Customers can add one or more EFS 40NL nodes of storage to an existing XStream EFS storage cluster as well as configure the EFS 40NL as an independent storage cluster for disaster recovery or media backup purposes. Each XStream EFS 40NL 4U storage node provides 240TB of raw capacity and, when configured appropriately, can protect against the loss of one or more nodes.

“We have many existing XStream EFS storage users who need to store dormant assets temporarily and inexpensively. And they need to do so in a manner that is easily managed between their main production storage platforms,” comments Bill Thompson, EditShare's storage product manager. “Our new EFS 40NL scale-out storage model is the ideal solution for these situations because, in addition to satisfying budget requirements, it’s connected to the EFS storage group and therefore mounts under the single EFS namespace. As a result, moving project content from higher performance XStream EFS online systems to a 40NL nearline system and vice versa is as simple as selecting the storage node group. The EFS file system transparently moves the content from one group to the other, bringing both cost and production efficiency to the operation.”

Like all existing EFS SSD and HDD nodes, the new EFS 40NL nodes leverage the EditShare “Storage Node Group” concept, which allows users to assign media spaces to a specific set of nodes and define how the files in the media space are protected.

“EditShare XStream EFS customers can also combine the EFS 40NL with one or more EFS Metadata Controllers to create a low-cost, nearline-only storage configuration for disaster recovery or business continuity,” explains Thompson. Using the EditShare Sync tool, users can quickly and easily back up media from a primary XStream EFS online cluster to the dedicated EFS 40NL nearline cluster.