Transition plan

As part of our Data Centre move we have started the installation of ECPDS, the ECMWF Production Data Store, in Bologna. ECPDS, which is described in a Newsletter article, takes care of both the dissemination and acquisition of data. For the migration of dissemination services we are currently considering two options: 

1. A gradual migration of individual data streams starting approximately 2 weeks before the switch-over of the operational forecast
2. A switch-over of all data streams at the same time as the switch-over of the operational forecast

We will confirm at a later date which option will be used.

To prepare for an operational ECPDS in Bologna, expected for October 2022, we are asking recipients of operational data to do the following.  

Please note that the operational forecast will continue to originate from our Reading Data Centre until the operational switch on 18 October 2022. 

Indicative timeline 

The operational switch-over is currently expected for 18 October 2022. The migration of dissemination users to the ECPDS in Bologna is scheduled to happen in October, close to, or on the day of the operational forecast switch-over. We will update this page with full details of the migration plan and dates shortly.

Action required by dissemination users/sites

Dissemination of test data in September 2022

Following the announcement of the release candidate test data, we are offering users scheduled test dates to receive test products from the Bologna Data Centre. 

Who is this test for?

This test is available to users who:

• • Receive data via internet or RMDCN dissemination AND
  • Receive any of the products listed on the Release Candidate Phase page

If you are unsure about your eligibility, please contact our Data Support Team through the Support Portal. Please note that ecaccess installation is still in progress and is not yet ready for testing.

Why are we doing theses tests? 

The release candidate test data is now available  and can be accessed at any time. The purpose of these important scheduled tests is to simulate operations and network performance. As this test is only meaningful if as many users as possible participate, we strongly encourage all users to take part.  However, we cannot guarantee the consistency of transfer rates. 

If you are unable to participate in these tests, please contact our Data Support Team through the Support Portal to arrange an alternative date.

How the tests will work

For all interested users, we will push test data to your hosts from the ECMWF Product Data Store (ECPDS) in Bologna, Italy.

• • Test data will be produced from your operational requirements. 
  • Test data will be uploaded to your operational hosts. We can transfer the test data to different hosts and directories upon request.
  • To avoid overwriting your operational data, the filenames will end with '77'.
  • Data will be transferred close to the normal operational schedule, though we can delay the dissemination of these products upon request. However, please note that the release candidate data is not yet operational and we cannot guarantee the availability of these products.

Please note, this is only test data and should not be used for operational purposes. You will continue to receive your operational data from Reading, UK during these tests. After the operational switch-over on 18 October your operational data will originate from the Bologna data centre.

Please refer to the table below for the dates/runs that we are offering to disseminate automatically to users. If you would like test data to be sent to your host for the entire week, please let us know.

*Seasonal data is not yet available to test. Please refer to the Release Candidate Phase page to be notified when this data becomes available for testing.

What do I need to do before the test?

Please contact the Data Support Team via the support portal at least 5 working days before the test date to confirm:

1. 1. If you would like to be included in some or all of these tests
   2. If you would like to receive the test files to a different host and/or directory 
   3. If you would like to receive the test files with a delay, so that they do not interfere with your operational delivery

Please also ensure that you have made the necessary changes to your firewall to receive data from our Bologna Data Centre. If you have previously made these changes and successfully received our test files in January and March, no further action is required. If you have not made these changes and/or did not receive these test files, please refer to our setup instructions below and take prompt action.

What do I need to do on test day?

For users with access to the ECMWF Product Data Store (ECPDS), you can track the progress of transfers through the following test interface in Bologna https://xdiss-monitor.ecmwf.int/do/start. If you require any assistance, please contact our Data Support Team through the Support Portal.

What should I do in case of problems?

Please be aware that you may notice different transfer rates compared with your usual rates from Reading. You may wish to consider receiving the test products with a delay to avoid overlap with your operational dissemination. If you experience unusually slow transfers, or wish to stop the test, please contact our Data Support Team through our Support Portal.

We encourage users to follow the ECMWF Service Status page, where all updates will be posted. We do not anticipate any issues with these tests, but we will keep users informed and reserve the right to cancel these tests at any time.

Thank you for your ongoing participation and preparations for our migration to Bologna. To stay informed of any updates to our testing and migration timeline, please watch this page.

Setup Instructions

Dissemination via the Internet or RMDCN

Please update your firewall rules ASAP to accept connections from our new IP addresses used in Bologna, Italy. You may need to consult with your organisation’s network or firewall administrators. Please note that if no action is taken, you risk not receiving ECMWF real-time data when we migrate operations to Bologna, Italy (currently scheduled for October 2022).

Internet:

• • 136.156.192.0/26
  • 136.156.193.0/26

RMDCN:

• • 136.156.196.0/26
  • 136.156.197.0/26

Please note that for ftp we support the following ports:
21 (standard)
2121 (non standard)

For sftp we support:
22 (standard)
2222 (non standard)

Please prepare these changes to your hosts, including any backup hosts, and ensure to keep the current firewall rules in place to allow connections from our Reading Data Centre subnets until its decommissioning in the third quarter of 2022.

Once you have prepared these changes, please contact the Data Support Team via our Support Portal so that we can arrange to test connectivity to your hosts.

Dissemination via ecaccess or LAN

Our installations are not yet complete in Bologna. We will update this page shortly to inform users when these services are available for testing. Please 'watch' this page to be notified of updates.

Dissemination via data pull (you download the data yourself)

Please try connecting to the host diss.ecmwf.int with the same credentials that you use to access ECPDS in Reading:

• • https://diss.ecmwf.int
  • sftp <userid>@diss.ecmf.int
  • ftp diss.ecmwf.int

Please let us know if you encounter any issues by raising a ticket via our Support Portal. In the meantime, please ensure that you keep downloading your data from dissemination.ecmwf.int, which remains operational in Reading, UK. We will contact users closer to the migration date to inform you when your operational data will be migrated to Bologna, Italy at diss.ecmwf.int.