High-speed file sharing of digital content with MIC Associates' SAN System

As its main high-performance, high-capacity product, MIC Associates is focusing its resources on promoting sales of the SAN (Storage Area Network) system ― a high-speed file server solution for digital content. At Inter BEE, the company demonstrated a working SAN system in their booth, which was based on the theme of "storage and file sharing by professionals". This enabled visitors to experience firsthand the enhanced efficiency and productivity possibilities made possible by this high-speed content sharing system, as well as to discover other storage products and state-of-the-art modules produced by MIC Associates.


■ High-performance RAID products centered on the XRS RAID Storage Family

MIC Associates proposes a SAN system environment centering on the XRS RAID Storage Family RAID products developed and manufactured by Xyratex combined with metaSAN/metaLAN software to achieve high-speed digital content file sharing. The company's main product line XRS RAID Storage Family includes a controller for the specialized high-performance RAID processor, firmware, intuitive storage settings, and a storage management user interface that enables monitoring operations. Also available are cases for system expansion.

The 4GB FC-SAS/SATA-II RAID F6412E was released in July this year as the high-end model optimized for large-capacity image data and multi-host database applications. The F6412E realizes high-speed, high-performance 1.6GB/sec transmission with quick access of 125,000 I/O per second. And with the available 2U 12 drive slots, a maximum of 96 drives can configured to a maximum of 7 expansion cases.

Meanwhile, the metaSAN/metaLAN SAN file-sharing software enables high-speed cross-platform file sharing with mixed environments of Win, Mac, and Linux operating systems. The system operates seamlessly between SAN shared volumes and local disk access with native OS files system support. Further exemplifying the system's proven track record from image and video editing to medical treatment, printing, satellite imaging, etc., the metaSAN software has been introduced for Pony Canyon Enterprise's next-generation BD encoder system in June 2008.


■ New storage solution products presented at Inter BEE

In November 2008 and in conjunction with Inter BEE, the company announced its OneStor SP1224s storage solution for system integrators and OEMs, as well as its large-capacity Windows Server Kura series. The OneStor SP1224s features 2U 24 drive slots, and with the latest 2.5 inch drives for enterprises in place of the 3.5-inch SAS drives in the same rack space, I/O performance is increased twofold while superb energy saving functions help to reduce power consumption by approximately half of a 3.5-inch drive system.

The Kura series is a highly reliable, large-capacity digital data storage and application product available in two models, a super high-capacity ClaStor NAS/iSCSI master storage model and ClaServ ultra-high capacity storage server module. The ClaStor uses Windows Storage Server 2003 as its OS, and provides a highly stable NAS environment. The ClaServ uses the Windows Server 2003 OS and it features a Quad Core Xeon Dual as its high-power server resource to enable the use of a variety of application platforms. The model lineup of this series is available with 10TB to 90TB capacities to fully answer the data demands of today.


■ Exchanging practical usage ideas for file sharing systems with exhibition visitors

Together with Totsu Inc., their partner company, MIC Associates demonstrated the high-speed file sharing performance offered by the new OneStor SP1224s and Kura systems featuring the XRS RAID Storage Family F6412E at the core and the SAN system configured with metaSAN/metaLAN that incorporated a Mac and two PCs in a cross-platform environment. A 6-meter wide panel on the booth wall was also setup that featured an easy-to-understand storage network schematic, which illustrated the positioning and functions of the company's product lineup.

President Michio Fujii stated that, "As a professional storage company offering the metaSAN product, we want to make a positive effort to exchange ideas and get involved in personal communications with digital content professionals to discuss the ways metaSAN can be implemented while demonstrating its high-speed file sharing features and merits to show visitors." So for people having any problems with their current storage system or who were thinking of upgrading, the MIC Associates' booth was the place to be to discover the latest in storage solutions.


[Inter BEE News Center]
Photo 1: XRS RAID Storage Family F6412E

Photo 2: The Kura series

Photo 3: metaSAN