The AMS-1 Milano Data Center

We present the implementation of the Milano Data Center (MDC), which stores data collected by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-l experiment, docked on the STS-91 Shuttle flight. We underline solutions and strategies adopted to cope with a 3 years project and a data set scaling both in size and datatypes, in an evolving computing environment. We show how using high level compiled and scripting languages and etherogeneous hardware equipment, we were able to deal with a total data sample of 500 GBytes. We also show how, by using an Oracle/sup (c)/ database, non-native data-types and APIs, we achieved a loading throughput at least twice the one obtained with standard techniques. Furthermore we discuss the "web-approach" used both to allow a transparent access to the data, as well as for administration and monitoring of the MDC. Finally, we briefly discuss its upgrade to MDC-2, which will deal with data collected by AMS-2 on the International Space Station, starting in year 2003.