Studio Network Solutions EVO Prodigy 32TB 4-Bay NAS Server (4 x 8TB) - 4BDT32TB-D

Studio Network Solutions Prodigy External HDD Overview 

The EVO Prodigy 32TB 4-Bay NAS Server from Studio Network Solutions is developed and tuned for the workflow needs of TV, film, video, graphics, VFX, animation, virtual reality, audio, and broadcast productions. Out-of-the box, the EVO is compatible with applications such as Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, Adobe CC/Premiere Pro, and other digital editing/creation programs. This storage solution features four 3.5" bays that house an enterprise-class 8TB hard drive in each bay. It is powered by a 64-bit, multi-core CPU that manages the large-amount of data and runs project and asset-management apps. Furthermore, it is designed for performance due to RAID and iSCSI support.

Studio Network Solutions has outfitted this server with two Gigabit Ethernet ports to provide always-available data for networked workstations and remote users. You can also configure this hybrid storage solution as a SAN subsystem that connects directly via Gigabit Ethernet or optional FC ports. Additionally, the EVO can accommodate sold separately 10GbE adapters, which deliver data faster to more users.

This scalable server comes with expansion ports to support optional EVO expansion units for more storage. To power the drives and server, a single 300W power supply is on board. Included along with the EVO are unlimited licenses for ShareBrowser, SANmp, and globalSAN, so you can set up a shared storage solution quickly.

Workflow

Project and Bin Sharing

Use the native Project and Bin sharing functions of Avid, and take advantage of project sharing for Adobe Premiere Pro (plus file sharing for Pro Tools). EVO Prodigy unlocks the sharing capabilities of Media Composer - with several editors in the same Avid project. Teams can easily collaborate by using shared Bins while exchanging access to Media and Sequences directly within Media Composer.

File and Volume Sharing

EVO Prodigy provides flexibility and performance of both file and volume sharing. Some file types and workflows simply work better in a file sharing environment, while others prefer the more dedicated approach of volume sharing. It allows you to use file sharing, volume sharing, or a combination of the two - providing multi-user write workspaces for sharing projects and bins, in addition to high performance SAN volumes for multi-cam and uncompressed workflows.

ShareBrowser Desktop Client Included

ShareBrowser is a unified file/project/asset management interface for OS X and Windows. It is similar to Finder/Explorer, but designed by SNS specifically to help media teams work and collaborate more efficiently. The ShareBrowser Desktop Client not only improves visibility and access to your team's storage systems, it conveniently enables automatic project locking for FCP, Premiere Pro, and Pro Tools - as well as Avid project and bin sharing. It allows you to search across all EVO storage as well as local, offline, and other network disks. Assets and custom metadata can be instantly added to the shared database, and users can more easily find, preview, and share media assets and projects. And now, cloud services can appear as workspaces just like your other network storage. ShareBrowser even gives you the capability to securely ingest and migrate data using built-in verification tools.

Connectivity

NAS - AFP, SMB, and More

Unify your storage and simplify your workflow with AFP, SMB, NFS, and SFTP file sharing by simply telling EVO Prodigy how you want each volume to be shared.

GbE and 10 Gigabit Ethernet

EVO Prodigy can be upgraded to 10GbE, which is a suitable solution for sites with many Ethernet users. You can connect the EVO Prodigy directly to a switch's 10 Gbps Uplink port and then attach each computer to any of the switch's 1 Gbps ports.

Fibre Channel & iSCSI SAN

With EVO Prodigy, you have it all in one centralized RAID system. You get all the undeniable benefits of a Storage Area Network and Network Attached Storage integrated into one easy-to-use server.

Bridging

You can extend the life of your older Fibre Channel storage array by connecting it to EVO Prodigy and bridging it over Ethernet.

Performance

I/O Profiles

EVO Prodigy is designed and built for digital artists who use applications such as Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, Adobe CC/Premiere Pro, and Pro Tools. These apps can have high I/O requirements, so EVO Prodigy is tuned to meet these demands right out of the box. In the unlikely event you need more precise tuning, you can create your own I/O profiles and assign one to any volume on-the-fly.

Caching

Advanced caching algorithms help to make EVO Prodigy capable of handling more video streams per array than most shared storage systems. This means you can do more work with a fewer number of disks.

Multipathing

A popular method of increasing transfer speed is to use more than one data pipe per computer. EVO Prodigy offers several ways to take multiple physical connections—Fibre Channel or Ethernet paths—and combine them homogeneously for higher SAN throughput.

Preset for Video Apps

EVO Prodigy is configured with its defaults preset for use with professional video editing applications. These presets are designed for other applications too, but if you're primarily using applications like Pro Tools or Logic Pro with very high track counts, simply change EVO Prodigy's I/O profile from Video to Audio for maximum performance.

Expansion

Ethernet Ports

You can add up to 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports to the EVO Prodigy, giving you an easy and inexpensive way to quickly add more computers to the storage system. You can also choose to add 10GbE ports for maximum bandwidth over iSCSI and NAS.

Fibre Channel Ports

EVO Prodigy accommodates up to four direct-attach Fibre Channel ports in each base unit. You can also connect a switch to any available port.

Volume Growth

You can increase storage capacity by phasing in larger disks or adding more drives to your existing storage pools.

Users (No Per-Seat Software Licensing)

Up to 8 users (workstations, notebooks, servers) can be direct-attached through EVO Prodigy's Ethernet and Fibre Channel ports. If you need to support more users, any available Fibre Channel or Ethernet port can be connected to a switch. Additionally, there's no per-seat software licensing costs for ShareBrowser, SANmp, and globalSAN.

Compatibility

Media Applications

EVO Prodigy is designed and built for professional media editing and post-production applications like Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, CC/Premiere Pro, Resolve, Smoke, Scratch, and Pro Tools. In fact, it can be used with any application, but its prime directive is to handle the intense demands of video and audio editing, in real-time, by many concurrent users.

SAN Sharing / File Systems

The fastest and easiest way to share your SAN volumes is to use the SANmp SAN sharing software included with EVO Prodigy. But if you're already using something else, such as the Xsan/StorNext file system or metaSAN, you can use that instead of SANmp if you prefer.

HBAs, Initiators, & Ethernet NICs

Fibre Channel workstations can connect to EVO Prodigy using an HBA from Apple, ATTO, Emulex, or Qlogic. iSCSI users can connect to EVO Prodigy using any 1GbE or optical 10GbE adapter and the included globalSAN iSCSI initiator for Mac OS X or the Microsoft iSCSI initiator. NAS users can connect to EVO Prodigy using practically any 1GbE or 10GbE adapter.

Operating Systems

EVO Prodigy supports Mac OS X and Windows. It can also be used with other operating systems including Linux or Solaris. In fact, any operating system that supports iSCSI, Fibre Channel, NFS, SFTP, SMB, or AFP can be used with EVO Prodigy.

Administration

Web-Based Admin Tools

Configuring and managing a storage system doesn't have to be complicated. Much attention is given to EVO Prodigy's user interface design to make it both attractive and intuitive—the result is a very functional and helpful administration tool with features ranging from the very basic to the very advanced. And since it's web-based, it can be administered from just about anywhere.

UPS Monitoring

Protect your storage by connecting it to an APC Uninterruptible Power Supply. You'll be able to easily configure and monitor the UPS through EVO Prodigy's web interface. If there's a power problem detected, EVO Prodigy can notify you by email and power itself off if necessary.

Email/SNMP Remote Monitoring

You may select which events are important and monitor them via SNMP or tell EVO Prodigy to send an email or text message if it detects something happening.

Drive Replacement

Enterprise-class, RAID-edition SATA disks are used in EVO Prodigy; however, it can send an email to let you know if a drive fails, so you can then do a hot swap or a cold swap to replace it with a new one. Step-by-step instructions are conveniently displayed in the web interface.

Batch RAID Creation

Creating RAID volumes is simple, but it can be a time-consuming step during initial setup of any storage system. Use the Queue Manager to get your RAID sets defined just as you want them —using RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, 6, or 10—then click a button and move along to something else. Each new volume comes online almost instantly, and you can have EVO Prodigy send you an email to let you know when it's finished processing your queue.

Software Upgrades

Each new version of the EVO Prodigy OS has brought useful improvements and new features. With EVO Prodigy, you have an investment in an efficient, flexible storage server that can actually improve its tool set and usefulness over time, rather than having a feature-locked box.

Additional Functions

NAS Recycle Bin

With EVO Prodigy's recycle bin, you can easily restore deleted files. It also lets you set the trash to be taken out for good.

USB Storage Docking

USB drives and card readers can be connected directly to EVO Prodigy's on-board USB ports and will show up automatically as NAS shares for your users.

Cloud Integration

Cloud services such as Dropbox and Adobe Creative Cloud can be integrated and appear as workspaces just like your other network storage.

LDAP/AD

EVO Prodigy can connect to a remote authentication server (Active Directory or LDAP) to get user names and groups. You can then assign permissions to EVO Prodigy resources based on these accounts for easier management.