Question 1

How do you manage HA DDP?

Flowingweb · Accepted Answer

HA DDP comes with HA AVFS on board. HA AVFS is managed by admin using the web interface. Although possible, there is no need for users to be confronted with the web interface.

Question 2

Who owns HA AVFS?

Accepted Answer

HA AVFS is an in house development of Ardis Technologies. This has the advantage that issues can be solved without having to consult another party. A short reaction time is guaranteed this way. HA AVFS is the property of Ardis Technologies, manufacturer of the Dynamic Drive Pool, in short DDP series of storage servers

Question 3

Does HA AVFS support SNMP?

Accepted Answer

Yes. SNMP servers and other storage monitoring devices can be used.

Question 4

Does HA AVFS supports a backup mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Archiware P5 comes standard as part of AVFS. In a smaller setup P5 can be used to control a tape streamer or other SAS equipped library device. Or it can be used as client. When HA AVFS is used it is best to use a separate P5 server and mount HA AVFS ddp volume via iSCSI/AVFS.

Question 5

Does HA AVFS supports Active and Open Directory?

Accepted Answer

AD, OD user names can be imported and be kept synchronized. Authentication is via AD or OD. Access rights and other attributes for these users are created and managed in AVFS.

Question 6

Does HA AVFS supports other protocols then iSCSI/AVFS?

Accepted Answer

HA AVFS runs on Linux and support SMB. It includes the standard up to date Linux SMB server, which internally in the Dual DDP Head is connected via iSCSI. When SMB is used both data and metadata is routed via the Dual DDP Head while iSCSI/AVFS access the data in parallel. When using SMB scale out and transparent data failover is not supported.

Question 7

Is HA AVFS available as a file system for third party and OEM usage?

Accepted Answer

Yes but only installed on a dual DDP Head. A Dual DDP Head can be purchased in combination with capacity depending licensing costs for example to replace a third party file system in an existing situation with existing storage systems.

Question 8

How about a Cluster?

Accepted Answer

AVFS in combination with a Dual DDP Head can be used to cluster iSCSI, FC and Infiniband storage systems although the preferred protocol is iSCSI. The systems then function as data containers managed by AVFS.

Question 9

How about HA AVFS and Security?

Afra de Wit · Accepted Answer

HTTPS and two-factor authentication can be used for logon. AVFS file system remains in the DDP separate from the data and is never exposed to desktops. Operators only get to see a representation required for the Folder Volume mounted. AVFS and iSCSI can be physically separated using different network ports and subnets. Also hardware based hard disk encryption can be used when proper hard disks are used. AVFS is ISO 27001 and MPAA compliant. Auditing information is assembled during operation and does not need to be generated afterwards.

Question 10

How about HA DDP for Play out?

Flowingweb · Accepted Answer

The play out should always go on. Therefore it is best to play out from SSD cache and cache material needed for play out using pinned so that it is available in time in the cache.

Question 11

How about HA DDP for Ingest?

Flowingweb · Accepted Answer

Ingest should continue uninterrupted no matter what with the media securely stored. Possible interruption can come from hard and software and hard disks issues. HA DDP assures that when there is hard or software failure ingest during a fail over continuous without hick up. In addition a Data Location can be optionally kept aside which can be used when one of the disks within a Data Location becomes too slow.

Question 12

How about HA DDP for MAM?

Flowingweb · Accepted Answer

HA DDP fails over transparent for users including MAM servers. DDP uses a single file system with one directory/folder tree. If the MAM server connects with ddpvolume there are just (sub)folders to consider. AVFS also supports hard-links. Hard-links in combination with the single file system is ideal for MAM systems. Also without workflow interruption bandwidth and or capacity can be increased or maintenance can be done.

Question 13

Why ACLs per directory/folder?

Flowingweb · Accepted Answer

Almost all file systems have an ACL per file per user. AVFS uses ACLs per folder per user. For almost all activity in the M & E industry the property of a directory/folder is leading. Having ACL on directories/folders simplifies handling of access rights.

Question 14

Does AVFS support hard-links?

Afra de Wit · Accepted Answer

Various MAM applications benefit when a storage system supports hard-links. AVFS will support hard-links. Both hard-links and the single file system allow MAM and other applications to optimally use hard-links in their workflow.

Question 15

Is AVFS a scale out file system?

Flowingweb · Accepted Answer

AVFS is a single file system. It is separate from the storage arrays with the Data Locations it manages. A desktop has parallel access to these storage arrays of which its Data Locations behave
independently. So the total bandwidth is the sum of the bandwidth of the storage arrays. Also capacity can be increased separately. So yes, AVFS is a scale out file system.

Question 16

What protocol is used for data access between Desktop and storage arrays?

Flowingweb · Accepted Answer

Data access is in parallel using one or more Ethernet connections and as a standard using the iSCSI protocol.

Question 17

What is connected on the desktop?

Flowingweb · Accepted Answer

On the desktop on Mac and in Linux volumes are displayed. On windows volumes are in My Computer. These volumes are folders on the file system, which have been given volume properties. These are therefore called Folder Volumes.

Question 18

What do I get on the desktop?

Accepted Answer

On the desktop on Mac and in Linux Volumes are shown. On windows Volumes are in My Computer. These Volumes are folders, which have been given Volume properties in the AVFS web interface, so called Folder Volumes.

Question 19

What does such Folder Volume represent?

Flowingweb · Accepted Answer

A Folder Volume represents a folder on the file system. The data of files and subfolders and files displayed in the directory of such Folder Volume are on one of more Data Locations on the storage arrays.
These Data Locations are shown in Disk Utility on the Mac and in Computer Management on Windows.

Question 20

Why file based load balancing?

Accepted Answer

Many systems with multiple nodes divide a file in blocks to spread over the nodes to balance the bandwidth. In that case all data must be present in the desktop before a file can be used. AVFS keeps a file within a Data Location boundary and a node can have multiple Data Locations. So also smaller AVFS setups can still benefit from load balancing. And to scale out storage nodes of different brands, capacities and manufacturing dates can be added.

Question 21

How does AVFS cache?

Accepted Answer

AVFS uses file level caching. The caching technology called Dual Path is build-in in the AVFS file system. On playback a file is either coming from the cache or coming from the spindles. Or a complete file can be copied or ingested to the cache and duplicated to the spindles. If no longer in the cache the file is taken from the spindles. Caching, cache mode and direction are selectable per directory/folder.

Question 22

How do most file systems cache?

Accepted Answer

The vast majority of systems use block level caching. There is no way of knowing to which file the data belongs. So the basic criteria, to keep data cached, is how often data blocks are used. Because parts of a file could be in the cache and other parts not, this could lead to unexpected play back interruptions. There is also no mechanism for file prioritization.

Question 23

Does AVFS support thin provisioning?

Accepted Answer

Yes. AVFS is an Ethernet SAN system with a single file system with one directory/folder tree. The available storage can be used up to 100 % and there is no pre-allocation. When more physical storage is added it automatically becomes available within AVFS.

Question 24

What does one name space mean?

Accepted Answer

One name space mostly describes a system which underneath combines multiple file systems. Such system has scaling, capacity and data movement limitations.

Question 25

What does single file system mean?

Accepted Answer

Single file system means that there is only one directory/folder tree giving access to all data no matter where it is. Data can be moved between Data Locations without changes to the directory/folder tree and transparent for the users.

Question 26

How is AVFS organized?

Accepted Answer

With a SAN file system both data and the file system (metadata) are kept and managed separate. Data is stored as raw data in Data Locations. The single file system AVFS is elsewhere and holds information, on which Data Location the data can be found.

Question 27

Why another file system?

Flowingweb · Accepted Answer

Unfortunately open source file systems such as XFS, ZFS and others cannot be easily tuned so that it can live up to M & E situations.

Question 28

Why Ethernet SAN?

Accepted Answer

Ethernet is what everybody uses and is thus affordable. SCSI over Ethernet (iSCSI) is an established SAN protocol. Ethernet cards and switches are available up to 100 GbE/s bandwidth at affordable prices. Installing an Ethernet SAN system is easy nowadays.

Question 29

Why a SAN file system?

Accepted Answer

To get the highest possible data bandwidth over a network the connection should not carry metadata. Or the amount of metadata should be controllable and as low as possible. This is possible when data and metadata can be handled separately. Only a SAN file system can guarantee this.

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