It allows multiple workstations to work on a single file at the same time in a shared network space at high speeds. Seems to be very important for high end video production.
this, with FCP HD, motion, Shake 3.5, Logic 6 and DVD pro3 will make Apple the go to guys for professional video.
It sounds like a special file system built specifically to manage large video projects over a network.
Way more than that!
You run Xsan on either one or two dedicated systems (can be standard G5s, but more likely Xserve in this market).
You then get to pool multiple Xserve RAID units together, including the rather beautiful capability to stripe data (of whatever type) across multiple RAID units.
Why is this beautiful?
Because with a single Xserve RAID, your data still has a single point of failure - namely the RAID unit itself.
Whereas striping a given volume across multiple RAID units, you can afford to lose a whole Xserve RAID and your data stays intact and available.
Even more sexy is the cost: 42TB of storage, plus two fully-loaded Xsan metadata controllers (dual processor Xserves) and two sixteen-port FC-SW switches (I can only get data for Cisco, but Brocade is in the same ball bark) is around $225K, excluding racking.
Try putting that together using IBM Faststor, and see where you get bored counting.
It's already a crushing proposition based on $/GB, but once Apple goes to 400GB drives for Xserve RAID it will be a bloodbath.
Given this update it looks like Apple is really playing hardball in this arena, I remember some of the questions that where cropping up when Apple released the 1u xserve to begin with. Everyone wondering what direction Apple would take in this very un-apple arena.
Apple, clearly, is positioning themselves. While most of us MacAddicts want more, more, more in the hardware arena... take a step back and look at your hardware choices, they are awesome!
Apple has created the best hardware on the market, for your desk, briefcase, and the server room.
So what's missing? Software. While Apple's software list is truely compelling, there were a few key pieces of software to make them competitive with the corporate folks. xSan brings a cost savings solution for file storage, clusting, and network production. Simutaneously, Apple upped the ante in the Pro Applications sector with Motion, Final Cut Pro HD, and and Shake 3.5. This area was already hardcore with the prescence of Logic Pro, Soundtrack, DVD Studio Pro, and the earlier iteration of Shake.
Despite the economy's stability, people always seem to make Movies and Music. Apple has these professionals' tools covered. And with the new addition of Motion, combined with FCP express, Logic Express, and Soundtrack... you had master your own Blair's Witch home movie and bring it to the silver screen... or your own professional tracks to the iTunes store.
So...what's distinguishing them? Is one for memory, and one for processor power?
Xgrid is for sharing CPU cycles over a network.
Xsan is for sharing(very quickly) HD space over a network.
SAN is different than NAS. San is like a dedicated pool of fast HD storeage. NAS is simply a Net attached storage device with a little processing power.
The nifty thing about the SAN is that it appears that you can litteraly "RAID" a RAID setup for gonzo speed and great fault tolerance.
I think FCP is going to be a beast of an upgrade. I don't expect it to be announced for another year. It's looking like the next major Pro App upgrades will all be based on new features in Quicktime 7 which should debut before the end of the year. There are only so much new additions Apple can add without revamping the core of all these apps.
Xsan is for sharing(very quickly) HD space over a network.
SAN is different than NAS. San is like a dedicated pool of fast HD storeage. NAS is simply a Net attached storage device with a little processing power.
The nifty thing about the SAN is that it appears that you can litteraly "RAID" a RAID setup for gonzo speed and great fault tolerance.
I think FCP is going to be a beast of an upgrade. I don't expect it to be announced for another year. It's looking like the next major Pro App upgrades will all be based on new features in Quicktime 7 which should debut before the end of the year. There are only so much new additions Apple can add without revamping the core of all these apps.
Although the Xsan mini-site does imply in the diagrams that Apple is using a NAS gateway approach, which further complicates matters.
The nice thing about using this method is that it restricts the proliferation of expensive FC-SW technology (particularly the switches, which are exorbitantly priced) and also allows you to route data requests over wide area links especially when used with QoS and other technologies.
Once you have forked out for Fibre-channel multipathing to the desktop then Apples price is certainly a piss in the sea.
If you consider the cost of a couple of low-spec'd Xserves with say 3 XRaids then you have well over 10TB of usable dispace with reasonable redundancy at a fraction of the price anyone else can offer.
Insanely aggressive prices can do wonders for Apple. They literally kick IT dinosaurs in the guts. Here comes an interesting question: switch to Macs and fire your IT department vs maintain an existing Wintel-based system, which is cheaper?
Xsan is about as close to great sex as an enterprise storage solution will ever come.
(Did I just write that? I did. God help me.)
I look at the SAN we have set up - a nice one, from HPaq - and I look at Apple's solution, and... it's unreal. The Apple solution just blows it to kingdom come.
This will be an interesting year, oh yes indeedy. I expect the 3GHz Xserve to roll out not long afterward, and of course Xserve RAID will get bigger drives and some new capabilities. Muahahahahahaha. You can run, Dell, but you can't hide.
Comments
Originally posted by oldmacfan
do I need to say anymore.
Some constructive discussion would be nice yeah, rather than just posting a thread with a link and no other content.
Thanks
I'm just filling in for you buddy, since you forgot.
this, with FCP HD, motion, Shake 3.5, Logic 6 and DVD pro3 will make Apple the go to guys for professional video.
Originally posted by cooop
It sounds like a special file system built specifically to manage large video projects over a network.
Way more than that!
You run Xsan on either one or two dedicated systems (can be standard G5s, but more likely Xserve in this market).
You then get to pool multiple Xserve RAID units together, including the rather beautiful capability to stripe data (of whatever type) across multiple RAID units.
Why is this beautiful?
Because with a single Xserve RAID, your data still has a single point of failure - namely the RAID unit itself.
Whereas striping a given volume across multiple RAID units, you can afford to lose a whole Xserve RAID and your data stays intact and available.
Even more sexy is the cost: 42TB of storage, plus two fully-loaded Xsan metadata controllers (dual processor Xserves) and two sixteen-port FC-SW switches (I can only get data for Cisco, but Brocade is in the same ball bark) is around $225K, excluding racking.
Try putting that together using IBM Faststor, and see where you get bored counting.
It's already a crushing proposition based on $/GB, but once Apple goes to 400GB drives for Xserve RAID it will be a bloodbath.
Nicely done Apple.
Apple, clearly, is positioning themselves. While most of us MacAddicts want more, more, more in the hardware arena... take a step back and look at your hardware choices, they are awesome!
Apple has created the best hardware on the market, for your desk, briefcase, and the server room.
So what's missing? Software. While Apple's software list is truely compelling, there were a few key pieces of software to make them competitive with the corporate folks. xSan brings a cost savings solution for file storage, clusting, and network production. Simutaneously, Apple upped the ante in the Pro Applications sector with Motion, Final Cut Pro HD, and and Shake 3.5. This area was already hardcore with the prescence of Logic Pro, Soundtrack, DVD Studio Pro, and the earlier iteration of Shake.
Despite the economy's stability, people always seem to make Movies and Music. Apple has these professionals' tools covered. And with the new addition of Motion, combined with FCP express, Logic Express, and Soundtrack... you had master your own Blair's Witch home movie and bring it to the silver screen... or your own professional tracks to the iTunes store.
Arondale
Originally posted by Placebo
So is this what Xgrid turned into, or is it something totally new?
Totally new!!
Originally posted by Mark- Card Carrying FanaticRealist
Totally new!!
So...what's distinguishing them? Is one for memory, and one for processor power?
Originally posted by Placebo
So...what's distinguishing them? Is one for memory, and one for processor power?
Xgrid is for sharing CPU cycles over a network.
Xsan is for sharing(very quickly) HD space over a network.
SAN is different than NAS. San is like a dedicated pool of fast HD storeage. NAS is simply a Net attached storage device with a little processing power.
The nifty thing about the SAN is that it appears that you can litteraly "RAID" a RAID setup for gonzo speed and great fault tolerance.
I think FCP is going to be a beast of an upgrade. I don't expect it to be announced for another year. It's looking like the next major Pro App upgrades will all be based on new features in Quicktime 7 which should debut before the end of the year. There are only so much new additions Apple can add without revamping the core of all these apps.
Originally posted by hmurchison
Xgrid is for sharing CPU cycles over a network.
Xsan is for sharing(very quickly) HD space over a network.
SAN is different than NAS. San is like a dedicated pool of fast HD storeage. NAS is simply a Net attached storage device with a little processing power.
The nifty thing about the SAN is that it appears that you can litteraly "RAID" a RAID setup for gonzo speed and great fault tolerance.
I think FCP is going to be a beast of an upgrade. I don't expect it to be announced for another year. It's looking like the next major Pro App upgrades will all be based on new features in Quicktime 7 which should debut before the end of the year. There are only so much new additions Apple can add without revamping the core of all these apps.
Although the Xsan mini-site does imply in the diagrams that Apple is using a NAS gateway approach, which further complicates matters.
The nice thing about using this method is that it restricts the proliferation of expensive FC-SW technology (particularly the switches, which are exorbitantly priced) and also allows you to route data requests over wide area links especially when used with QoS and other technologies.
Look at the top of the xsan page again: video workflow, data center, high performance computing. For $999.
Mike Dell will not like this.
Screed
If you consider the cost of a couple of low-spec'd Xserves with say 3 XRaids then you have well over 10TB of usable dispace with reasonable redundancy at a fraction of the price anyone else can offer.
Dobby.
(Did I just write that? I did. God help me.)
I look at the SAN we have set up - a nice one, from HPaq - and I look at Apple's solution, and... it's unreal. The Apple solution just blows it to kingdom come.
This will be an interesting year, oh yes indeedy. I expect the 3GHz Xserve to roll out not long afterward, and of course Xserve RAID will get bigger drives and some new capabilities. Muahahahahahaha. You can run, Dell, but you can't hide.