Active Storage Demonstrates Storage Platforms
NAB, Las Vegas—We talked with Active Storage about their video optimized storage platforms, that are focused on the ingest through near-line editing and production. Content needs are increasing as broadcasters move to multiple screens, while the time available to show that content is dropping.
The company is trying to address these issues by making products that are easy to use, require low administration, and enable a shared pool of storage. The top-level system is called the mMedia Platform and offers performance, scalability, and configuration flexibility for multiple users. The system includes both hardware and software to handle any part of the workflow, from ingest, through work in process, delivery, and near-line archive.
The platform is based on open standards for ease of reconfiguration. Applications such as Levels Beyond and Archiware are directly hosted on the platform to reduce application access and enhance security. Other built-in tools include an Active Management Suite: mStats to give users real-time metrics and information on system performance.
The monitoring software can check all the component of the SAN, from individual drives to RAID controllers, Fibre channel ports and servers. In addition, the tools offer information about the health and status of the entire environment with parameters such as throughput, controller use, latency, and cache hit/miss ratios.
mRaid is the main storage module, and is designed for fast, high performance video storage. It is scalable in 8 GB units. To control the drives, mSAN is a metadata controller appliance that includes administration capabilities, automated metadata repair, and can host other storage applications. The mSAN is back compatible with Xsan environments, and supports any type of inputs. It is designed as a redundant appliance and will have a snap-in module for direct CS6 support.
Because shared file access is necessary in today’s work environment, the storage clusters have to operate across multiple clients independent of operating systems. The mVault base configuration is 180 TB and is comprised of 60 Hitachi enterprise-class SATA drives. The images and their proxies can be synchronized and backed up through the Archware tools.
The storage system is designed to help with setup, audits, and recommendations for integrating other parts of the systems. In an off-show floor discussion, Tom Coughlin of Coughlin Associates opined that this company and their products are an interesting entry in the video storage landscape, and offer some capabilities that seem highly tuned to the nonlinear production workflow. For more information, go to http://activestorage.com
