News | September 11, 2007

RAID Storage: Sonnet Announces Rackmount RAID Storage Systems For Video Editing

IBC2007 Exhibition—Sonnet Technologies, a leader in storage systems for professional users, announces the Sonnet Fusion R800RAID 8-drive SATA disk array storage system, designed for use in film and video editing, and professional broadcast applications. Each Fusion R800RAID system boasts a powerful PCI Express RAID host adapter that supports RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, 10, 50, and JBOD configurations, a 2U rackmount enclosure that contains hot-swappable drive modules equipped with Enterprise/RAID edition SATA drives, and robust locking cables.

Like Sonnet's award-winning Fusion D800RAID desktop storage system, Fusion R800RAID is designed for work environments where performance and fault tolerance are critical. With its drives formatted as a RAID 0 group, the R800RAID is capable of single-stream 2K (2048 x 1556) LOG RGB capture and playback. A Fusion R800RAID system configured as a protected RAID 5 group (8 drives striped with parity distributed across all group members) can achieve 544MB/sec (AJA Kona 1080HD test), fast enough to handle uncompressed 10-bit 1080 4:4:4 HD, or multiple streams of DV, HDV, and DVCPRO. Fusion RAID systems offer fail-safe protection along with visual and audible notification in the event of a drive failure—a drive can be swapped out and the RAID rebuilt in 2, 3, or 4 hours (4TB, 6TB, or 8TB configurations, respectively), or the user can choose to continue to work at reduced bandwidth while the RAID rebuilds in the background.

Based on the latest-generation Intel® IOP348 RAID processor and complemented with 256MB of onboard ECC-protected RAM, the Sonnet PCI Express RAID host adapter easily handles the throughput from all the drives with plenty of overhead. The included software utilities provide user-extensive control of the Fusion RAID system's configuration. Connections between host and enclosure are simplified through the use of two reliable four-lane cables.

Fusion RAID systems employ Enterprise/RAID Edition hard drives. These drives are subjected to hours of additional testing to check for soft errors, vibration, and other reliability predictors. Only the sturdiest drives pass these tests, and then are prepared with special RAID-optimized firmware, and become the building blocks of a super-reliable Fusion RAID system. For added convenience and security, Fusion RAID systems' swappable drive modules are compatible across Sonnet's Fusion line.

Fusion R800RAID storage systems offer the same breakthrough performance as that of the Fusion D800RAID desktop systems. "Our Fusion RAID line delivers the performance, fault tolerance, and reliability our professional customers demand," states Robert Farnsworth, Sonnet CEO. "These attributes, along with broad software and hardware compatibility, make Fusion RAID systems a perfect choice for a variety of workflows." Fusion RAID systems support Mac OS® X, Windows® XP, Windows Vista, and Linux. They are compatible with capture cards from AJA, Blackmagic Design, Matrox, and Bluefish 444, and work with all mainstream video editing applications including Apple® Final Cut Pro®, and Adobe® Premiere® Pro CS3.

FUSION R800RAID KEY FEATURES

  • Complete storage systems designed for use in film and video editing, and professional broadcast applications
  • Powerful RAID host adapter with Intel RAID processor and 256MB of ECC-protected RAM
  • Supports RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, 10, 50, and JBOD configurations
  • 4TB, 6TB, or 8TB of Enterprise/RAID edition drives
  • Up to 544MB/sec transfer rate (D800RAID configured as RAID 5)
  • Universal 110-220V, 50-60Hz power supply
  • Drive Activity, Drive Presence, and Power LED indicators
  • Multilane cables included
  • RoHS compliant

COMPATIBILITY

  • Mac Pro
  • Power Mac G5 (with PCI Express slots)
  • Xserve
  • PC with PCI Express slot
  • Mac OS X Version 10.3+
  • Windows XP with SP2
  • Windows Vista
  • Linux

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

Fusion R800RAID storage systems will be available in September. Configurations and pricing in Europe is set by Sonnet distributors.

Complete Systems

Fusion R800RAID-4TB (Part No. FUS-R8R-4TB) - USD $5,395.00

Fusion R800RAID-6TB (Part No. FUS-R8R-6TB) - USD $6,995.00
Fusion R800RAID-8TB (Part No. FUS-R8R-8TB) - USD $8,895.00
RAID Drive Modules
Fusion 500GB RAID Drive Module (Part No. FUS-RM-0500GB) - USD $299.95
Fusion 750GB RAID Drive Module (Part No. FUS-RM-0750GB) - USD $499.95
Fusion 1TB RAID Drive Module (Part No. FUS-RM-1000GB) - USD $724.95 For more information on this and other Sonnet products on display at IBC2007, stop by the RAI Congress Centre, Hall 7, Stand 7.941, or visit the Sonnet web site at: www.sonnettech.com/product/fusionfamily

About Sonnet Technologies, Inc.
Sonnet Technologies is a leading supplier of upgrade cards, high-performance disk solutions and other accessories for Apple Macintosh computers. Founded in 1986, Sonnet commemorates twenty years making Macintosh upgrades. To locate an authorized reseller or purchase product, visit the Sonnet Technologies web site at www.sonnettech.com.

SOURCE: Sonnet Technologies, Inc