[Go-essp-tech] +2Gb CMIP5 files

Nathan Wilhelmi wilhelmi at ucar.edu
Tue May 18 08:55:14 MDT 2010


Hi All,
   
    Here is a nice table summarizing the various Windows file system 
limits. http://www.ntfs.com/ntfs_vs_fat.htm

-Nate*
*
stephen.pascoe at stfc.ac.uk wrote:
> I've done some testing of these file limits this afternoon and I don't
> think the filesystems will be a problem.
>
> >From Wikipedia it appears the FAT32 file system has a 4Gb limit
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Allocation_Table).  That covers
> Windows 95 onwards but my Windows XP box is NTFS and has no problem with
> +4Gb files.  Similarly my 32-bit linux laptop (recent ubuntu) can handle
> +4Gb files.
>
> Looks like anyone with a reasonably modern system will be able to handle
> +4Gb files.  We may have more problems with old NetCDF library versions.
>
> S.
>
> ---
> Stephen Pascoe  +44 (0)1235 445980
> British Atmospheric Data Centre
> Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: go-essp-tech-bounces at ucar.edu
> [mailto:go-essp-tech-bounces at ucar.edu] On Behalf Of
> ag.stephens at stfc.ac.uk
> Sent: 18 May 2010 09:31
> To: taylor13 at llnl.gov; go-essp-tech at ucar.edu
> Cc: doutriaux1 at llnl.gov
> Subject: Re: [Go-essp-tech] +2Gb CMIP5 files
>
> Dear Karl,
>
> Whether we think it's advisable or not, I'm sure that some of the wider
> CMIP5 user community will be looking at the outputs on Windows. I think
> it is sensible to set a 2GB file size limit.
>
> Regards,
>
> Ag 
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: go-essp-tech-bounces at ucar.edu
> [mailto:go-essp-tech-bounces at ucar.edu] On Behalf Of Karl Taylor
> Sent: 17 May 2010 18:45
> To: go-essp-tech at ucar.edu
> Cc: Doutriaux, Charles
> Subject: Re: [Go-essp-tech] +2Gb CMIP5 files
>
> Dear all,
>
> CMOR has code already in place for checking whether a file exceeds 2 GB,
> but it is currently turned off (it was turned on for CMIP3).  We thought
> it was now unnecessary.  If the feeling is that there will be users
> downloading CMIP5 files to windows machines using older operating
> systems, I suppose that limiting CMIP5 files to whatever the limit is (2
> GB or 4 GB -- does anyone know which it is?) might be wise.
>
> On the other hand, will anyone use a windows machine to look at netCDF
> files?  If not, maybe this is a non-issue.
>
> Karl
>
> On 5/16/10 12:08 PM, stephen.pascoe at stfc.ac.uk wrote:
>   
>> I think I raised undue alarm here when suggesting we might be dealing
>>     
> with +2GB files.  Thanks Phil for clarifying that UKMO is still planning
> to limit itself to<2GB files.
>   
>> I am wondering what the policy should be here?  My first thought is
>>     
> that modeling centres will mainly make the same decision as UKMO since
> it is in their interest for their model output to be widely used.
> However, enforcement could be difficult.  The logical place to enforce
> the limit is in the level 1 QC but CMOR doesn't do this so it will be a
> problem for people running datanodes.
>   
>> I suggest we make a strong recommendation to supply data in<2GB files
>>     
> and enforce it during level-2 QC before replicating.
>   
>> S.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: go-essp-tech-bounces at ucar.edu on behalf of Michael 
>> Lautenschlager
>> Sent: Sun 5/16/2010 1:35 PM
>> To: V. Balaji
>> Cc: go-essp-tech at ucar.edu
>> Subject: Re: [Go-essp-tech] +2Gb CMIP5 files
>>
>> Hello *,
>>
>> we strongly support Phils decision for data files less than 2 GB. We 
>> made decision in Hamburg for the same reasons because we cannot expect
>>     
>
>   
>> that all users use 64 Bit systems. Most Windows environments are still
>>     
>
>   
>> running with 32 Bits.
>>
>> Best wishes, Michael
>>
>> ---------------
>> Dr. Michael Lautenschlager
>>
>> German Climate Computing Centre (DKRZ) World Data Center Climate
>> (WDCC)
>> ADDRESS: Bundesstrasse 45a, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany
>> PHONE:   +4940-460094-118
>> E-Mail:  lautenschlager at dkrz.de
>>
>> URL:    http://*www.*dkrz.de/
>>           http://*www.*wdc-climate.de/
>>
>> V. Balaji schrieb:
>>    
>>     
>>> If I understood correctly the most serious 2Gb problem is with
>>>       
> apache!
>   
>>> Bentley, Philip writes:
>>>
>>>      
>>>       
>>>> Hi Stephen,
>>>>
>>>> Yes, that's true, we did create a small number of test netCDF files 
>>>> in that size range. But this was because the CMOR library we used at
>>>>         
>
>   
>>>> the time didn't include functionality for chunking the output into 
>>>> smaller files. Plus we wanted to stress-test our pipeline!
>>>>
>>>> Two things have happened since then:
>>>>
>>>> 1. Jamie has been working with Charles at PCMDI to implement and 
>>>> test a solution whereby we can limit the size of the output netCDF 
>>>> files produced by CMOR.
>>>>
>>>> 2. We have made the local decision to limit our netCDF file sizes to
>>>>         
>
>   
>>>> 2 GB (or thereabouts) as, logistically, that will cause us less 
>>>> headache moving these files around, and it should maximise the 
>>>> number of client applications in which the files can be read.
>>>>
>>>> IIRC, I think Balaji mentioned that the 64-bit offset format was 
>>>> required for output from the gridspec toolset. I could be wrong.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>> Phil
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>         
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: go-essp-tech-bounces at ucar.edu 
>>>>> [mailto:go-essp-tech-bounces at ucar.edu] On Behalf Of 
>>>>> stephen.pascoe at stfc.ac.uk
>>>>> Sent: 14 May 2010 10:52
>>>>> To: go-essp-tech at ucar.edu
>>>>> Subject: [Go-essp-tech] +2Gb CMIP5 files
>>>>>
>>>>> The latest UKMO extraction for CMIP5 has produced some files in the
>>>>>           
>
>   
>>>>> 30Gb range.  We had discussed previously the assumption that all 
>>>>> files would be<2Gb.  Do we feel it is important to enforce a<2Gb 
>>>>> limit or should this just be a recommendation on modelling centres?
>>>>>
>>>>> To my knowledge there is two issues with +2Gb files:
>>>>>
>>>>>   1. +2GB NetCDF files will be in 64-bit offset format.
>>>>> Therefore NetCDF libraries prior to v3.6 will not be able to read 
>>>>> them.
>>>>>   2. Older file systems may have a 2Gb file limit. This will mainly
>>>>>           
>
>   
>>>>> affect 32-bit systems that are a few years old. FAT32 has a 4Gb 
>>>>> limit.
>>>>>
>>>>> These are end-user issues, is there any reason why the ESG software
>>>>>           
>
>   
>>>>> might have problems with files over 2Gb?  If we do want to ensure 
>>>>> files are<2Gb do we want to mandate the modelling centres deliver 
>>>>> that or will the data centres need to split files?
>>>>>
>>>>> Stephen.
>>>>>
>>>>> ---
>>>>> Stephen Pascoe  +44 (0)1235 445980
>>>>> British Atmospheric Data Centre
>>>>> Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
>>>>> --
>>>>> Scanned by iCritical.
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> GO-ESSP-TECH mailing list
>>>>> GO-ESSP-TECH at ucar.edu
>>>>> http://*mailman.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/go-essp-tech
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>           
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>>>      
>>>       
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>>     
>
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