Active Storage is the innovative storage leader for media and creative professionals, broadcast, post-production, on-line and archive solutions. Delivering a best-of-breed user experience, with a combination of award-winning industrial design, unmatched speed, reliability and customer service, Active Storage is the first choice for complex professional storage deployments.

The Evolution of High Performance, High-Availability RAID Storage for Media Professionals

ActiveRAID is the evolution of high performance, high-availability RAID storage for media and creative professionals. Designed for Enterprise class 24/7/365 day deployments and the severe-duty cycles of Broadcast and Post environments, ActiveRAID is highly optimized for Apple Xsan, Quantum StorNext and Mac OS X Server applications, delivering the highest throughput and reliability.

ActiveRAID provides the highest level of reliability, scalability and ease of use in its class, along with the first native Mac OS X storage management suite. ActiveRAID is quickly becoming the first choice for media optimized storage worldwide.

• Optimized Performance - Stellar Apple Xsan, Quantum StorNext® and Mac OS X Performance
• High Availability Design - Active/active controllers, redundant cooling and power
• 4 x 4 Gb/s Fibre Channel - Dual 4 Gb/s Fibre host ports per RAID controller
• Drive Technology - 'Hot Swappable' Enterprise-Class SATA hard drive modules
• Low Cost Expansion - 16 drive 4x SAS Smart expansion system
• Native Mac OS X Management - Industry leading ease of deployment and management
• Modern System Design - Linux RAID Kernel, media-enhanced performance

A New Standard in Affordable High Performance RAID Storage for Apple Users

The ActiveRAID ES represents a new standard in affordable high performance RAID storage for creative professionals. Based on the original ActiveRAID, the ActiveRAID ES provides the same ease of deployment and management, but is better suited to non-enterprise 24/7/365 day small and medium business class deployments using Mac OS X Server. Perfect for Wiki, Calendar, Email, iChat, file or Web serving applications. It is also ideal for Disk-to-disk back up and archive of critical data.

• Optimized Performance - Superior Mac OS X Performance
• Fault Tolerant Design - Redundant cooling, power, hard drives, Fibre Channel ports
• SATA II Hard Drive Support - 7200 RPM 16MB cache high performance hard drives
• Low Cost Expansion - 16 drive 4x SAS Smart expansion system
• Native Mac OS X Management - Industry leading ease of deployment and management
• Modern System Design - Linux RAID Kernel, media-enhanced performance

The High-Performance Metadata Controller Appliance for Xsan and StorNext Networks

ActiveSAN is the first enterprise-class metadata controller appliance designed specifically for Xsan, combining stunning Active Storage product design with the rock-solid performance of an Intel Nehalem server platform, in a 1U rack form factor. ActiveSAN utilizes an enterprise hardened Linux operating system and the Quantum StorNext SAN file system. This fully integrated metadata controller solution consists of a highly innovative Intel Xeon server-based appliance that features a straightforward design for easy installation and serviceability. The Active Storage-designed native Mac OS X User Interface and Management Suite were designed for phenomenal ease of use in deployment and management of the Operating System and StorNext.

ActiveSAN is unlike anything else available. The installation and management of the appliance is designed for rapid deployment utilizing a single administration utility that provides setup for server and file system parameters. With Linux OS and Active Xsan-optimized StorNext® shared file system, the ActiveSAN is a solid performer. The Active Storage designed native Mac OS X User Interface and Management Suite were designed for phenomenal ease of use in deployment and management of the Operating System and StorNext®. If you are familiar with Xsan or Mac OS X, you will be ready to go in minutes!

Simply put, Active Storage provides a better alternative to Xserve for Xsan MDC use. It’s ready to go “out of the box” with a 1U form factor, redundant power, Lights Out Management, enterprise robustness, and the many expansion capabilities provided by StorNext® such as StorageManager.

The Next-Generation Media-Enhanced RAID Platform

mRAID represents many years of Active Storage development combined with the latest storage processing intelligence, and developed from the input of our extensive user base which includes some the largest media production companies in the world.

mRAID is unlike any storage you have used in a creative workflow. It's fast, smart, scalable and easy. Best of all, it's built on industry standards utilizing the same rock-solid Linux foundation of the Active Storage ActiveRAID. And with thousands of ActiveRAIDs in the field powering the top names in post production and broadcast, you can rely on mRAID to deliver the same level of highly available operation and on-going reliability. While mRAID draws heavily on the successful design of the ActiveRAID, it's also different; mRAID is a much-evolved storage system that is truly a new platform for expansion.

What makes mRAID so unique is that its design is very straightforward yet immensely powerful. The enclosure has a strong family resemblance to ActiveRAID, yet is ground-up designed and specially-engineered to handle the next generation of Intel-based storage processors. The mRAID, unlike other systems, employs many features that improve reliability, performance, ease of deployment and maintenance.

The Scalable Media Archive

mVault is all about your content, where you keep it, and how you keep it safe. mVault is quite simply the very-high-density storage expansion component of the mMedia platform.

When combined with mRAID, mVault can scale to Petabytes of near-line content archive. By deploying mVault, you will not only have "disk performance" from your archive, but at much lower cost and much smaller footprint than typical primary storage. And mVault is media savvy - it's been optimized for content and so you can be sure of 100% compatibility and the performance needed to meet your media production needs.

mVault is not a replacement for off-site long term tape archive in all cases, but a fantastic complement. With mVault your content will be available nearly instantaneously as you need it.

Proprietary Software

Active Admin
A no-hassle management tool for Mac OS X and Windows systems that requires virtually no management

Active Admin is a no-hassle RAID management tool for Mac OS X and Windows systems that requires virtually no management. Active Admin features a guided set up, providing you a simple, intuitive process - whether it's one ActiveRAID or one of many. And because it's OS X native, you won't have to deal with browser based application limitations and non Apple-like interfaces. Management of the ActiveRAID is further simplified by the modern design of the RAID controller and the RAID Kernel. Many of the tasks required to setup and maintain earlier systems are not required.

• Smart - Separate admin and monitoring offer intuitive use and added security
• Simple - Modern RAID controller and kernel design simplifies management
• Fast - Make configuration changes without lengthy commands or tedious manuals
• Familiar - Native Mac OS X: no browser based application limitations or annoying interfaces
• Instant - Easy, automated and non-disruptive software and firmware updates
• Timely - Get up and running in minutes, not hours
• Automatic - True Bonjour discovery enables simple point and click administration
• Optimized - Auto-configuration for optimization in complex environments

Active Viewer
At-a-glance RAID monitoring for Mac, WIndows and iOS, no matter where you are

Active Viewer provides at-a-glance RAID monitoring - how you want, where you want, when you want. Active Viewer is a world-class monitoring tool included in the Active Storage Management Suite. It gives clients a rich, graphical, full-featured view of how your ActiveRAID systems are performing in real-time. More than a thinly featured web app, Active Storage's rich client application is a powerful, yet easy to use tool - with zero impact on the ActiveRAID performance. Included is the exclusive iPhone application for mobile remote monitoring. Active Viewer is compatible with Mac OS X 10.5.x and 10.6.x, Windows Vista, Windows 7, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

• First - First Native Mac OS X storage management suite - now Windows enabled!
• Smart - Separate admin and monitoring offer intuitive use and added security
• Familiar - Simple, intuitive monitoring with zero learning curve
• Easy - Native Bonjour support to make discovery and monitoring fast and easy
• Remote - Monitor systems anywhere in the world, from anywhere in the world
• Exclusive - Storage Remote Control with the exclusive iPhone app for remote monitoring
• Safe - Precise monitoring without fear of damaging configuration or data
• Immediate - Offers at-a-glance view of a one or dozens of ActiveRAID systems
• Apple Easy - User-friendly, quick navigation for easy drill-down

Additional Information

For more information on Active Storage technology, please contact the experts at LH Computer Services.