looking for NAS/SAN advice/recommendations

[Andy]

Hi everyone

Quick backgrounder: We're running 2 fully configured Edius Editstaions turnkey systems here, working exclusively in HD (Full HD, CanopusHQ, XDCAM HD, HDV). We're possibly adding a third suite in the future to meet the high demand for Edius edit time. At the moment each suite, although networked, is essentially an island using baseand and Carbon Coder to transfer files ...

In the long term we're looking forward to full integration with our K2 storage system but in the short to mid-term we really need an alternative shared storage solution to allow us work more collaboratively. Whilst it is a stop gap of sorts I'm not looking for a "temporary" measure but rather a good robust and reliable system with a proven track record of working with Edius and especially with their CanopusHQ codec, which is our codec of choice.

Is anyone currently using a NAS or SAN system with 2-3 (or more) Edius suites that they would like to recommend or warn against? What is working or not working for you with the setup you have?

Thanks very much in advance to you all
Best
Andy

[Zorro]

A very mature solution:

http://www.facilis2.com

[STORMDAVE]

If you're going to do HD from more than 1 computer, I cannot recommend a NAS in the lower range...Gigabit internet is a no no in this regard...at least a higher end Fibre channel with a SAN, and that can be expensive.

[Andy]

Thanks Guys

I'm happy to report that cost is not really an issue (but at at the same time I'm not especially desperate to throw money at anything needlessly expensive or otherwise disproportionate for our needs ... as noted, this is not a long term investment.)
I'm currently looking at 10GigE solutions from EditShare, but noted a comment in the FAQ here where someone was having trouble using that with CanopusHQ media (which forms the majority of our HD content), also took a look at vStor from Apace (looked interesting but doesn't really have the bandwidth for occasional Full HD stuff if and when necessary).
The 24D Terrablock looks a good bet Zorro, thanks for the link. Do you use this with multiple Edius seats yourself, or know of a facility that is using this specifically with Edius?

Best
Andy

[GrassValley_BH]

Two things to consider:

1. Overall bandwidth availability
   How much total bandwidth can the server put out?
   This is usually the downfall of lower-end non-link-aggregated GigE solutions.
2. Overall client CPU/bandwidth usage
   Remember that EDIUS wants CPU time and also needs some amount of constantly-available bus time, so you don't want a solution that will choke the CPU or the bus.