Systems-Facing Track – Oct 2026

Topic: NFS vs Parallel/Block Storage: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Stories

Nearly every research computing centre runs NFS, block/parallel storage, or both, and most of us have strong opinions about each. NFS is familiar and everywhere; parallel filesystems and block storage promise scale and throughput, usually with more complexity to operate. As workloads change, the question of what belongs where keeps coming back. Rather than a panel, this session leverages community perspectives. After a short overview, attendees will enter into one of two breakout rooms, one for NFS and one for block/parallel storage. Each room will pick a facilitator and a scribe, then spend 12-15 minutes building a list of strengths and weaknesses for its storage type, plus one key story or takeaway. Scribes will then report back to the full group, followed by a group debrief and discussion.

Facilitators:

– Jonathan Blaas, Staff HPC Operations Engineer, Lambda

– Dori Sajdak, Assistant Director, User Services, Center for Computational Research, University at Buffalo

– Chris Simmons, Scientist in Residence at Cambridge Computer

– Ben Nickell, HPC Systems Administrator, Information System Security Officer, Idaho National Laboratory

Breakout Rooms:

– Room 1: NFS

– Room 2: Block/Parallel Storage