StorNext also includes optional data movement functionality to reduce retention costs, without sacrificing accessibility.  Using Quantum’s iMover technology, StorNext migrates assets from primary disk to lower cost storage tiers including tape, disk, and de-duplication storage. 

StorNext also virtualizes storage tiers so that data movement is non-disruptive and staff never have to worry about where data is located.  In the end, you get the cost savings of mass storage without the hassle and delays of going back to source tapes when you need to access content.  And with integrated data protection functions, you can automatically clone files and send them offsite for data protection.

When you need to share Xsan content faster and across more applications, StorNext FX is the solution.  Designed specifically for Xsan customers, StorNext FX software enables creative staff to attach their Windows, Linux, and UNIX servers directly to an Apple Xsan.  Now anyone can quickly and easily utilize Xsan content without the need for cumbersome copying and transport of files between servers.

More Information:

• StorNext FX –  See how you can share content between your Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Server systems and non-Apple based applications from Autodesk, Adobe, Imgaineer, and others. Learn More.

• Xsan – Visit the Apple site and see how Apple is using Xsan to simplify and speed up content sharing in Mac environments. Learn More.

Quantum's Pro Video “A Series” – now including the LTO-3 Drive and SuperLoader 3A Autoloader -- are the first data tape solutions enhanced for professional video and today’s file-based workflows. These scalable archive solutions offer 300 GB to 6.4 TB of removable networked storage and a tape-based file system that is MXF-aware.

Each 400 GB tape cartridge holds more than 7 hours of 100 Mb/sec HD content and carries its own file system directory, allowing direct drag and drop access by any application under any OS. With built-in Gigabit Ethernet capability, “A Series” drives and Superloaders are network-attached, permitting direct access by workstations and servers on standard IT networks. Being content aware for MXF files, enables the A-Series solution to provide video tape-like access to content by time code for sub clip creation and fast access to key metadata stored with each file on the data tape.

• File-based Workflows for Professional Video Archives
• Archiving to MXF-Aware Data Tape in an Avid Unity Environment
• Archiving to MXF-Aware Data Tape in an Avid TransferManager Environment
• Professional Video Archiving to Data Tape in an Apple Mac OSX Environment

If you’re looking for an efficient way to share content among creative staff, odds are you’ve researched NAS (network attached storage), virtualization appliances, and even simple network shares for your workstations.  But have you considered a file system?

While it may not be immediately apparent, all the solutions mentioned above leverage file systems.  The overall feature set may vary between products, but at the heart of each is a file system that allows users to share content across multiple systems.  For the most part, these file systems are tuned for office files, not media files.  So the question arises:

Do you need a file system designed especially for sharing media content?

A file system is a structure for storing and organizing content.  Every system from a high end SGI graphics server to a Macintosh laptop has one.  File systems can be looked at from two view points – a user view and a system view.  From a user stand point, file systems like EXT3, HFS, or NTFS allow artists to build directory structures, set access permissions, and store files on their workstations.

From a system view, file systems help manage the disk capacity (internal drives, SAN volumes, etc) used to store creative content.  Whether its raw footage from ingest, digital intermediaries, or a final cut for distribution, a file system is responsible for helping organizing how and where content is stored on disk to enable quick data access and efficient use of capacity.

In general, file systems are mounted and owned by a single workstation at a given time (Windows box ABC owns D:\).  This configuration allows a workstation to read / write content very quickly, but it is only available to that system – another artist cannot easily access the content.  This creates not only a data sharing issue but, in larger environments, a consolidation issue because each user has their own storage which may not be fully utilized or may store content duplicated on other workstations.

When content needs to be utilized by multiple individuals or there is a demand for storage consolidation, a special type of file system called a network file system can be used to provide many artists with shared access to single content repository.  Network file systems accomplish this by using IP communication protocols that enable multiple workstations to “see” an access point on a server and read / write content stored there.

Network file systems come in a variety of forms, but the most commonly used are NFS, a network file system for Unix and Linux, and CIFS, a network file system for Windows.  For simple data sharing, NFS and CIFS are very attractive because they come pre-installed within their respective OS platforms so that all a user typically needs to do to share data with other artists is enable network sharing and configure a mount point for users to access.

While network shares on artists’ workstations may be suitable for infrequent, small content transfers between two artists, they do not scale well over time or provide a centralized repository for content management.  For this, users often employ NAS.  NAS appliances serve as a centralized data share and utilize optimized versions of NFS and CIFS to accomplish the same functions as simple network shares, but with additional valued added services like snapshots and replication. 

For small shops NAS can act as a hub where content is stored and shared between artists, but it does not scale well.  As content files get larger (e.g. HD content or large media files), need to be shared among more artists, or require low latency access for streaming media, NFS and CIFS are often insufficient (50 – 70 MB/s generally for NFS, 35 MB/s generally for CIFS over Gigabit Ethernet connections).

For larger files or content that requires low latency, high speed throughput a different solution is required.  To meet these needs shared file systems were developed.  A shared file system is a special version of file system designed specifically for high performance content sharing.  For example, a shared file system could allow 10s to 100s of artists to access a single pool of content at speeds scaling from 100s of MBps to multiple-GBps of throughput per workstation.

Like NAS, shared file systems create a central hub for storing and sharing content, but instead of requiring an appliance through which all data is sent, a shared file system gives every server direct access to a content pool.  This eliminates issues with performance scaling and allows users to utilize different access methods like FC, fibre channel, to get better throughput.

Shared file systems do however require software to be installed on each workstation that will access the centralized content pool.  This software sits on the workstation and coordinates access among all the other workstations sharing content.  The shared file system also provides applications with transparent access.  The application, whether it is from Autodesk, Apple, or another vendor, will access content on the shared file system in the same was it accesses content on a local file system (e.g. NTFS, HFS, EXT3) thus preventing additional complexity.

Simple shared file systems are homogeneous, allowing many servers of a single OS type (usually Linux) to share the file system.  While this can be sufficient in small environments, it lacks scalability within organizations that have servers running different operating systems (Windows, Linux, UNIX, etc.).  This is especially true in media organizations where a workflow will consist of applications running on high end UNIX platforms and a mix of Windows, Linux, and Macs.  Heterogeneous shared file systems enable multiple servers to access a common disk repository regardless of OS type.

Depending on the vendor, there are additional things that a shared file system will provide to enable increased throughput for digital workflows.  These include:

• Clustering for performance and reliability
• Separation of data and metadata
• Steering to different disk types (SATA, SAS, FC) based on performance / reliability requirements
• FC, iSCSI, and IP LAN access
• Extension to digital archiving

For more information on StorNext, a heterogeneous shared file system click here.