Canadian technology and architectural design will be put to the test in one of the harshest environments on earth, on the upcoming Kanatek-sponsored assault on Mount Everest .

When they arrive at base camp at 17,575 feet, the party of Canadian climbers and researchers from Ryerson University and the University of Ottawa will set up a wireless network with a satellite link back to Ottawa . The network will consist of wired and wireless laptops, including HP rugged laptops designed for harsh conditions. The network will be centered on an HP ProCurve switch which will allow the researchers to swap files and back up data on each others' laptops. Also included in the network is a video conference unit to allow visual communication with researchers back in Ottawa and Toronto.

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The Everest Base Camp network will be linked to a disaster recovery site at Kanatek Ottawa, via an ISDN satellite phone, where the data will be backed up and archived, to provide a robust infrastructure for data retention and disaster recovery. This means that the research data developed by the Universities has four levels of redundancy – the user's laptop, other laptops at base camp, the Backup server at Kanatek, Ottawa and the Backup tape library unit in Ottawa.

The architecture was designed by Kanatek Technologies, a Canadian Storage Integrator experienced in developing disaster recovery environments. A proof of concept was developed, before being tested in Kanatek's Ottawa laboratory. Training on the technology is being provided to three members of the expedition.

Kanatek is also providing back up and recovery services and disaster recovery services to an expedition from Brown University,
at Everest Base Camp, via satellite, to Kanatek's headquarters in Ottawa. Brown University is working with NASA to look at how different parts of the human brain contribute to the stable function of various parts of our cognitive and motor repertoire.