--- Forwarded Message from Bob Majors <[log in to unmask]> ---

>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>References: <[log in to unmask]>
>From: Bob Majors <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #8427 Storage/Server Issues
>Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 13:49:42 -0800
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum   
<[log in to unmask]>

> (Say, a French class with 5 student films with 12 gigs of raw  
> footage each.)

A few possibilities (sorry if these are obvious):

- File Server with a fast RAID for data, and switched Gigabit  
connectivity (ideally) between client and server.  Backup to high  
capacity tape (some folks with really large RAID storage backup to  
another RAID).  If your clients are Mac and/or Windows, you can use a  
Mac OS X server or Windows 2003 server, both have their pros and cons  
when clients of the other OS are connecting to them.

- Burn a video DV (two, and you have a backup).  Disadvantages: not  
online storage; if the films are actually projects in video editing  
software (Final Cut Pro, Avid, etc.), you would not be able have any  
of the edit and other metadata info necessary to continue editing a  
project.  Just a single video to reimport.

- Now emerging are larger optical formats, such as BluRay, where you  
can store that amount of data.  Not online storage.

- External firewire drives, and copying one to another.   
Decentralized as well.  Might scale well for a small number of users;  
can be difficult to manage with many users.  Might be difficult to  
enforce duplication to another firwire drive (to create backups).

I think that a lot of data is kept around just because it can be, and  
it is quite challenging to try to housekeeping well done, but when  
attention is paid to that, total storage needs can be dramatically  
reduced.  That's a bit of soapboxing.

Bob Majors
Language Learning Center
University of Washington


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