Avid unveils infinitely scalable storage system
Nov 22, 2005 8:00 AM, Strategic Content Management e-newsletter
Avid Technology now offers a shared-storage server called the Avid Unity ISIS media network that leverages a distributed intelligence architecture with less complexity and hardware components than traditional servers. The innovative design enables 16 individual storage blades — housed within a single storage chassis (called an ISIS engine) — to process media, while simultaneously sharing data and balancing the collective workflow between entire groups of connected storage drives.
The Avid Unity ISIS system is based on Infinitely Scalable Intelligent Storage (ISIS) that spreads media files across the entire series of disc drives. This minimizes bandwidth congestion and enables the system to continue operating, even when drives fail. The result is a real-time shared workflow that delivers virtually unlimited storage headroom, fast system resiliency and seamless workstation connectivity.
Version 1.0 of Avid Unity ISIS comes with storage capacity of up to 64TB per system; connectivity for up to 100 dual-stream (50Mb/s) clients working in real-time over standard Gigabit Ethernet; native compatibility with Ethernet switching technologies from companies like Cisco Systems; and the flexibility to hot-swap any storage component, even when moving data around. The Unity ISIS system will scale in 8TB increments, with no limit to system size. As data demands grow, users can connect additional Avid ISIS engines (using a Cisco Catalyst 4948 Series Ethernet switch), with each new engine increasing the aggregate bandwidth and reliability of the entire system.
The Avid Unity ISIS system also includes self-healing drive blades that communicate with one another to automatically adapt instantly and redistribute data in the event of a drive failure. This process can also be operated manually. All processing takes place in parallel to maintain real-time flow and data resiliency; the more storage that is added to the system, the more quickly it self-heals in the event of an error. When a failed drive is replaced, data is rebuilt at speeds up to 20 times faster than typical RAID systems.
For more information, visit www.avid.com.
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