FCP Mac’s on a network or not????

[Walter Biscardi]

Keeping Macs off a network makes no sense, especially when you have to share large files between multiple machines.

There is NO elegant solution to move large files between machines without a network and let me ask, what does this accomplish to move it with drives instead of the network? If your EDL’s and Quicktime files are “infected” with a virus, how does this protect the other machine if you simply move it via a drive. You’ll still infect the other machine.

Silly thing really. We have an Airport network which all of our machines are part of to move graphics and the like between them.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
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“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters

[Tom Matthies]

I would find it very difficult indeed to get any actual work finished here without access to our network and all of the other machines on it. I have the need to transfer large files between machines, usualy graphic animations. We have three edit rooms and five graphic work stations on our local network. All stations have access to the outside world as well. With a good firewall, so far no problems and it’s been set up this way for quite a few years now. Many IT guys see the world from a different vantage point. Not bad, just different.
For what it’s worth…
Tom

[Steve Cohen]

Walter,

I knew if anyone was going to respond to this it would be you and I was actually hoping for that.

I see your poiint and agree with it.
Like I said before I’m dealing with a person who has his ideas and it is very tough to change them.

I was just trying to come up with alternatives to give him when I confront him about this.

But you answered my question, exactly the way I expected.

Steve Cohen
Editor
O2 Media Inc.

[Steve Cohen]

Tom;

I agree with you too.

I have an IT background as well as editing and I understand his concern, but Like I said originally.

People don’t write viruses that are targeted to MAC because it is a small percentage of the computing workforce, Maybe not in our field, but in general.
In our company alone right now there are 5 MAC’s and probably 500 PC’s.

From a hackers point of view why put the time and effort into 1% of the population.

(Example: The terroists that attacked on 9/11 went for the largest buildings in the largest city rather than a local supermarket in Iowa)

Steve Cohen
Editor
O2 Media Inc.

[Peter Wiggins]

Networking them is fine, but two things:-

1) Make sure the briliant Ichat (best way to move files is by bonjour) is off when you are laying off to tape ( no whoops on tape!)
2) Make sure software update is off for the same reason.

Peter

Free Motion Templates

https://www.peterwiggins.com

[Andy Mees]

along the same lines

if you do enable your mac network, appoint an admin for the mac network (you?), and make sure that all the other accounts on all the macs are “managed” not “admin”
this way you can prevent ad-hoc download and installation of all the crap that will inevitably find its way onto your edit workstations as everyone decides to install their latest favourite apps, utils and widgets.
also, turn off software update, otherwise you’ll find some helpful halfwit will upgrade the software configuration to something horribly untested and unstable at every opportunity
plus …. plenty of other really good reasons i can’t remember right now 🙂

hope it helps
Andy

[Chris Borjis]

I came from an IT background to pursuit IT in the video world.

A properly secured network won’t pose a threat to any of your systems.

Your IT guy is being lazy, arbitrary or both.
(a tendency of IT folk that gives the rest of us a bad rap)

When I used to do consulting I was utterly shocked at the number of huge national corporations that had little or no security at all on their networks. Where was the IT department there?

Same goes for all of our Government systems apparently.
I often wonder how these IT peole actually qualify when they can’t do the most rudimentary and first task of the job…..security your net.

I could go on and on……. 😉

[Mark Raudonis]

Steve C,

You have a “people” problem, not a technical problem.

We operate 2 X-SAN systems with almost one hundred seats. They ALL are connected to the internet. While I understand the “island” approach of your IT person, I personally believe that his position is outdated and myopic. So many programs now rely on the internet for updates, authentication, etc. that we could NOT function easily without web access. And.. of course, there’s your original point about moving files.

As the IT world and Post production world are forced to interact, you’re going to see many more of these kinds of discussions. We’ve adopted a “mutual education” approach between post and IT. I teach them about timecode, video codecs, and FCP quirks, and they teach me about TCP, SMB, and DNS. The fact is that we can NOT exist without each other. Our X-SAN uses their ethernet switches for our “private network”, and of course, has to go through their system for internet access.

My best advice is to take your IT guy out to lunch, and have a heart to heart about this situation. Our world has definitely changed… and now so is his. He’s got to adapt too.
Good luck.

Mark

[Steve Cohen]

Mark;

I actually met with him during lunch today and discussed this and other things with him.
I was misinformed. he does not want the the SAN completely off the network.
His suggestion (which I agreed with at the time, but and reconsidering now) was to have a partion on the SAN that will have a virtual link to the network.
Anything that is placed in that partition will show up in a certain area “Drive” whatever you want to call it on the network.
The Mac’s won’t have direct internet or network acceess, but will will still be able to move files via this virtual link.

I didn’t think about the inability to update the OS or FCP or anything else.

I’ll have to bring that up to him.

I know he is going to say that Abraham ( the guy installing the SAN) is going to be a MAC consultant and he will take care of updating everything.
If that works out fine, if not we will confront it later.

Steve Cohen
Editor
O2 Media Inc.

[David Roth weiss]

[Steve C] “I didn’t think about the inability to update the OS or FCP or anything else.”

Steve,

You’ve gotten some excellent advice above from some guys who know. Its a good thing you brought this up here. Consider yourself saved by the Cow.

I think that being connected is essential for an editor. Besides software updates (which is very important), being connected is often a lifeline that provides instant solutions, research, support, feedback, etc. If I couldn’t search the web, communicate via email, order and download plugins and software, transfer files, verify information, read The Cow,… I’d never be able finish a project and I’d never know about the new tools that keep this business humming along. I fear your IT guy is guilty of creating a solution in search of a problem.

DRW