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Digital Media Storage Solution Installation Guide 4
© Copyright 2010, IBM Corporation. All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION
There has long been a desire to support Apple servers and work stations with IBM DS series
storage, and now we have that capability. But due to confusion in the past, we will be
approving a very specific set of known, quality configurations. There are two basic aspects of
these solutions: One is basic hardware connectivity, the second is the support for file sharing.
It‟s important not to confuse the two. Basic hardware connectivity to Apple is supported via
RPQ. File sharing is also supported, but because of the added complexity requires very
specific configuration and a more restrictive RPQ process.
File Sharing Environments
Apple installations typically use a shared file system called Xsan. Xsan is in reality a lite
version of Quantum‟s StorNext File System. StorNext is very popular in the media market
because it allows shared block-level file system access while offering integrated archive
management. However, Apple offers very limited support outside very specific configurations.
A 100% apple configuration must be used.
There are three components to the StorNext solution: Clients, Meta Data Controller (MDCs),
and the storage. There are also ancillary components such as the SAN, the TCP/IP network,
and archive storage such as tape libraries. However, for selling and support purposes the
components are software, support, and implementations services.
StorNext Environment
The announced support for the IBM Digital Media Storage Solution is the result of efforts
between ATTO (HBA‟s), Quantum (StorNext), LSI (Storage Subsystems), and IBM. We have
identified a set of hardware, firmware, and configuration parameters that will be supported. The
set of configurations will be expanded in a logical manner over the next few months as
additional choices are available and tested.