Late Monday afternoon Apple released updates to Snow Leopard and Snow Leopard Server, and a security update to Leopard 10.5.8. Below are links to Knowledge Base (KB) articles listing details on each update.

Snow Leopard 10.6.2 KB Article
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3874

Snow Leopard Server 10.6.2 KB Article
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3875

Mac OS X 10.5.8 Security Update 2009-006 KB Article
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL963

Archiware has released PresSTORE 3.2, a major upgrade of their suite of their cross-platform backup, synchronization, and archiving software. The upgrade is free to all 3.x users.

PresSTORE is split into four interconnected modules: Backup, Synchronize, Archive and Backup2Go (for intermittently connected systems like laptops and user desktops). There are improvements to each in this release, but Backup2Go gets the lion's share.

With this release, Backup2Go adds snapshots and de-duplication to HFS+. It does this by borrowing a Time Machine technology: hard links to folders. As far as I know, Backup2Go is the only enterprise-level backup system to take advantage of this technology.

Other improvements include:

• Snow Leopard compatibility
• Bootable OS X restores from Backup2Go
• Centralized workstation management in Backup2Go (my sysadmin ♥ this feature)
• Create offset previews in Archive to remove slates and trailers
• Windows QuickTime support in Archive
• A new graphic display of pool and volume capacities
• Simplified tape management

[Disclaimer:] My employer is one of the few PresSTORE resellers in the U.S. (and we'd love to sell it to you!)

Active Storage has released a firmware upgrade for their XRAID and XRAID ES families of Mac-oriented products. The updates are free and available from their support web site.

Improvements in firmware 1.6 include:

• Support for SNMP v1 and SNMP v2
• Support for Lithium Network Monitoring
• Optimizations for multiple seat Xsan environments
• Improved I/O performance
• Improved controller failover reliability
• Improved event logging

Please discuss in our dedicated forum for Active Storage.

This was pretty simple, but clients really seem to appreciate having the functionality so I thought I'd share.

Basically all you have to do is follow these steps to create a checkbox that can send any asset to your Apple TV for client viewing.

1. Create the field "Send to Apple TV".
2. Add that field to your Asset Search MD group and the MD group that you wish people to access it in.
3. Create a Final Cut Server Playlist in iTunes
4. Open Automator in OSX. Create a Folder Action using the "Add Songs to Playlist" action from iTunes. Choose your Final Cut Server Playlist
5. Assign the folder action to a folder of your choice.
6. Create a Device "Apple TV" in Final Cut Server that points to that folder.
7. Create a transcode setting for "Apple TV H.264" and import to Final Cut Server. Assign this transcode setting to your Apple TV Device
8. Create a "Send to Apple TV" Copy Response. The destination device is "Apple TV". Transcode Setting is "Apple TV H.264"
9. Open Itunes on the Final Cut Server. Setup your Apple TV. Have the Apple TV automatically get the latest files from your Final Cut Server Playlist and send them to your Apple TV.

Done!

Jason Perr
Systems Integration Consultant
Sr. Systems Engineer / Partner
MacHarmony

Apple announced updates to their Mac mini line-up today, including a new server model for $999 that sheds the optical drive to cram in twin 2.5" 500GB HDDs and a proper nVidia 9400M GPU. Snow Leopard Server is included in the price. Cheap! Seems like an inexpensive way to get into Final Cut Server.

There are also new MacBooks, new iMacs with a range topping 27" 2560x1440 screen, a gesture mouse, and tweaks to the Time Capsule and Airport Extreme products.

Promise has announced firmware SR2.5 for their Mac lineup:

Hello there Xsanity community!

Promise has just released a new firmware update (SR2.5) for the Promise VTrak for Mac!

We are pleased to introduce a number of new features and enhancements including:

• A graphical performance monitoring tool
• UPS Support
• Enhanced playback performance
• An average of 20% bandwidth gains in real world production workflows involving ingest & playback
• SSH and NTP Support

For more information about the Promise VTrak and this updated release view the Promise VTrak Product Presentation.