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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Topic: 'Standalone' IMS Rack
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 09-12-2017 09:03 AM
I'm guessing that what Mark is describing is not the little GDC box containing four 2.5" drives in a RAID5 that connects by eSATA to the SX-3000, but rather a datacenter file or web server type thing that sits in the audio rack, on the same booth LAN as the IMS. You'd mount it as a liveplay source on the GDC, and then play straight from it, over the network. In other words, it's a glorified NAS box.
I would personally be cagey about this. I can think of two situations in which you're going to need a serious amount of DCP storage available (as in, more than 2-3TB).
1 - A multiplex with 10 or more screens, for which a TMS plus a small amount of local storage for each server is surely the most robust solution. You're not having to transfer DCP data over the LAN in real time for playback (with all the reliability issues that invokes, e.g. if a network switch fails during a show...), but you don't need a vast amount of storage in each local RAID, either. 3 x 500GB drives on each local server, plus, say, a 10TB RAID on the TMS would be more than adequate for a typical multiplex situation.
2 - A single screen setup with unusual storage requirements - for example, like my last workplace, which hosted regular festivals that needed 5-10TB of content to be ingested and instantly available for playback for a few days at a time. The best solution there is lots of capacity on the local server. I upgraded the RAID card on a DSS200 to an 8-drive one and put 8 2TB drives in it.
I'm sure that the "Super NAS" approach described by Mark would work, but I can't see any particular advantage to implementing it.
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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!
Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 09-13-2017 06:13 AM
Leo,
Mark knows the difference between the PSD (the unit with 3-4 2.5" laptop drives) and the "Enterprise Storage (Plus)" with 3-5 3.5" drives (the "plus" also having a CRU dock). My guess is he is either confused or never put in the Enterprise storage to not know that it only has eSATA out.
GDC does have another box that can be used in conjunction with the Enterprise Storage called the CLA-2000 to allow a stand-alone Enterprise Storage to then transfer over a LAN. I believe the original intent of the CLA is to work with a TMS system, say, oh, the GDC TMS so that one can easily turn it into an LMS without having to think out the system too much. Put in the CLA-2000, an Enterprise Storage Plus with whatever size drives you need and connect that up to your TMS host and you have ingest with content distribution in a canned solution. I don't know if it can make it a NAS storage solution though (I don't know if one can run a movie real-time that way or not).
I think the notion of playing, realtime, off of a NAS via a switch, at this time, is something that will bite you sooner or later. If content is being transferred over that switch as well as your real-time show, you are going to get slow downs (underflows). Network speeds vary all over the place based on what is happening on the network at that time. Now having the NAS merely at a distance from the IMB but with direct connection, that would be a way and really no different than how IMBs work now. The only difference is where the drives reside (in the IMB in a IMS configuration, in an external box, like the SX3000, or in an external box with the OS, like the SX2000AR.
But back to my point earlier, so you can try to make the SX-3000 fit this application, which it doesn't (and he didn't address the VGA monitor output though that too could be another CAT cable with transmitter/receiver) OR, just use the SX-2001A and you have everything you want, where you want it for a LOT less money now, without all of the work arounds.
Leo (not picking on you but you brought it up)...why would you even suggest using small storage locally in your described scenario? A problem my customers have to contend with is CONSTANTLY having to move, delete content to make room for new content. The smaller you make local storage the less flexibility a plex has on moving titles around based on actual customer turn-out. 2TB systems (total capacity) have proven to be a nuisance to my customers whereas 3TB seems to be the tipping point where they have sufficient storage to not worry about constantly deleting old stuff to make room for incoming stuff. Only my festival venues have expressed desires above 6TB total local storage.
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