80PB High-Density Archive for a Government Agency
JetStor and Western Digital partnered to deliver a highly secure, 80PB Fibre Channel archive for a government agency using WD 26TB drives and a modular POD architecture.
The organization
Download solution PDFA government agency responsible for handling highly sensitive, long-term data archives. Due to strict security protocols and the classified nature of the data, the organization remains anonymous. Their operations require enterprise-grade, deterministic storage solutions capable of petabyte-scale growth without compromising network stability or data integrity.
The challenge
The agency needed to build a massive 80PB long-horizon archive that could scale continuously without disrupting the active production network. The platform had to remain off the main network, behave predictably at scale, and allow capacity expansion in known increments.
The primary challenge was delivering a resilient architecture that eliminated downtime risk during maintenance and growth, while avoiding constant redesigns or repeated staff retraining as the data footprint expanded.
The solution
JetStor, leveraging its partnership with Western Digital, architected a modular POD-based site design running on dedicated dual Fibre Channel paths for complete fabric isolation.
Anchored by Western Digital Ultrastar 26TB SAS enterprise media, the solution created a dense and stable foundation for long-horizon archiving. Scaling was achieved by adding fully standardized PODs, while the dual A/B fabric design ensured steady behavior, multipath resilience, and straightforward serviceability. One fabric could remain live while the other was serviced, preventing disruptions.
System configuration
22 Active PODs
- 22x JetStor XS3324D head units (with Fibre Channel cards)
- 110x 4U / 24-bay JBODs
- 3,200x Western Digital Ultrastar® 26TB SAS drives
- Total capacity: ~80PB raw deployed
Per POD Makeup
- 1x JetStor XS3324D head unit
- 5x JBODs
- ~3.5PB raw and ~24U per POD
Network Fabric
- Dual 16/32G Brocade Fibre Channel (A/B)
- Configured for fabric isolation and deterministic access
Benefits Immediately realized
This architecture delivered exceptional density and operational safety, purpose-built for massive archive workloads.
- Zero downtime: One fabric stayed live while the other was serviced, preventing operational disruption.
- Seamless scaling: Standardized PODs enabled growth to 80PB without redesigns.
- Predictable expansion: Capacity increased in fixed POD steps with known power and space impact.
- Proven blueprint: A repeatable site pattern shortened planning and ensured long-term consistency.
How we did it
Deployment followed controlled milestones to ensure zero disruption.
First, the team initialized the dual A/B fabric (Brocade 16/32G Fibre Channel) and cabled the first JetStor head. Next, the system scaled methodically by adding 5 JBODs per POD, dual-attaching them to both fabrics.
Milestone validation ensured stability at each stage:
- At 5 PODs: Zones were extended and dual-path verification was completed.
- At 11 PODs: A/B lanes were balanced and the topology was snapshotted for stability.
- At 22 PODs: Zoning was finalized, delivering a fully operational ~80PB raw archive.
About
About the Client
A large-scale government agency requiring highly secure, massive-scale data preservation for long-horizon archiving.
About JetStor
Founded in 1994, JetStor delivers enterprise storage solutions for modern workloads across commercial and public-sector environments. From all-flash arrays to large-scale archives, JetStor focuses on performance, scalability, and operational reliability.
About Western Digital
Western Digital builds the platforms and media that help customers capture, preserve, access, and transform an ever-increasing diversity of data.
Conclusion
By standardizing on a proven POD-based blueprint featuring JetStor XS3324D head units and Western Digital Ultrastar 26TB SAS drives, the agency successfully deployed a secure ~80PB raw archive with predictable, repeatable expansion and zero-downtime serviceability.
We chose Western Digital 26TB drives to deliver the best balance of reliability, capacity, and density per rack. In our experience, WD drives have been extremely dependable, consistently offering the lowest RMA rates in the industry. This ensures our customers receive the highest performance and peace of mind with every deployment.
— Gene Leyzarovich, Founder of JetStor
