Build your own affordable SAN — that works! : network software

[Bob Zelin]

There is cheaper software – it’s the one I use – Apple File Sharing -its FREE – it comes with every MAC. Of course, you need a MAC Pro as a server, a multi port ethernet card, and a managed gigabit ethernet switch that supports link aggregation. None of that is free.

If free is not cheap enough, please post your address, and I will send you 10 bucks.

I never realized that $249 per client seat for MetaLan was considered “expensive”.

Bob Zelin

[Matt Mccarthy]

oh okay… thats not as bad as i thought… now if i have the avid unity software, do you know if that can take the place of the metalan?

[Bob Zelin]

the system I described is NOT for AVID systems. It’s for FCP, Adobe products, etc. This system will not work with AVID’s. If you are trying to “home brew” an AVID shared storage system, you are in for a big surprise.

Good luck –
Bob Zelin

[Matt Mccarthy]

hey bob, so while researching the metal software. I came across this site:

https://www.midstreamonline.com/midstreamonline/html/ttech-meta.html

under the metalan tab it listed this feature :

Virtualization for Avid® Enables sharing of media files among multiple users of Avid® software on Windows platforms for efficient workgroup collaboration…..

is that something totally different then the limitation you mentioned above with avid? or has metalan finally addressed the reasons why sharing avid over multiple machines wouldn’t work?

[Bob Zelin]

your original post said that you wanted something cheaper than MetaLAN. Meta Lan is $495 for the server, and $295 per client. I have never tried their Virtualization for AVID (I assume it works), but if you think that this amount of money is TOO EXPENSIVE for a shared enviornment for AVID’s – and you actually own and have purchased AVID’s – then something is wrong with this picture, because AVIDs cost A LOT OF MONEY. There is absolutely NOTHING cheaper than MetaLAN that can provide a basic shared enviornment for AVID’s.

As you know, since you own AVID’s, AVID creates a .msm mediadatabase file every time you launch Media Composer. If you have two AVID’s and one shared drive, the second AVID will overwrite the first AVID’s .msm file. This is why you need a META DATA SERVER to keep track of all the .msm files from the different AVID clients. This is why cheapo systems like mine don’t work with AVID.

Bob Zelin

[Sebastien Gariel]

We did test MetaLan with Avid MC 3.5 and “Virtualization for Avid” really works. We even created a workflow to make a project (.pmr) editable by 2 workstations at the same time. Then we saw Tiger Technology releasing a “how-to” on the same subject.

When i have time, i’ll try explain it to you.
You really initiated a change in (my) SAN’s perception Bob !
Thanks again.

Sebastien

Sebastien Gariel
Genie Informatique
France