ITGumbo: spicing IT up

These solutions are now coming in the form of direct-attached storage (DAS). This new niche of computer storage is directly attached to a workstation or a server, and it is not directly accessible to other systems. DAS systems provide storage capacity extension for servers.
Most common DAS Systems are made of one or more enclosures holding storage devices such as hard disks, and one or more controllers. These solutions go beyond the traditional boxed towers that simply house storage space. They are high performing RAID disk systems with fibre channel controllers capable of excessive data rates.
They are being purchased by video producers and editors worldwide.
Ciprico’s MediaVault disk arrays were designed as a cost effective solution for high-bandwidth content creation applications like uncompressed SD / HD editing and Film DI. They are direct-attached storage devices that feature a high performance 4GB Fibre channel or U320 SCSI interface and switchable RAID0 and RAID3 operation. They provide both performance and protection. RAID 6 operation is now included on select models adding even greater data protection.
The Media Vault can stream audio and video to any plug and play compliant digital media adapter and comes with backup and restore software. All MediaVault models represent a reasonable per-gigabyte price.
CalDigit’s HDPro RAID solution is another very popular unit among the non-linear editing community. The HDPro holds up to eight drive modules in a 2U rack mountable tower. The swappable functionality of the HDPro allows users to upgrade the drive capacity as needed, while remaining very simple to configure and set up. There is no capacity limitation to any single chassis.
The unit supports RAID 0, 1, 5, RAID 6 and JBOD in 20GB ultra-high bandwidth connectivity. CalDigit includes their patented Active Sustained Transfer Technology (ASTT) to maintain stable performance and supports professional video editing.
Two less expensive items that will provide predictable, superior performance and reliability for demanding content-creation applications are G-Tech’s G-RAID2 and the G-SPEED.
The new G-RAID2 builds on the original G-RAID design by incorporating two 7200 RPM SATA II hard drives, each with up to 16MB of cache. The new design includes the Oxford 924 bridge chipset. The chipset offers support for multi-stream DV, HDV, DVCPro HD & uncompressed SD workflows.
The G-RAID2 features a new triple interface design with FireWire 400, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 connectivity. The system can be initialized as individual drives or configured as a software RAID 0 (striping) for performance or RAID 1 (mirroring) for data security.
In a RAID 0 configuration, the G-RAID2 supports the simultaneous playback of multiple streams of uncompressed video with real-time effects and audio.
G-RAID2 is now available in storage capacities up to 1500GB in the same compact form factor.
The new G-SPEED offers 3Gbps eSATA connectivity and RAID 5 data protection.
Specifically designed for professional content creation applications, G-SPEED supports multi-stream SD and uncompressed HD video editing on Macs and PCs, at an unprecedented low cost per GB. The product will provide customers with a high-capacity, low-cost storage solution.
The new G-SPEED supports uncompressed HD video editing via a high-speed eSATA interface, with only four SATA II disk drives. Storage for HD production has never been simpler or more affordable.
G-SPEED is now available in storage capacities up to an amazing 4TB in the same compact form factor using 7200 RPM Hitachi SATA II drives. The unit is configurable as RAID 0, 1, or JBOD.
The unit comes housed in a compact aluminum enclosure with removable disk drive modules and fans. It ships with 4-lane PCIe host bus adapter and is compatible with both Windows and Mac programs.
When it comes to high-end storage solutions these days, businesses and individuals alike, really have there pick off the mill.