Oh but memory is a problem =E2=80=93 but not i=
f you have just a small cluster of machines!



Our boxes are larger than that =E2=80=93 but they all run virtual machine {=
only a small proportion web related} =E2=80=93 machines/memory would rapidl=
y become in our data centre - we run VMWARE [995 hosts] and openstack [10,0=
00s of hosts] + a selection of large memory machines
{measured in TBs of memory per machine }.



We would be looking at somewhere between 0.5 PB and 1 PB of memory =E2=80=
=93 not just the price of buying that amount of memory - for many machines =
we need the fastest memory money can buy for the workload, but we would nee=
d a lot more CPUs then we currently have as
we would need a larger amount of machines to have 64GB virtual machines {w=
e would get 2 VMs per host. We currently have approx. 1-2000 CPUs running o=
ur hardware (last time I had a figure) =E2=80=93 it would probably need to =
go to approximately 5-10,000!

It is not just the initial outlay but the environmental and financial cost =
of running that number of machines, and finding space to run them without p=
utting the cooling costs through the roof!! That is without considering wha=
t additional constraints on storage
having the extra machines may have (at the last count a year ago we had ov=
er 30 PBytes of storage on side =E2=80=93 and a large amount of offsite bac=
kup.



We would also stretch the amount of power we can get from the national grid=
to power it all - we currently have 3 feeds from different part of the nat=
ional grid (we are fortunately in position where this is possible) and the =
dedicated link we would need to
add more power would be at least 50 miles long!



So - managing cores/memory is vitally important to us =E2=80=93 moving to t=
he cloud is an option we are looking at =E2=80=93 but that is more than 4 t=
imes the price of our onsite set-up (with substantial discounts from AWS) a=
nd would require an upgrade of our existing link
to the internet =E2=80=93 which is currently 40Gbit of data (I think).



Currently we are analysing a very large amounts of data directly linked to =
the current major world problem =E2=80=93 this is why the UK is currently b=
eing isolated as we have discovered and can track a new strain, in near rea=
l time =E2=80=93 other countries have no ability
to do this =E2=80=93 we in a day can and do handle, sequence and analyse m=
ore samples than the whole of France has sequenced since February. We proba=
bly don=E2=80=99t have more of the new variant strain than in other areas o=
f the world =E2=80=93 it is just that we know we have because
of the amount of sequencing and analysis that we in the UK have done. <=
/u>