Apple Xsan 2.2

Xsan 2.2. The SAN file system for Mac OS X. Xsan is a powerful and scalable solution for storage consolidation, enabling businesses to reduce data duplication and more efficiently use and share data in demanding IT data centers, video post-production, and television broadcast workflows.

Share terabytes of data over an ultrafast Fibre Channel network with Xsan 2. This easy-to-use, enterprise-class, high-performance storage area network (SAN) file system for Mac OS X enables you to share one or more RAID devices with multiple servers or workstations.

Combining enhanced performance with Apple's legendary ease of use, Xsan 2 makes it easier for first-time users to quickly set up and deploy a SAN. It also introduces MultiSAN, which allows users on a single workstation to access multiple SANs at the same time. Xsan 2 is fully integrated with Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server and is qualified to work with third-party RAID storage hardware.

Top New Features in Xsan 2

• Xsan Admin 2
  Xsan 2 makes it easier for first-time users to quickly set up and deploy a SAN. And the completely redesigned administration application simplifies day-to-day SAN administration.

• MultiSAN
  Now a single workstation or server can access Xsan volumes simultaneously. MultiSAN is ideal for users who need to access multiple Xsan volumes from the same workstation or server.

• Spotlight
  Support for Spotlight, Cover Flow, and Quick Look in Mac OS X makes it easy for users to find and access content on your SAN volumes.

• Mac OS X Server Integration
  Mac OS X Server features such as Mail Server and Podcast Producer integrate with Xsan 2 to support clustered file systems and improve performance and scalability.

• RAID Storage
  Xsan 2 is qualified to support RAID storage hardware including Xserve RAID and the Promise VTrak E-Class RAID Subsystem.

FEATURES

• Easy Setup. A simple SAN
  With Xsan 2, it's easy for first-time users -- such as workgroups in small film and video productions, podcast clusters, small graphics shops, and boutique post houses -- to set up and deploy a SAN.
  Snow Leopard Server automatically recognizes the presence of a Fibre Channel storage area network and walks users through the Xsan installation and setup process.
  It's no longer necessary to learn how to create private metadata networks or volumes optimized for different data types. A new SAN Setup assistant guides you through the volume creation process and setup of computers on the SAN. Xsan handles the complete “after cable-up” setup and configuration of the SAN.
• Xsan Admin 2. Easy Admin
  Xsan 2 features Xsan Admin 2 -- an application completely redesigned to make day-to-day SAN administration much simpler.
  
  • Storage configuration
    With Xsan Admin, complex tasks such as expanding a volume, optimally configuring volume settings, or managing file system permissions are now easier and less error prone. SAN components -- computers, volumes, and LUNs -- are logically presented as assets, and an overview of SAN health is prominently displayed.
  • Access control
    Volume mapping and masking let you control which computers access various volumes. For finer-grained control, you can use Xsan on Mac OS X in conjunction with Open Directory to manage application, user, and group access to specific folders and files in shared volumes. So you can control access to SAN storage in exactly the same way, from the same centralized directory you use to control access to network-attached storage. Xsan lets you manage storage consumption by setting quotas for users and groups.
  • Admin notification
    Real-time monitoring lets you keep tabs on your SAN file system performance and throughput. Should it fall below a specified level, you can set the program to send you a notification via email or pager. Xsan logs metadata controller activity and client access for each volume, and you can review these logs from any Mac OS X system on your network.
• Cluster File System.
  Xsan is a 64-bit cluster file system that provides concurrent data access over high-speed Fibre Channel to multiple systems on the network. For better performance and higher availability, you can pool storage across multiple RAID devices, and each Xsan client can use this centralized data as if it were directly connected.
  • Support for 2PB files and volumes
    Xsan lets your users share multiple files and volumes; each can be as large as 2 petabytes, or more than 3 months' worth of uncompressed 1080i high-definition (HD) video at 30 frames per second. Xsan supports billions of files per volume, with each metadata controller hosting multiple volumes at the same time.
  • File sharing over Fibre Channel
    Xsan storage networking eliminates the bottlenecks of traditional network file servers that use Gigabit Ethernet and that are not fast enough to transfer dense formats such as HD video. Fibre Channel gives you a 4Gb-per-port connection for increased data transfer and can be used with Fibre Channel multipathing for greater aggregate throughput. This is perfect for multiple editors working on a video project or a compute cluster that needs fast data access for maximum utilization of processing power.
  • File-level locking
    Fine-grained file-level locking enables simultaneous access to shared files. All clients can access all the files on the volume, but only the client that has read/write privileges can edit a locked file.This contrasts with volume-level locking, which enables only one computer at a time to write to an entire volume. File-level locking provides enormous productivity advantages in post-production workflows where multiple editors are using a single large file.
  • File system access controls
    Xsan supports flexible file permissions that not only work with Mac clients, but are fully compatible with Windows Server, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. With file system ACLs, any file object can be assigned multiple users and groups, including groups within groups. Each file object can also be assigned both allow and deny permissions, as well as a granular set of permissions for administrative control, read, write, and delete operations. For added security, Xsan supports a file permission inheritance model, ensuring that user permissions are inherited when files are moved to the SAN and rewritten when files are copied to the SAN.
• High Performance. Optimized Performance
  Xsan has always been designed for performance, and Xsan 2 is no exception. Xsan 2 uses a next-generation data and storage pool distribution strategy with enhanced affinity management to dramatically improve high-bandwidth streaming workloads, such as those used by Final Cut editors.
  Xsan 2 provides performance-optimized volume configuration settings, data placement and storage pooling, Fibre Channel multipathing services, and support for multiport 4Gb Fibre Channel cards.
  With SAN Setup, you can pool multiple storage devices into a single logical volume. Xsan can create and optimally configure different types of volumes for common SAN scenarios. Just choose the volume type that best fits the needs of your SAN users. If you want to configure all volume settings yourself, choose Custom.
  • Uncompressed High-Definition Video. Optimized for 720p, 1080p, and 1080i uncompressed HD video.
  • Standard-Definition Video. Optimized for DV, DVCAM, DVCPRO, and uncompressed SD video.
  • General File Server. Optimized for NFS, AFP, and SMB file servers.
  • Home Folder Server. Optimized for hosting network home directories with NFS, AFP, or SMB.
  • Mail Cluster. Optimized for shared storage of Mac OS X Server mail server data.
  • Podcast Producer Cluster. Optimized for Podcast Producer video and audio data.
  • Custom. An advanced configuration for expert users.
• MultiSAN. One for all. All for one
  Now a single workstation or server can access Xsan volumes simultaneously. MultiSAN is ideal for users who need to access multiple Xsan volumes from the same workstation or server, such as newsrooms with separate SAN volumes for production and broadcast.
  MultiSAN allows a single workstation or server to access Xsan volumes hosted by separate Xsan metadata controllers. Hosting volumes on separate Xsan controllers can improve the performance, reliability, and sustainability of critical volumes. Each volume is independently hosted, so a failure of any one volume does not affect another.
  Users can copy data between Xsan volumes directly over Fibre Channel. Prior to Xsan 2 and MultiSAN, data had to be moved over a slower Ethernet connection to copy data from one independent Xsan volume to another. With Fibre Channel, production workflows are significantly more efficient, and greater collaboration can be achieved.
• Spotlight. Fast find
  Finding the right file can be like finding a needle in a haystack, especially when you have terabytes upon terabytes of shared online storage. Xsan 2 leverages the power of Spotlight, making it easy and instantaneous for users to find files on massive SAN volumes -- even across terabytes of data -- right from the Finder.
  Spotlight works the way people think: by searching the content itself, not just the filenames. With richer Spotlight vocabulary in Mac OS X, searches can be more exact. Options include Boolean logic, quoted phrase searching, category labels, and range support. And with the Quick Look and Cover Flow features in Mac OS X, users can scan hundreds of files in just seconds, without ever needing to open them.
• High Availability. Unstoppable network
  Xsan 2 is designed for high availability, with features that make it well suited for mission-critical environments.
  • Metadata controller failover - Xsan uses one system connected to the SAN, called a metadata controller, to manage access to shared storage. If this system fails for any reason, Xsan picks another computer on the SAN to take over its role.Cascading metadata controller failover ensures that you can access your data as long as any system on your SAN is active. 
  • Fibre Channel multipathing - Apple's Fibre Channel host bus adapters (HBAs) are dual-port or quad-port cards, providing every Mac desktop or Xserve system with two or four connections to the SAN. Fibre Channel multipathing takes advantage of multiple connections: If one Fibre Channel path fails, Xsan continues to use another for storage access -- eliminating a potential single point of failure at the cabling layer.
  • File system journaling - Xsan is a journaled file system that can be recovered in seconds in the event of a catastrophic failure. Journal data includes a record of file system transactions, eliminating the need for time-consuming integrity checks after an unplanned shutdown of the entire network or the metadata controller. Your storage can be back online almost immediately.

System Requirements

• Mac computer with an Intel processor
• Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server v10.5 or v10.6
• At least 2GB of RAM
• Apple Fibre Channel card

Storage Network Requirements

• Switched Ethernet LAN
• RAID storage system

Product information is advisory only. Specifications and compatibility should be checked with the manufacturer before order. Images are for illustrative purposes only.