Features

Heterogeneous operating system support Windows, Mac OS X Tiger, and Linux users can share content and collaborate efficiently

Simultaneous high-speed file sharing No volume-locking restrictions! All users can read AND write to the same volume

Hardware and software agnostic Compatible with all standard applications, storage, and network technologies - including Infiniband, 4Gb FC, 10 GigE, and iSCSI. Supports stripe sets, trunking and multipathing.

Native OS file system support Preserves the integrity of NTFS and HFS+ file systems and simplifies SAN maintenance. Manage volumes up to 18 exabytes in size!

Native OS access rights management No need to manage additional accounts and passwords for true file sharing

Per-node bandwidth usage control Bandwidth reservation and bandwidth quota for each SAN member allows for a fair and optimal distribution of the available network bandwidth

Virtualization for Avid® Enables sharing of media files among multiple users of Avid® software on Windows platforms for efficient workgroup collaboration.

Requires no dedicated metadata controller Save $$$! No need to purchase extra licences, dedicated computers, HBA, etc.

Centralized management of SAN definitions Simplifies SAN management by allowing global, as well as local SAN settings to be controlled from a single workstation

Soft zoning Enables the shared storage to be partitioned in a number of zones that permit the compartmentalization of data for increased security

24/7 mission-critical ready Access to SAN is fully redundant with true real-time failover capability

Fibre Channel to Ethernet Failover Users can still save their work and exit gracefully in case of a Fibre Channel malfunction

Multi-point gateway for LAN MetaLAN gives your LAN clients block-level access to your high-speed SAN through one of the available data server gateways!

Dynamic Disk Optimizer Offers low level, high-performance formatting options that boosts existing RAID and stripe set performances up to 100% in addition to providing backup and restore utilities for LDM databases on Windows platforms

Features

Heterogeneous operating system support Windows, Mac OS X Tiger, and Linux users can share content and collaborate efficiently

Combine throughput of individual SAN servers into cluster/sec automatic load balancing between individual servers and metaLAN clients eliminates hotspots and I/O bottlenecks

Transparent and easy to use mounts remote volumes as logical drives (as opposed to network shares) with direct block-level disk access to ensure efficient use of LAN bandwidth

Complete integration with standard IT management tools native NTFS or HFS+ file system simplifies maintenance and troubleshooting. Supports volumes up to 18 exabytes in size. Native Active Directory or Open Directory OS access rights management means there is no need to manage additional accounts and passwords.

Centralized licensing scheme metaLAN licenses are not tied to any specific machine or OS. This greatly simplifies deployment and maintenance in larger facilities.

Save on Microsoft Client Access Licenses (CALs) MetaLAN is a client software that uses TCPI/IP socket connections and does not require Microsoft Windows 2003 Server nor CALs as it doesn't use standard network file protocol such as NFS, SMB and CIFS.

Save on dedicated metadata controller No need to purchase extra licences, dedicated computers, HBA, etc.

Per-node bandwidth usage control Bandwidth reservation and bandwidth quota for each client computer allows for a fair and optimal distribution of the available network bandwidth

Soft zoning Enables the shared storage to be partitioned in a number of zones that permit the compartmentalization of data for increased security

Virtualization for Avid® Enables sharing of media files among multiple users of Avid® software on Windows platforms for efficient workgroup collaboration.

24/7 mission-critical ready Innovative multi-point gateway technology eliminates single-point server dependencies by providing persistent shared storage connection and transparent failover

Affordable, time-tested, field proven technology Tiger Technology software is priced per connected seat to the shared storage. Thousands of users worldwide are already relying on Tiger Technology for their daily operations.

Tiger recommends using multi-port NIC with link aggregation on the server(s). Check metaSAN System Requirements for other recommendations.

metaSAN iSCSI enables multiple servers to share access to a common iSCSI Target volume. It delivers all the same true SAN shared storage benefits as metaSAN, but tailored solution that leverages cost-effective Gigabit Ethernet technology.

iSCSI storage technology has gained a lot of momentum thanks to its ease of integration. Whether you need to create Active/Active or Active/Passive setups, metaSAN iSCSI represents a cost-effective solution for adding failover capability to web servers, Microsoft Cluster Services, or VMware virtual machines.

In the past, DCC professionals interested in collaborative production, yet challenged with limited budgets, faced specialized and expensive options or had little choice but to turn to NAS for shared storage as a lower cost alternative to Fibre Channel-based SAN. metaSAN iSCSI solves this dilemma by leveraging iSCSI's inherent low protocol overhead; allowing for more efficient use of the Gigabit Ethernet. This translates directly into higher effective bandwidth and increased performance, enabling the delivery of true SAN shared storage benefits at a comparable NAS price point.

metaSAN iSCSI is compatible with standard iSCSI Initiators (computers) and Targets (shared storage) and prevents data corruption by arbitrating simultaneous accesses. Hardware and software agnostic, metaSAN iSCSI allows companies to easily customize their SAN environments to accommodate very particular workflow needs, both from a technical and budgetary perspective.

metaSAN iSCSI is ideally suited for digital content creation production professionals in film, video and broadcast and IT specialists at small and mid-sized facilities handling large files who require an affordable, flexible and high-speed true SAN shared storage environment.

• metaLAN Server is a cost-effective version of Tiger Technology's flagship metaSAN software, designed specifically to be used in conjonction with metaLAN clients. As such, metaLAN Server is ideally suited for environments looking at leveraging low cost Gigabit Ethernet, but requiring advanced connectivity features.

Any number of metaLAN clients can connect to a single metaLAN Server, or a cluster of servers. A single server can be used as an alternative to a conventional NAS appliance while multiple servers can easily participate in a SAN cluster. A cluster offers the added benefits of virtualizing the shared storage thereby eliminating hotspots and I/O bottlenecks in addition to aggregating the total bandwidth of the individual servers for increased LAN performances. Please refer to metaLAN client software for additional information.
Notes:

1. metaLAN Server and metaSAN or metaSAN iSCSI licenses cannot be mixed in the same SAN. metaSAN offers all the same functionality and should be used whenever a combination of features is required.
2. Unlike metaSAN and metaSAN iSCSI that can participate in a SAN as either client or server workstations, metaLAN Server can only participate in a cluster as a gateway for metaLAN clients. Because only the "master" server has direct access to the SAN storage, metaSAN licenses should be used instead when such access is required (ex: for backup purposes).