Broadcast Beat Magazine 2018 NAB Show Edition | Page 81

path. Adding capacity should always increase bandwidth, and you should have the ability to utilize old and new drives in the same volume to increase speed. Avoid systems that limit your client count, or have you buying additional seat licenses or server hardware to manage more user connections. Instead, look for systems that have multiple methods of connectivity. It’s also impor- tant to choose a flexible storage network that can eventually accommodate more speed than you think you’ll ever need. It’s all about accessibility Accessibility can be a challenge based on the workstation OS and revision you chose. Many net- work systems will force everyone onto the same OS revision for compatibility. This usually means that they’re using OS features to provide the con- nection, so they’re not completely agnostic. • • • antees the performance of the entire system Building a functional network on dated proto- cols is difficult for most facilities. o Find a system that uses an optimized, non- TCP sharing method. Managing a network is tough, and if you farm out the work, be prepared to pay. o Buying a turn-key system provides you a direct line to the experts on your system Over-engineering is costly, but the ability to grow and adapt is critical o Look for a product that satisfies your growth pattern, and buy the size you need now. Try to find a system that has compatibility with multiple OS revisions, because this ensures that a change in the OS is unlikely to cause a problem, and you won’t have urgent OS upgrades across the facility to simply update your server software. The resiliency of the network connection is also important when considering reliable access to the storage. If there is only one possible path to the storage, or if the system requires multiple active paths to function, it only takes a wiggle of a wire to disconnect your clients. Look for solutions that have connectivity failover, to provide another path to the storage in case of an issue with the primary, and systems that only require a single connection to the storage to lower complexity. In conclusion When you decide on a turn-key shared storage network, demand that the architecture is support- able for at least 5 years, and get evidence of that with systems in the field today. Planned obsoles- cence, and quickly-moving product architecture will leave you left out, and frozen in time. Don’t let the hardware fool you; all network stor- age is not the same. • Performance is systemic, and bottlenecks will migrate downstream o Talk to someone that qualifies and guar- Broadcast Beat Magazine • www.broadcastbeat.com • 81