Xserve RAID as storage for ProTools?

[Matts]

The Apple Xserve RAID isn't shipping until late March, but reading the specs and comparing it to other available Fibre Channel RAID solutions it looks quite promising.

I'm a bit surprised nobody hadn't already started a topic on this subject.

The question is of course: can it be used as (the maybe most crucial part of) a SAN for multiple ProTools systems?

Anybody?

[The Chinese]

The Xserve communicates along a gigabit ethernet line- Fast, but not nearly fast enough for audio. It's great for Sfx Sstorage etc.
we tried to play audio off it, but had no luck.
I could be wrong, but a Fibre channel interface on the Xserve is not for the users, but rather for the server to access data, which it must then send in packets along the gigbit Ethernet line, which would still be too slow for audio.
-Todd A.

[Matts]

Yes, I know - but that's the Xserve server itself.

I was talking about the NEW Xserve RAID (with a maximum of 14 drives), without the need of a Xserve server in my setup.

The RAID talks over FibreChannel (via a FibreChannel switch) not only to Xserve servers but also to PowerMacG4's.

http://a772.g.akamai.net/7/772/51/c29749e64ecba0/www.apple.com/xserve/raid/images/deployment3b_02090 3.gif

Could the RAID be used building a SAN for ProTools? (Of course you would need a FC switch, FC cards for each PowerMacG4 and all the cabling).

What additional software (that doesn't ship with the unit) would then be needed, if any?

Matts

[Matts]

Is it really so that people don't find the Xserve RAID a tempting ProTools-solution (= the reason this topic died even before it was born)?
Or is it so that everybody (besides me) knows that it actually can't be used for this purpose (and therefore don't see a need to participate in a discussion about it - nor see any reason to inform us, not in the knowledge, about this being the case) - or what?

Maybe I try another forum... ;-\

-Matts

[hokuspocus]

$$$ does that answer your question