XenData, the global provider of high capacity data storage solutions for creative video applications, today launches its new FX-Series systems that combine shared disk storage and archive on a single server. The new, all-in-one server helps to dramatically simplify collaborative media production workflows, while offering two independent storage volumes: a high performance shared disk volume, suitable for 4K workflows, and an archive volume capable of supporting an attached LTO library, an attached Optical Disc Archive library or Microsoft Azure cloud storage.
   

By presenting two complementary high-capacity volumes, the FX server can simplify workflows as it avoids storage boundaries that would traditionally be present with multiple shared disk or archive storage volumes. Key FX-Series system benefits and features include:

Scalable Capacity – Presented as a single standard NTFS volume, the shared disk storage comes available with 120 TB, 180 TB or 240 TB of usable capacity. For systems that start at 120 TB or 180 TB, the shared disk volume can be expanded later. The archive volume is also presented as a single file system that is easily expandable to multiple petabytes.

Faster Data Transfer Speeds – Because the shared disk storage and archive are local to a single FX server, high data transfer speeds can be achieved when moving content between the two volumes. This avoids the typical loss of performance when transferring over a network.

Wider Industry Integration – Thanks to XenData’s Workflow API, an API-driven data mover that allows transfer of files between the shared disk and the archive volumes from the User Interface of a third-party application, organizations can easily take advantage of the faster transfer speeds between the volumes.

Easy to Install and Manage – With a network attached storage (NAS) architecture, the FX-Series is simple to install. It runs a Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system and is fully compliant with the Microsoft security model making it easy to integrate into a Windows domain or workgroup. The FX series also comes with 10 GbE copper or SFP+ optical network ports that can be bonded for increased performance.

“Our design philosophy is to simplify everything, while ensuring optimal storage performance,” said Phil Storey, XenData CEO and co-founder. “More and more content is being created in 4K and beyond, which means storage costs are skyrocketing. The FX Series makes it easy to move projects to a lower cost archive storage tier and allows an organization to do more on a given budget.”

The FX-Series system will be shown for the first time at NAB on the XenData booth, SL14213, from 24-27 April 2017 where it will be demonstrated for collaborative editing with MXFserver.