AudioMedia - July 2008 - (Page 39)

S t u d i o Ne t w o r k S o l u t i o n s a facility to share projects and massive media files on a storage area network. All users can capture, record, and edit directly onto the storage system, increasing efficiency and eliminating the need to copy files locally. SNS recently raised the storage/ management bar even further with Postmap, a software-based operating environment that helps all users on a network tag and locate specific files on all of their company’s shared storage and removable storage media. SNS developed Postmap to serve the ever-evolving needs of the audio/ video industry, which often entails collaborating on hundreds of files such as in the video game and film postproduction industries. “Postmap enables customers to index their production assets, create custom metadata, mount SANmp and standard network shares and preview files on SNS has a unique perspective as a storage software company and can adequately serve their the network, from a single interface. A Postmap user may have a stack of FireWire drives, a bunch clients’ needs. of DVD backups, or they may have a SAN with Spotting a place in the Mac market for an emerging technology, SNS developed their own many Terabytes of shared storage,” says Holladay. “With Postmap, the indexing can be scheduled and iSCSI initiator, globalSAN, which offers nearly Megabytes per second throughput over a Gigabit the bandwidth taken for the index can be controlled so it does not interfere with production work on Ethernet network. SNS then set out to deliver a new class of storage products using iSCSI. “Instead of the network. Asset management software is more and more critical to the having a seriously high-end production process as clients hardware-based Fibre Channel EVO are dealing with more digital card, for example, we can use Stats: media than ever before.” our globalSAN iSCSI initiator, •  Gb/s,  Gb/s and up to  Gb/s Host To make the process even which takes advantage of Connect easier, SNS created a Pro the fast processors in the • Up to  Direct-connect Fibre Channel Hosts Tools plug-in for Postmap. computer. Moving into one • Up to  TB per Enclosure Holladay points out, “If you’re of our globalSAN-based • File Level Access working on a session and shared storage systems has need access to a particular file • Volume Level Access been a great move for a lot that’s in your drive system or of audio customers because • User-defined RAID , , or  per volume in a sound effects library, for the bandwidth required for • Supports uncompressed HD example, you can do a search Pro Tools is so much less than within the Postmap plug-in, video; it fits a Gigabit Ethernet Configuration Options: inside the Pro Tools session, connection extremely well.” • Install up to eight more drives in Evo Base and then you can drag the For the upper end of for a total of TB correct files right from the A/V spectrum, SNS • Add an Evo Expansion unit for a total of the search results into your issued Ellipse™ and Ellipse TB timeline in Pro Tools.” Enterprise Fibre Channel • Increase Fibre Channel ports for a total of That SNS will write a HBA, both of which handle eight Gb/s ports plug-in for one of their uncompressed HD audio and applications points not video and up to k film. Mac • Increase Ethernet ports for a total of six only to their commitment users can choose from Ellipse Gigabit Ethernet ports to their customers, but single-, dual- or quad-port • Add a Gb Ethernet port for maximum also their understanding -Gbps PCI Express x (Intel throughput of that customer’s needs. and PowerPC) or PCI-X Expanding on this idea, SNS (PowerPC only) bus types, each providing up to recently introduced Evo, an all-in-one shared MBytes/s per port. Recently, IBM certified the storage solution for post-production workgroups. Ellipse Enterprise HBA for use with their storage arrays connecting to the Macintosh. “The Mac It supports, basically, everything. Evo integrates a NAS and a SAN into one system, based workstation is a serious player in production. offering both file-sharing and volume-sharing. Evo Enterprise storage companies understand this, and rely on SNS for connectivity to their storage arrays,” converges Fibre Channel, iSCSI and NAS into a single product, making it one of the most extensive says Holladay. SNS’ multi-platform SAN management software, products of its kind. “Connectivity options and performance is SANmp, enables computers to concurrently share what EVO brings to production workgroups. massive amounts of data over high-speed Fibre and Instead of buying a file server, direct and network iSCSI Storage Networks. SANmp enables all users in attached storage and switches etc., Evo has it all built in,” says Holladay. “You can share storage over NAS and SAN, up to Gigabit, and you can use multiple four-gigabit Fibre Channel ports. Using the -Gigabit Ethernet option in Evo, users can share that bandwidth across many separate oneGigabit iSCSI-connected Pro Tools users. With Evo, everyone gets all the bandwidth they need, because it supports such a wide array of connectivity.” Evo, which ships with Postmap and SANmp, will also work with a customer’s existing Fibre Channel storage. “An Xserve RAID, for example, can be connected to Evo and shared through the SAN over iSCSI and NAS, so if people have an investment in existing, but aging storage, they can plug it into Evo and extend the life of those older arrays.” In regards to RAID storage, Pro Tools users can use the technology for their sessions thanks to SNS’ products. “Our storage systems have been supporting RAID with Pro Tools for years,” says Holladay. “Even though Digidesign doesn’t support RAID, we do, and have thousands of customers enjoying RAID’s benefits.” To spread the word about Evo and its myriad uses, SNS scheduled an “Evo Road Show,” hitting Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, and Baltimore, with plans to visit London in late July. “We spent a great deal of time getting Evo ready for production,” says Holladay. “The road show is a way to train our resellers, get them excited and let our customers see Evo and all it can do.” SNS relies heavily on its network of authorised resellers, which are located worldwide, including pro audio dealers in the US, Canada, and the UK to more faraway locales such as Singapore, the Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. “Our authorised resellers are directly in touch with the customers,” says Holladay. “They are constantly communicating our latest technologies.” SNS is currently gearing up for the release of SANmp . , as well as a major Postmap update. The company’s Ellipse Fibre Channel card has been optimised for audio and video, with advanced caching techniques designed specifically for production use. “Tailoring our software for use in audio and video production is key,” says Holladay, “It was the very reason we started SNS over ten years ago and will continue to drive our company’s development efforts in the coming years.” From one idea comes a broad array of products. And after a decade of phenomenal growth, SNS hasn’t forgotten where they came from. “We’ve never gone after only high-end enterprise customers,” says Holladay. “We make sure to pay very close attention to even the smallest companies that are starting out just like we did, working out of a studio in St. Louis.” ∫ CONTACT DETAILS Studio Network Solutions 1986 Innerbelt Business Center Drive, St. Louis, MO 63114 t +1 877 537 2094 w www.studionetworksolutions.com AUDIO MEDIA JULY 2008 39 http://www.studionetworksolutions.com http://www.studionetworksolutions.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - July 2008

AudioMedia - July 2008 Contents Recording Post Broadcast What's Up UK Geofocus: France For the Record Special Report: Develop Preview SE Electronics 4400 Sennheiser MKH800 Twin Tubetech Club Final Cut: Wanted Smart AV Tango Doctor Who Made in America DSP Roundup Product Sampler: Summer Hits Edirol R44 Video Guide AMSR Fame - Le Musical Waves MaxxBCL Yamaha AD8HR Special Supplement

AudioMedia - July 2008

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