Tiger Technology GmbH announced availability of MetaSAN 2.0, the latest version in the companys flagship high-speed file sharing software line. MetaSAN 2.0 offers extensive new productivity enhancements, including cross-platform operating system support, per-node bandwidth allocation, Avid Unity MediaNet storage virtualization, native OS file system and rights management and 24/7 mission-critical ready with true realtime failover capability.
Industry firsts include multi-point gateway for seamless integration between storage area networking (SAN) and local area networks (LANs). This feature enables network administrators to deploy high-performance and scalable workgroups using cost-effective LAN technologies while maintaining many of the key benefits of its SAN counterpart.
The core technology behind MetaSAN builds upon years of development and a user base via our OEM partnerships of creative professionals worldwide who are grappling with heavy bandwidth workflow issues from editing stories in HD and other high resolution formats for on-air broadcast to facility-wide visual effects artists requiring seamless access to shared film assets, said Alexander Lefterov, co-founder, vp of technology and cto, Tiger Technology.
With the new capabilities in MetaSAN 2.0, we offer DCC professionals an unprecedented file sharing storage management solution that best exploits the latest SAN and LAN technologies and enables network administrators to tailor a multitude of environments based on throughput and particular workflow needs. The hardware-agnostic approach offers compatibility with multiple connectivity options fibre channel, SCSI, Ethernet, etc. This assures even small and medium sized enterprises access to the benefits of superior workgroup architectures in a high performance, fault-tolerant networking environment.
At the end of the day, the hardware side of things have matured, but people want to find more efficient ways to accomplish their storage needs, added David Pollock, director of sales for Tiger Technology. This allows reasonably priced, customized needs, including the needs of visual effects and animation.
Tiger Technology will also implement an aggressive sales model, including the establishment of worldwide reseller sales, enabling the company to sell its software solutions directly to end market users. MetaSAN has previously available only to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners.
"Over the course of the last year, our OEM partners have been successfully delivering the powerful capabilities of MetaSAN to customers via turnkey solutions. While this model works well for some, as technology advances have matured facilities no longer need to rely only on a proprietary, pre-packaged, one-size-fits all solution to meet their storage and management needs," said Pollock.
"We're excited to offer expanded sales opportunities to global resellers and ultimately end users who are eager to customize their SAN environments to accommodate very particular workflow needs, both from a technical and budget perspective. Allowing end users in heterogeneous work environments to select from a broad range of hardware, platforms and connectivity options -- fibre channel, SCSI, Ethernet, etc. -- ensures the efficient use of budgetary resources and maximizes storage savings."
Highlights of Version 2.0 include: * Heterogeneous operating system support -- Windows, Mac OS X and Linux users can now collaborate efficiently.* Simultaneous high-speed file sharing -- allows multiple users to read and write to the same volume. * Unique Avid Unity MediaNet storage virtualization -- enables efficient workgroup collaboration among multiple users of Avid software on Windows platforms.* Native OS file system support -- preserves the integrity of NTFS and HFS+ file systems and simplifies SAN maintenance.* Native OS access rights management -- no need to manage additional accounts and passwords for true file sharing.* Per-node bandwidth allocation -- enables a prioritized and fair distribution of the available network bandwidth. * Centralized management of SAN definitions -- simplifies SAN management by allowing global, as well as local SAN settings to be controlled from a single workstation.* Soft-zoning --- enables the shared storage to be partitioned in a number of zones that permit the compartmentalization of data for increased security.* 24/7 mission-critical ready -- accesses to SAN are fully redundant with true realtime failover capability.* Multi-point gateway for LAN Tiger Technologys MetaLAN software -- a companion product to MetaSAN requiring separate licenses connects your enterprise LAN with your high-speed SAN while bringing many of the SAN benefits to your LAN.
Michio Fujii, ceo and president of MIC Associates Inc., an established Tokyo-based storage system integrator, has chosen Tiger Technology MetaSAN 2.0 as the storage management cornerstone for a news data acquisition storage system; which will be installed next month at one of the top five public universities in Japan.
The HD uncompressed data on this project will be shared by Mac OS X and Windows workstations, which will be capturing and editing news data 24/365, said Fujii. "Following this, the contents will be delivered via a streaming format over IP to domestic and public portals. MetaSANs unique ability to allow multiple cross-platform users to share content and collaborate efficiently while maintaining very high bandwidth will afford us a highly efficient, reliable, centralized and secure storage solution.
MetaSAN 2.0 is fully compatible with leading standard applications including Adobe Digital Video Collection and Apple Final Cut Pro. In addition, the Avid Unity MediaFile virtualization feature enables efficient collaboration among multiple users of Avid software. MetaSAN also supports leading vendors of SAN technology, including Atto, IBM, Emulex, LSI, Qlogic and Seagate.
MetaSAN 2.0 supports Mac OS X Panther or Mac OS X Panther Server; Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows XP/Server 2003 as well as RedHat Linux 8.0. MetaSAN 2.0 licenses are priced at $995. MetaLAN 2.0 licenses are priced at $295.
Founded in 2003, Tiger Technology GmbH (www.tiger-technology.com) is a privately held company based in Zurich, Switzerland, delivering new technologies and OEM solutions in the field of storage area networking.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
