioned same-day.
Eligibility
Lolo is available to:
- UW faculty, academic staff, and research units.
- UW affiliates supported by a sponsoring department.
- A UW worktag is required to enroll in this service.
Restrictions (HIPAA-regulated data)
By default, UWIT Research Computing services are not approved for use with HIPAA-regulated Protected Health Information (PHI), as data stored on our systems is not encrypted at rest. Use of PHI for research may be permitted only after a formal approval process reviewed and authorized by the UW Medicine Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), and any workflow—including data transfer or encryption applied by the user—must be approved in advance. Researchers should consult and use the UW Medicine–approved HIPAA Authorization template and review the COMP.103 Use and Disclosure of PHI policy for full requirements before requesting approval.
Complete UW Medicine Patient Information Privacy Policies
Support and Availability
User Support
Service Team Support
- Support hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT
- System availability: 24/7/365 (except during maintenance)
- Planned maintenance occurs monthly with extended windows quarterly
- Continuous infrastructure monitoring
Related Services
Questions