SAN or Local RAID

[Douglas Learner]

Hal, it sounds like local or direct attached storage should be fine. What resolution and frame rate are you editing in? How many streams do you typically edit? This will help determine the storage performance you need.

Are you just looking for more storage? Is there some other issue you’re hoping to address as well? What’s prompting you to look at network storage for you and your dog?

Kudos for your backup goals. It’s good to hear that’s a priority.

[Caspian Brand]

Hello Hal,

Personally I like the approach of a shared storage area for the growth potential it provides. Even if you are primarily editing in your own domain, there could be benefits in running a separate client system with Backup / Archive capabilities on the same storage. While you “could” build your own “cheap” iSCSI storage, you would also have to “support” your own creation in addition to editing every day. Purchasing a solution from one of us “vendors” can ensure the system you buy will perform from day one and give you someone else to fall back on for support when you need it, and support from folks that know more about Servers that relates to what you do every day, edit.

Regarding the use of GbE, you can expect to see about 2-3 streams of HD PRORES HQ over a single GbE connection. You should also be able to see 1 – 2 streams of PRORES 4444 1080i.

With iSCSI solutions such that are provided by Studio Network Solutions with EVO and our globalSAN iSCSI Initiator, which support multi-pathing, you could even get a single stream of 10 bit Uncompressed HD YUV using the two built-in GbE ports on a MacPro. If you’d like to learn about some of our customizable solutions, feel free to contact us here:

https://www.studionetworksolutions.com/contact.php

Regards,

Caspian Brand

Product Specialist
Studio Network Solutions

[Bob Zelin]

Hi Hal –
you should build this, and see what happens. What you are describing in your equipment list is a simple network, not a SAN, but you go ahead and build it and see what happens. It will be a learning experience.

By the way, do you know how much your AVID Unity and AVID DS cost ?

And instead of that hi end “iMovie”, why not just edit inside the new iPhone 4 – who needs FCP (or AVID) anyway !

Bob Zelin

ps – do you think I can go down to Wal Mart, or Radio Shack or Best Buy, and get the parts to build the same kind of SAN that your AVID Unity is ? What does your IT guy say ? Does your IT guy know anything about your AVID Unity system – is he the administrator for the AVID Unity, or is he just an outside friend of yours ?

[Hal Dowdy]

Thanks for all the replies,

Well all sarcasm aside, I’m smart enough to know that it ain’t gonna be no Unity, and I know how much it costs. Personally I don’t think the production company I work for really needed the DS for the kind of work that they do. They had a “if we build it they will come” attitude. They wanted to be one of the first to offer editing in uncompressed HD “realtime”. I think the system is at least 5 years old now.

Everything I do these days is very graphics heavy. Seems these days I only use the DS for capture. I’ll cut video beds in the DS and then head over to After Effects. I understand from all of your comments on previous posts, that there is no shortcuts. However, I’m just looking at some options for my particular situation, in hopes that I may get some decent answers. My IT guy manages network servers for a living, and happens to be a friend, was it wrong to consult him?

Basically I’m looking for storage that I can keep centralized and with enough bandwidth to capture directly to, to keep a library of footage and projects, and be able to back everything up in one place. If that is not possible for something “home built” well then plan B. I’m not going to have multiple editors accessing the same storage. It will be 30 sec spots 99.9% of the time. If the business grows beyond that, I will look into a more appropriate solution. That is why I asked if I should go with network storage(SAN) or a RAID point to point. I would also like to be able to pull files off from a different system if possible. All the reading I have done has made my head spin, and I understand why there is a thriving business surrounding this application. I may decide to go with a fully supported system, until then I’d like to look at different possibilities.

Actually I was surprised to see that Walmart sells a Quadro FX 5800.

A SAN is probably not what what I’m looking for. Apologies for posting in the wrong forum.

[Bob Zelin]

Hal,
can you imagine what would happen if you could accomplish everything in your bedroom – all your professional editing and graphics, and shared storage – all in your bedroom, on your MAC Pro, getting all your parts from WalMart, and you were able to accomplish a “professional broadcast product”. Do you know what that means ? It means that it’s all over, that none of us have a job, there will be no hi end equipment, no hi end facilities, no Creative Cow, and even YOU won’t be able to afford to buy a car, or pay for medical insurance. The demise of society, and the decay of our culture is because of YOU Hal, because you want to have shared storage in your bedroom, for $89 that you bought at WalMart. When we look at the collapse of the American system, there will be a picture of YOU in that story, walking out of WalMart with your FX5800 and $89 Netgear switch (and iPhone 4). “I did the entire job for a Big MAC, and it was delicious”.

bob Zelin

[Douglas Learner]

Hal, it sounds like you just need network storage set up for file sharing, and since you don’t plan to edit directly from the shared storage there are a lot of concerns about latency and bandwidth that don’t apply. That being said, please recognize if you don’t design the system to support editing over the network it probably won’t let you do that should you change your mind later.

If you have an IT guy let him figure out what server and storage to get. He’s going to have to manage it, after all. Do talk to him about setting up a dedicated network for you and the capture machine to make sure your work doesn’t bring the rest of the organization’s network to its knees.

Good luck.

[Hal Dowdy]

Yes. it’s been a few months since I have posted. Business plans, lawyers, banks, and good old fashion real estate negotiations have kept me much busy. I think at this stage, I’m going to work with a local raid and set up a file server over a 1GB network. When the time comes, and I think it will be soon, I will entertain a professional installation for a truly networked multiple suite solution. I edit at least 15-20+ spots a month, and I know that I will definitely not be able to handle the post workload on my own in the future. It would be one thing if I was cutting down and dirty spots for the masses, but my clients demand a bit better than average but not Hollywood. I realize that I’m rocketing myself(a bit unknowing but knowing just enough to be dangerous) into the hardware side of things, and after scouring the internet for the “holy grail” of best solutions, I’ve come to one conclusion; that the best solution is the one that gets the job done comfortably, and makes people happy, from ones own equation of how “one” likes to work. And that’s the only thing I’m really confident of…how I like to work. It truly is amazing how many fervent debates there are about hardware, software, and other stuff, with no regard to what clients and audiences respond to. Thanks for all the constructive (including “The Zelin Replys” coming to a theater near you) criticism and suggestions…