Active Storage (http://www.activestorage.com) has introduced Innerpool, a new class of RAID storage solution designed to store Metadata volumes that are so critical to media focused SANs (storage area networks).

“We’ve studied the solution for a long time, and developed patent-pending technology to deliver all of the reliability and performance that we’re known for -- even on-board 72-hour battery backed cache, all on a card that fits inside of an Apple Xserve or Mac Pro," says Active Storage CEO Alex Grossman.

Featuring a "Zero U" design, Innerpool actually resides inside a SAN’s Metadata Controller–yet provides on-board RAID storage via 2.5-inch rotating media drives or performance-tuned Intel SSD drives. Innerpool is installed in pairs, one in each Xsan Metadata Controller and hosts the critical Metadata LUN, rather than tasking the storage systems that host data volumes.

Innerpool is a self-contained RAID system, based on a pair of PCI Express cards, each that hosts a RAID processor, two ports of 4 Gigabit Fibre Channel and two drives that can be either 7200 RPM 2.5-inch drives, or Intel SSD drives. The cards connect one of their two Fibre Channel ports to the SAN, and to each other over the remaining ports to provide a fully redundant and mirrored copy of the Metadata volume on each Innerpool, allowing fully redundant and automatic failover/failback functionality, says Grossman. Innerpool will be available through Active Storage resellers in June starting at US$2,499.