Vicom has introduced FCmeter Plus, a new Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter with Vmeter built in. What's sexy about QoS management for Xsan built into an 8 Gigabit Fibre Channel connection? Vmeter can limit workstation I/O for some clients, reserving bandwidth for others. Vmeter also gives us administrators logging and troubleshooting options with greater detail than we would have simply looking at our switches and logs for clients.

Now, by unloading the work that Vmeter was doing onto a card, the whole process is a little more streamlined. If you haven't checked it out yet, look at http://www.vicom.com/FCmeter-Plus.php.

Apple has posted a knowledge base article warning that a specific combination of Xsan client and a StorNext controllers may lead to data loss. The entire article is below.

Xsan 2.3: Update to StorNext SNFS v4.2.1 controller to avoid data loss issue

Symptoms

Xsan 2.3 clients (running OS X Lion or Lion Server v10.7.2 or earlier) that access filesystems hosted by controllers that use StorNext SNFS version 4.2.0 may experience data loss when renaming files on StorNext-hosted volumes.

A file may be unexpectedly deleted when renamed to a new name which differs only in the capitalization of the letters; for example, when changing "test" to "TEST".

Resolution

1. Update all StorNext FS controllers from version 4.2.0 to 4.2.1 or later.
2. Perform an orderly restart of all StorNext filesystems:
1. Unmount any StorNext volumes from all clients on the SAN.
2. Stop the StorNext volumes.
3. Start the StorNext volumes.
4. Mount those volumes on Xsan client systems once again.
5. Verify that the issue no longer occurs when renaming files.

Additional Information

This issue does not affect earlier Xsan client systems or SNFS software versions other than 4.2.0.

A number of organizations are looking at what to do now that Final Cut Server is no longer being sold by Apple. There are a lot more options to handle Digital Asset Management than there were when Final Cut Server was initially introduced, and each should be reviewed based on all the requirements your organization has.

318 has been doing a lot of work with CatDV recently and as such, we are starting to build a large library of assets for the product (scripts, SOPs, etc). We have built a checklist for the installation and planning of a CatDV asset management system. The checklist is a quick guide to server installation, worker nodes, client configuration, using SSL, watch folders, conditions, queries, conversations and processing. To download the paper, see the TechJournal at:

http://techjournal.318.com/xsan/318-catdv-installation-checklist

CatDV is only one of the many options that you have regarding asset management. But in many respects it is the product most closely aligned with Final Cut Server both in functionality and price. Nothing would make me happier than this thread resulting in other experiences with other products, so I look forward to what I hope is a lively discussion on this!

Mac-focused storage manufacturer Active Storage today announced mMedia -- a new "storage platform" -- complemented by two products: mRAID, an 8Gbps 3U RAID array; and mVault, a high-density 4U JBOD. Active has published a brochure on the platform on their web site.

mRAID

We are in touch with Active on this announcement. Please post any questions to our forums. We'll try to get answers today.

Earlier this month, Promise released updated firmware for the VTrak x30 for mac. The new release version is 4.06.0000.01 10.10.2270.01. It is the first upgrade made available by promise for the new "made for mac" strain of their VTrak storage line.

Here is a list of "What's New":

• Added support for cascading 9 JBOD expansion chassis
• Performance improvements supporting larger command queue depth
• Enhanced performance for low queue depths
• Enhanced support for topology switching (from NL-Port to N-Port)
• Added greater than 2.1TB drive support
• Added support for migration using NVRAM watermark
• Security enhancements for embedded web management server
• Added Target Port based LUN Mapping & Masking
• Enhanced online array roaming configurations to support VTrak x10 configurations
• Added support for Daylight Savings Time start/end for the southern hemisphere
• Added separate LUN Affinity and ALUA setting
• Enhanced thermal event reporting
• Enhanced error recovery conditions for Failover/Failback conditions, JBOD hot insert/remove and FC line disconnections

You can download the new firmware from Promise's support page.

Apple today (well, tomorrow, technically) posted a terse knowledge base article confirming compatibility of Xsan 2 clients with ActiveSAN MDCs.

Xsan version	ActiveSAN 1.0
Xsan 2.1.1	√
Xsan 2.2, 2.2.1, 2.2.2	√
Xsan 2.3	√

It's not every day that Apple brings a new manufacturer into the fold. Congratulations, Active Storage!

Promise today announced availability of its Thunderbolt-to-Fiber Channel adapter. The long awaited adapter, previewed at NAB, allows recent model MacBooks, iMacs and Mac minis to access direct-attached enterprise storage and even Xsan. (So, OK. You need to be creative if you are using a separate metadata Ethernet network like 98% of us.)

The device runs for $799, and is sold by many Promise resellers, including Tekserve and the Apple Web Store.