[Dave Klee]

Hey Marc, just saw your post and had a few questions (if you haven’t fixed things yet):

1. Are either / both of those Maxtor drives “boot” drives that have the operating system installed?

2. Are the drives formatted together as a RAID? If so, what kind of RAID (RAID 1 or 0)? If so, is a RAID card involved in either computer (either Apple’s RAID card or otherwise)?

3. You’re connecting the drives internally, right? (As in using Apple’s built-in hard drive sleds inside the computer to plug the drives directly into the motherboard?)

There are some big(ish) internal differences between the earlier Intel Mac Pro machines and the most recent 2009 “Nehalem” Mac Pros. If those Maxtor drives are formatted as boot drives for the older computer, there’s a good chance they will not boot on the new one. However, there are a lot of different ways to make them work depending on your setup and what you’re hoping to accomplish.

Let me know if you’re still working on this, and good luck!

Dave

[Dave Klee]

Hey Marcus, glad you got things working! Any specific tweaks that made a big difference?

Didn’t know about DeltaWalker — looks cool. And, didn’t realize you were working with RED files. I’ve heard good things about ShotPut Pro to help manage the offload of RED files:

https://www.imagineproducts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=2

Hope all is well!

Dave

[Dave Klee]

Hey Marcus, what version of OS X? Leopard Server?

This could be many things, but my first guess is incompatible file names. Possibly Macintosh files have names that are too long for the Windows 2003 file system. Possibly some Macintosh files have names with illegal characters on a Windows system. Depending on how you started the copy, it would go until it hit a file with a name that doesn’t make sense to Windows, and then give you that file not found error. It has happened to me a lot in the past.

I believe these characters are reserved in Windows, and can’t be used in file names. < > : ” / \ | ? *

However, I believe the only character illegal in a Macintosh file name is the colon.

In general, I don’t like doing large copies with the Finder — not enough information, and too many potential problems. I either use terminal or, even easier, a synchronization or copy software tool — my favorite for Mac is ChronoSync ($40). That way you can get detailed logs, and if a copy isn’t successful it will skip the problematic files and keep going — notifying you later of exactly what the problem was. There are a few good options out there, and it’s better than beating your head against a wall.

Here’s a link to info on the Windows naming space that probably isn’t super useful: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa365247%28VS.85%29.aspx

ChronoSync: https://www.econtechnologies.com/pages/cs/chrono_overview.html

Another issue I’ve run into a lot on Mac to Windows file copies is FAT. If a Windows drive is formatted as FAT16 (or often FAT32), it has a 4GB file size limitation. On the Mac side, if you’re copying a large file to a FAT drive, the error message is something really not helpful like “unknown error.” I doubt you have FAT in the mix with such a big drive, though.

Good luck!

[Dave Klee]

Yeah, I wholeheartedly second that motion. Keep it running. Starting up and shutting down is very abrasive for most RAIDs. I think I killed some old Medea RAIDs with our composers several years ago by shutting them down too often. They’ve haunted me ever since.

Also, as you probably know, the start up and shut down sequence is very important for most SAN system. If you do need to shut down, make sure to follow proper procedures and go in the right order — in a nutshell, the shutdown order is servers first, then storage, then switches. Starting up is the reverse with switches coming on first, then storage, then finally servers (allowing each level to fully boot up before starting the next).

A RAID (and especially a SAN) shut down should be a pretty big deal — not something to do on a regular basis. Hopefully your errors are just the result of a bad start up procedure and not anything permanent.

[Dave Klee]

Hey Matt, this is a great summary of the whole VPN / VNC issue. Nice work!

There is one free, fairly easy to use and low-configuration VPN application for OS X that I’ve played with called HamachiX. Some decent tutorials about it can be found here:

https://www.freemacblog.com/mac-server-series-setting-up-a-vpn-on-a-mac-with-hamachix/

Unfortunately, this easy to use OS X software package is not being updated anymore — either it works or it doesn’t and there’s no support. But, when it works, it’s very easy. And, it’s based on the Hamachi command-line utility that is pretty solid and effective cross-platform. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamachi

Here’s an outline of how it can be used from a Mac to connect to and control remote Macs (sorry if this is rudimentary for most):

1. Download HamachiX for Mac to your computer: https://www.freemacware.com/freemacware-downloads/877
2. Drag the application to your computer once it downloads. Open it up. Accept the user agreement and install the underlying software.
3. Once it’s running, click the “Add” button at the top of the main HamachiX window. This will allow you to create a new Virtual Private Network of your very own.
4. In the “Assistant” window that comes up, give your new network a cryptic name that nobody will guess. Also a strong password that nobody would guess. These two things separate your computers from the world. Make them good.
5. Still in this “Assistant” window, generally you want “Create Network on Demand” checked. This allows your Virtual Private Network to be created whenever a computer using this software (and having your name and password) starts up.
6. Click “Add” to create the network.
7. Close the “Assistant” window after you click Add (if it doesn’t close automatically).
8. Go to the “HamachiX” pull-down menu at the top of the screen, select preferences, and give this computer a nickname if you want. Makes it easier to figure out which computer is which later on.
9. Leave HamachiX running on your computer for a while, and continue on. This ensures your VPN stays active so you can test it soon.
10. Install HamachiX on another computer (like a computer in your client’s office) by downloading it, dragging it to the computer, launching it, and accepting agreements and installing the background stuff when asked.
11. Once HamachiX is running on this second computer, click the “Add” button like above from the main window, and enter the same network name and password and make sure the “Create Network on Demand” radio button is selected in the “Assistant” window that pops up. Click “Add,” then close the “Assistant” window if it doesn’t automatically.
12. Go set a nickname (like step 8 above) for this new computer.
13. In theory, in the main HamachiX window, if you click the name of the network you created on the left, you should see a list of all computers on your network along with the “fake” network address that each computer has assigned (probably starts with 5.something). Hopefully all computers show green lights next to them. The “fake” network address of the computer you’re sitting at is listed after “Hamachi ID” in the top bar of the main window.
14. Assuming the light is green next to a computer in the list, you can connect to it through a variety of methods including VNC, screen sharing and Apple Remote Desktop. I’ve had the most luck with Screen Sharing, so the rest of the instructions here assume you want to connect to the second computer using screen sharing (with all running OS X Leopard).

15. Make sure screen sharing is enabled on the computer you want to connect to — probably the second computer at the client’s location. (Apple System Preferences, Sharing) Make sure you’re happy with the security settings on which user accounts are able to connect using screen sharing, and if you allow things like VNC connections. (You don’t have to enable VNC for this to work from a Leopard machine, but would if you wanted to be able to connect from an older Mac using VNC client software like Chicken of the VNC.)
16. From another computer using HamachiX and connected to your Virtual Private Network (probably the first computer you set up), launch the screen sharing application that’s kinda hidden (like Simon said) in the System -> Library -> Core Services folder.
17. When prompted for a “Host,” type in the “fake” address for the computer you want to control (again, probably the second computer) from the HamachiX list (that probably starts with 5.something).
18. Hopefully you’re prompted for a username and password (this is for the computer you’re connecting to – probably the second computer you setup), and then you’re able to control the remote computer.

You can also do some other things with the remote computer like share files. If file sharing is enabled on the remote computer, just “Go” and “Connect to Server” like normal on the computer you’re connecting from, but type in the fake Hamachi address for the computer you’re connecting to when prompted for the server address. Anything that the remote computer is configured to share should be accessible to you.

Now, HamachiX has some limitations. It doesn’t go through every firewall. It isn’t 100% stable (crashes occasionally). If you’re out at a hotel or somewhere that blocks VPN access ports, you won’t be able to connect. Some information about your network is stored on a remote server (called a mediation server, that takes care of making the connection). And, there’s nobody to call for help — except Mr. Google.

But, when it works, it’s great. It could be the kind of thing you could have a client click on to fire up when you need access, then quit when you’re done. I’m not sure how I’d feel about keeping it running all the time on a SAN controller (ethernet or fibre channel based). (That’s a lie. I know how I’d feel about it. Bad.)

If you want a VPN service that goes through more firewalls and is more stable, you’re going to need to pay. And, like Matt said, there’s no way around getting IT folks involved in certain situations where your client’s network and firewall are heavily managed. But, using the combo of HamachiX and Apple’s built-in Screen Sharing capabilities might do the trick for some situations — for free.

Let me know if you have questions, and good luck!

[Dave Klee]

Hey David, we have a fairly new ethernet based (iSCSI) SAN that has been doing this fine (rendering to a local file from SAN based source material). We’ve had real-time playback on other SAN based computers during AE renders.

In my experience, rendering from AE is not very demanding on your SOURCE footage location — nowhere near as demanding as real-time playback through an NLE like Final Cut. AE tends to pull in footage a lot slower than real-time when it renders, so it doesn’t need to suck a ton of bandwidth. It’s more processor and RAM (client) intensive than anything, and having a fast destination hard drive doesn’t hurt.

That SAN only has a few active clients at a time (three), so I can’t say how well things would scale to a larger environment or a strictly AFP based environment instead of iSCSI. We’re also dealing mostly in SD on that SAN. So, no idea if this will be good for you, but I know it’s okay here.

Good luck!

[Dave Klee]

Hey Nick, the DroboPro really isn’t bad. We’ve had it here for backups (using dual-disk redundancy) for just under a year, hooked up to an Xserve. The ability to mix and match different size drives and swap out to larger drives on the fly is very handy. Also very quiet if you ever want to go desktop.

Just don’t rely on it for SPEED (sorry Drobo). I’m lucky to get 30MB/s, and I’m using decent drives. While that’s fine for overnight backups, I’m not sure how that speed will fit into your environment. And, as you probably know, any drives you put in it will be formatted (erased).

Just know its limitations and that it’s a “toy” compared to the enterprise-level stuff featured on the Cow. But that doesn’t mean it’s not useful.

[Dave Klee]

Hey Joe, I think Rsync is a fine idea, but depending on the size of your Xsan I’d also recommend ChronoSync.

https://www.econtechnologies.com/pages/cs/chrono_overview.html

I’ve been using it with Xsan for a few years now, and find it easier to deal with than Rsync. I’m lazy, and it has check-boxes for things like “verify data” and “preserve extended attributes” and “preserve permissions.” Also very easy to exclude individual folders or entire paths if you don’t want everything synchronized. The speed might not be as good as the command line, but with version control and configurable expiration times on old data it has been really helpful – especially on scheduled daily backups, or new backups I want to setup quickly.

I used it last year for our Xsan 1.4 to 2 migration, and again this summer to copy about 12TB of Xsan data to a new Xsan volume.

Good luck with the upgrade!

[Dave Klee]

Hey Arthur, one thing you can consider is using a mix of two tools: DNS service (like No-IP.com) and synchronization software (like ChronoSync).

You and your brother both probably have a fairly normal, high-speed internet connection, right? If so, that means you have an IP address that other people can see through the internet — but it can change whenever your IP service provider wants to. That makes it difficult for people to connect to your individual computer.

What a DNS service like No-IP does is give a computer a static “name” or “host” that doesn’t change. Then, you configure your router and computer to use the service, and basically No-IP keeps track of what IP address your computer has at the moment. When a request comes in for the preset “name,” No-IP routes it to whatever actual address your computer has at the moment.

If you want this to work both ways, both you and your brother would need to sign up for some kind of DNS service so that you have a fixed name that you can each connect to. There’s a bit of configuration, but most places have good tutorials on how to set it up with your router and give you a software package. And, I think most places have some level of service for free — if you’re not picky about what you want your host-name to be, No-IP lets you do the basic stuff for free.

Then, once your brother has his computer set up with a DNS host-name, you would configure a computer on his end to be an FTP server. Again, some setup here, but nothing ridiculous. What’s most important/challenging is the router or switch setup — make sure your home router forwards incoming requests for FTP service to the computer you want them to go to.

Finally, you use a backup program — my favorite network backup program for Mac is ChronoSync — to automatically connect to this FTP server at your brother’s house and copy files from your house on a pre-determined schedule. In reverse, you setup a computer at your house to be an FTP server and he connects to you.

Now, a word of warning, there are downsides to doing this yourself. ISPs don’t often like copying huge amounts of data on a regular basis (treating your computer like a “server”), so you might run into some resistance. Also, by opening up a computer at your house or your brother’s house to being a server you can connect to from anywhere on the internet, you’re opening yourself up to being hacked. You can do a lot to mitigate the risk, but nothing is perfect.

I’d recommend that, at the very least, you don’t use your regular production computer as the FTP server. Dig out some old box (doesn’t need to be fast) and attach some drives to it, or buy a new Mac Mini with external hard drives. OS X has FTP server capabilities built in, and the Mac kernel being slightly more secure makes it a decent home server choice for lots of people. Personally, I have an old Linux box.

But, if this data is really important to you and you don’t want the risk of setting up your own FTP server (or using an online backup service), a sneaker-net approach might be the easiest, cheapest, safest and lowest-stress option. Carry a drive to your brother’s house on a regular basis. Or, at the very least, buy a fire-safe and run regular backups to an external drive, DVD or Blu-Ray and stick them in the safe at your house. Very viable options with really low investments of time and money — the major downside being that they’re not automatic and you’ll forget over time.

If someone has a easier and/or more secure option, I’d love to hear about it — this is a problem that I know a lot of people have. Let me know if you have questions about any of this stuff here.

Dave

[Dave Klee]

Hey Spencer, from an administrative perspective, I personally find the Active boxes much easier to deal with compared to Promise (we have both). We’re a Mac editing house running FCP (some Pro Tools) and Xsan, and I think very highly of the Active Storage stuff — high quality, very good features, easy to administer and excellent customer support. I have no experience with the Rorke stuff.

Bob is right, though — none of them should impact your user experience either positively or negatively. They’re just storage. If Fibrejet has a preference, I’d defer to that.

Good luck!