Sonnet Technologies has announced the availability of the Fusion Fibre-for-4 package, which offers the Fusion RX1600Fibre rackmount 16-drive RAID 6 Fibre Channel (FC) shared storage system with a 4-port 8Gb FC interface, four 1-port 8Gb Fibre Channel PCIe host adapter cards, four fiber optic cables, and a 4-seat Tiger Technology metaSAN software license.

This package is designed for video editors in workgroups of up to four users who want shared access to common data files, have heavy bandwidth requirements, need easy capacity expandability, and require robust data protection, says Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies. Everything needed for setting up four users is included in one box, he adds.
Optimized for video editing, the Fusion Fibre-for-4 package provides four users direct high-speed access to stored assets through its 8Gb Fibre Channel ports without the need for a dedicated server. It supports multi-stream, multi-user collaborative workflows, and does so without the cost, complexity, cabling, rack space requirements, and power consumption of an added Fibre Channel switch. The Sonnet solution supports virtually any computer with an available x4 PCIe interface slot and a Gigabit Ethernet port. A dedicated Gigabit Ethernet switch is required for metadata communication.

Available for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux, metaSAN enables multiple users to simultaneously access a common pool of data files as if the content was stored on their computer's local drive. The software relies on a floating master architecture to manage the SAN. Because metaSAN requires very little CPU to manage the SAN, it's possible to let any member act as the SAN master -- enabling the user to create a SAN without a dedicated server, says Farnsworth.

The Fusion Fibre-for-4 package provides storage pool configuration flexibility. The storage system features a web browser-based GUI with an integrated system setup, management, and diagnostic tools that can be accessed locally or remotely. RAID group partitioning support increases storage efficiency by providing more logical unit numbers (LUNs) without the need to use lower-capacity RAID groups.

MetaSAN manages shared storage access the same way as for any local drive; there's no need to create or manage special user accounts, nor to use special disk formatting or management utilities. Standard OS account management tools are used to grant or deny access to the individual users.

The Sonnet Fusion Fibre-for-4 package is compatible with Mac OS X and OS X Server Versions 10.4.8 and higher (including Snow Leopard); Windows Server 2008, 7, Vista, Server 2003, and XP Professional; and many Linux operating systems. It works with mainstream video editing applications including Apple Final Cut Pro, and Adobe Premiere Pro.

The Fusion Fibre-for-4 packages include: a Fusion drive enclosure with internal RAID controller, 4-port 8Gb FC interface, and two mini-SAS expansion ports; two rackmount rail assemblies and mounting hardware; sixteen 3.5-inch RAID/Enterprise edition drive modules; two power cords; one 2-meter RJ-45 CAT 5 Ethernet cable; one 2-meter RJ-11 to DB9 RS-232 cable; and software CDs and documentation. Also included in the package are four 1-port 8Gb Fibre Channel PCIe host adapter cards, four LC/LC fiber optic cables, and a 4-seat Tiger Technology metaSAN software license.

Sonnet Fusion Fibre-for-4 packages are available now with either 16TB or 32TB capacity and four fiber optic cables in any combination of 1-meter, 5-meter, 10-meter, or 20-meter lengths. For pricing and more details about the Fusion Fibre-for-4 package, visit http://www.sonnettech.com/product/fusionrx1600fibre.html .