The dangers of NETWORKS??

Is it (and I think it is but I need expert advice) dangerous to have a network running through a computer with editing software? My machine is a G5 with FCP 4.5 and it is behaving badly after a network (connected to the web) crisis.
I was always told never have a network on a computer system running your editing software but thought maybe things have changed.

I am constantly on the web

I also used to have 2 edit suites hooked up to a PC & Mac network - no problems on the Mac network and no problems on the PC network except for when the PC network crashed or got viruses - but my Macs just kept going regardless.

If you are worried - don't be.

I think you are thinking back to the Old Mac OS 8 & 9 days when running Avid on a network was a total no no - mainly because there was a lot of viruses and not much good security and the hardware would 'hang' if you tried to multitask like transferring a file whilst digitising, etc.

Mac OS X is a different beast and the systems are all capable of running multiple processes at once.

In fact on my Dual 2Ghz G5 I can simultaneously:

Digitise DV or SD video

Browse the Web

Upload files to the web

Listen to iTunes

Convert MP3 or AAC in iTunes

Render in After Effects

Transfer files over a network

Transfer files from one disk to another

Burn a CD or DVD


Of course I don't do this all the time - but see just how far you can push your system before worrying about whether a simple network connection will bring it down.

The main thing is to set up your firewall properly - check Mac Help in your Macs finder menu or there are loads of articles online about this should you need advice.


Ben





For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

<< it is behaving badly after a network (connected to the web) crisis.>>>

What sort of crisis?

All of our machines are connected to the building network. We routinely shovel data files, QuickTimes, reference stills, etc, etc between ourselves and the many other machines in the building.

We're not as adventurous as Mr, King, but we do all of those things one after the other.

We are on the Gig-E network now along with the Flames and Infernos. We do have something you don't have. We have an industrial grade Core Switch and three people watching the firewall, however that's for 700 machines

All that activity and we've never experienced problems with normal Final Cut jobs--at least nothing we cound trace back to the network.

You do need to know that OSX is a UNIX-based operating system and was designed from the ground up to Play Well With Others.

Koz

Adventurous? lil ole me? Hehe

Just finished compressing an iPod version of a music video

whilst encoding and muxing and Burning the DVD of it

and uploading an MPEG-1 version to the web

and transferring Transformers theme tune to my mobile phone via bluetooth

my email was receiving loads of penis extension offers

and I was listening to Def Leppard Animal on iTunes too!


Nothing too adventurous there... except maybe listening to Def Leppard in 2006.



Phil

My suggestion would be to check you have all the correct updates for your mac & software.

Can you give us a complete breakdown of system including all the versions you are running? There may be some conflict elsewhere or just a bit of maintenance needed. We will need a really specific list of what you have to suggest the right course of action.

But I see no reason why you should not have your mac on a network and connected to the web.


Ben



Post Edited (02-17-06 11:12)



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

I agree with Ben and Greg. 100 + systems. All networked. All having internet access. It seems that internet access is no longer a luxury, but an important part of the workflow. Fear not the network!

mark

We could make t-shirts for geeks saying that Mark - we would make a fortune!

"FEAR NOT THE NETWORK"





For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

If you have your email program set to checking emails every X minutes, you may actually get frame drops during capture and playback during that time.

That is a possibility Johan but - I would thoroughly test how much your system can cope with by running as many things at once whilst capturing to make sure.

This is not a new thing - I could do multiple things plus capturing video with my Dual G4 450Mhz on Mac OS X Jaguar & Panther

There was a bug where if I inserted a CD or DVD during the capture - it would abort due to dropped frames.

However on my dual G5 on Mac OS X Tiger - I have never had a dropped frame during capture runninjg all of the above including putting CD/DVD in out & sending and receiving email.

Ben





For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

I have a dual G5 with 2.7 Ghz processors, 2.5 gig of RAM, 1Tb Raid 0 and FCP 5.

It can till do it apparantly depending on the settings and make of your mail browser.
It is however much more common the slower the machine.

I got this explained to me by the company setting up my system. They said it could even happen my system but I would not know as I manually send/receive email.
Just a thought.....