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Lolo Information

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 Capabilities​

  • 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 in distinct geographic zones (4545 Building UW Seattle and TierPoint Spokane, WA)
  • Connected to Hyak and campus via 10Gbps network
  • Compatible with scripting and automation for bulk transfers

Example Use Cases​

  • Archiving project data post-publication
  • Backing up HPC output from Hyak or Kopah
  • Grant-compliant long-term storage
  • Retention of datasets for reproducibility

Cost​

  • $3.45 per TB per month
  • Billed in 1TB increments
  • Exempt from F&A costs
  • New allocations under 10TB are typically provisioned same-day

If you are unsure if Lolo is right for you, use the Research Computing Consulting Intake Form to connect with the UW-IT Research Computing team for guidance on selecting the right computing service.

Eligibility, Access, and Restrictions​

  • Eligibility: Lolo is available to UW faculty, staff, and affiliates with a valid UW NetID and appropriate worktags.
  • Requesting Access: Eligible users can request access through the Lolo Archive Intake Form.
  • Lolo is not HIPAA compliant, it is "HIPAA aligned", which means that it offers the tools, such as unix file permissions, encryption tools like GPG, and SSH for secure transmission. It is the customer's sole responsibility to maintain their data in HIPAA compliance on Lolo, not the responsibility of UWIT.

Storage Limits​

  • Not optimized for small files. Use archival formats like .tar to bundle data before upload (e.g., combine multiple small files into .tar or .zip archives before upload to comply with inode quotas).
  • The inode quota is 1,000 files per 1 TB of storage purchased

Support​