Questions on shared storage

Hello all,

I was wondering if you guys could point me towards some resources (books, websites, etc) on this topic of sharing projects and storage. I have an older g4 running fcp now, I want to add a new mac pro and shared storage between them so that I can have two editors working at the same time, sometimes on the same project. Some questions I have are what do I need to buy for shared storage? (xserve raid, etc). How does sharing a project work in fcp? (I'm used to how Avid does it) Let me know what you guys think or where I could go to find some answers.

Thanks!

Get ready to spend a lot of money!

You could start on the Apple site:

[www.apple.com]

They are building FCP Server for just that solution. But Apple is marketing this product as an Enterprise solution. (Read "Enterprise" as Big $$$$$)

Typically you need high bandwidth and incredibly fast access to media, we are talking Fibre Channel and RAIDS. If you are going to be working on the same media, at the same time you also need a "traffic cop" to control read and write access to media files. This comes in the form of a server and SAN software.

So, as far as infrastructure goes, in addition to your two CPU's you need central storage (RAID), a fast switch (fibre channel switch), and a SAN Controller (Xserve to run the SAN), and SAN software at each node.

If you want to start from a marketing point of view (often contrary to a practical or economical point of view) start here:

[www.apple.com]

Jackson,

While you're technically correct for a large install, it seems like Travis has much more modest ambitions. It sounds like he just wants to tie together TWO CPU's with shared storage. This is a much easier, cheaper goal. Keep in mind, this only works for TWO. Once you go to three or more, THEN you get into all of the more elaborate solutions.

So... if you just want to tie together two computers, connect an ethernet cable between the two , set up sharing and you're good to go. If your only experience with sharing projects is from Avid, then prepare to spend some time rethinking your work flow. Here's a hint: Don't think projects... think of the entire storage volume as your project. There's been much information/misinformation posted on this an other forums on the topic. Do a search.

Finally, there are several "SAN in a Can" solutions like Facillis' "Terrablock" solution that make the whole process relatively easy. Keep in mind, that you get what you pay for in this area.

Good luck.

Mark

Thanks-

After reading this and doing some more research I don't think it will be necessary to go the xsan route- since we are only going for 2 edit bays (one the main station- the other an assist bay). I think we can get by with out worrying how to open the same project at the same time using copies of the files and really thought out file management. I see what your saying about FCP using the whole drive as a project. We'll probably just go with an xraid.

Thanks!

Yes, two computers connected to central storage is quite easy and inexpensive. But as Travis stated in his post he want's to have two editors working on the same project at the same time.

And you are suggesting that they connect to media located in central storage via ethernet?!? While on paper gigabit ethernet theoretically has the bandwidth to do DV, it is certainly NOT a supported, nor recommended, nor a practical solution. Yes, I have heard stories about someone getting it to "work," but the ethernet protocol is just not equipped to handle large amounts of data at a consistent flow rate for any length of time.

Yes there are "SAN in a can" solutions out there, and the are relatively inexpensive. The keyword in that sentence is 'relatively.'

If there is a more humble solution for sharing projects and media on a network with simultaneous access, I'd LOVE to hear about it. I can use such a solution immediately. I have yet to learn of such a model used in practice.

Travis,

We have a solution similar to what you are describing out in the field right now, that uses a less expensive solution than an Xserve RAID. We use hot swappable SATA drives to transfer the media back and forth between the assistant/ingest station and the offline station. It's not as file management savvy as AVID, but it was a huge cost savings issue for the production vs an AVID solution.

Do your homework on the Xserve RAID (any RAID, or central storage solution for that matter) and make sure it will fit into your workflow. It's not as simple as it seems on the surface.

Travis,

Start your research here: [www.editshare.com]


As for the media via ethernet, you don't specifiy what resolution (DV, HD, 4K etc) that you're planning on using. The size of the files makes a huge difference as to what and how you can share. Jackson's correct that ethernet is just barely able to handle most media on a regular basis. However, we use "Off-line RT" which is a very low bandwidth format and we ARE able to connect multiple stations to our X-SAN via ethernet.

Non of this stuff is simple and it does require some preplanning and IT knowledge to pull it off.

Mark

Ok cool. I'm going to look into all this more. I'm sure I'll post back here once I more specifically pinpoint what it is I need/ can afford to do.

Thanks again,

Travis

Well after doing more research I have a follow up.

I think I just want to go with a 2 TB raid drive, sata or fiber optic (or something) But my question is how will i share this drive between the two bays, i don't think the drive has two ports for two macs to connect to it, so will i need a hub or something. What am i missing here?

Thanks a bunch!

You're missing the hand holding that a well versed reseller can give you. Unless you know what you're doing, don't just try to buy this stuff off the shelf and expect it to be plug and play.... it isn't.

There are plenty of resellers out there that can give you a proper demo of this kind of set up. This will save you countless hours of frustration .

Mark

That's good advice, i'll look into doign that. Thanks