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AV I D N E X I SMedia Mirror Protection for Enterprise EnginesThe answer for today’s fast-turnaround workflows
WHY IS MEDIA MIRROR PROTECTIONREQUIRED FOR TODAY’S WORKFLOWS?Avid NEXIS is the leading shared storage choice of media professionals, enablingcollaborative workflows across every type of production environment—fromgrowing post-production teams to the largest broadcasters. One increasinglycommon factor across these diverse workflows is that today’s incredibly tightdeadlines are driving the need for shared storage solutions that can deliver nonstop editing workflows—even when the storage encounters a variety of failuremodes.All workflows across the industry are under the same pressures, driven by tighterdeadlines to deliver more projects faster. Everyone understands the criticalnature of broadcast workflows; however, what most people have been slow toacknowledge is that post-production workflows have just as strict deadlines—especially when producing fast-turnaround highlights packages for live eventsand reality TV. In addition, the workflow impact of an outage—whether lasting afew minutes or multiple hours—should be considered when configuring any sharedstorage system. Avid NEXIS Mirror Protection allows the workflow to continuewithout interruption to users.In this paper, we explore the media and workflow protection schemes availablein Avid NEXIS and how these features deliver a cost-effective, scalable, highlyavailable solution.AVID NEXIS: MEDIA MIRROR PROTECTION FOR ENTERPRISE ENGINES 2
UNDERSTANDING AVID NEXISThe Avid NEXIS Enterprise line of engines is the culmination of over 20 yearsof Avid designing and delivering innovative shared storage solutions for mediaprofessionals. With legacy Avid Unity storage and Media Composer editingsoftware, Avid invented the collaborative shared storage workflows in use bythousands of organizations today, ranging from small editing teams to thelargest post and broadcast facilities.Avid NEXIS Enterprise Software-defined storage familyAvid NEXIS is built from several modular building block concepts. Each set of 10media drives is called a Media Pack; each Avid NEXIS storage engine type canhouse one or more Media Packs. The Avid NEXIS E2 engine can house one MediaPack, the E4 can accommodate one or two, and the E5 can support up to eightMedia Packs.Each Media Pack provides a defined amount of total storage (currently 20, 60,100, or 140 TB) and a constant 400 MBytes/second of bandwidth (for HDD MediaPack). An Avid NEXIS system is sized and scaled by provisioning sufficient MediaPacks to accommodate the overall bandwidth and capacity needs of the users.One of the functions of the Media Pack is to provide a defined recovery domain—any disk failure is repaired and recovered within the Media Pack, avoiding animpact on the overall system.3 AVID NEXIS: MEDIA MIRROR PROTECTION FOR ENTERPRISE ENGINES
An increasingly common request from customers is to deliver a storage solutionthat has higher fault tolerance, enabling editors, producers, and assistantsto continue working even if the storage system encounters a failure. We hearfrom customers of all types and sizes that deadlines are getting tighter and thepressure to quickly turn around more projects is higher than ever. Avid NEXIS wasdesigned with media protection and redundancy configuration options that canbe added when needed, plus flexible media protection that enables customersto choose the right protection level for each project, optimizing their Avid NEXISstorage in a way that is not possible with any other media storage solution.Each Avid NEXIS engine is built from one or more Media Packs bound together asa storage group to provide a common pool of storage capacity and bandwidth.Each Avid NEXIS engine can have one or more storage groups; a single storagegroup provides the most flexible allocation of space and delivers the maximumbandwidth to all workspaces. Deploying multiple storage groups allowsbandwidth to be divided between user storage workspaces and increases overallreliability by decreasing the failure group’s size.User workspaces are provisioned within a storage group; typical systems havemany workspaces per storage group. These workspaces are individual mountpoints with specific user permissions and capacity. The capacity of a workspaceis easily increased or decreased using the Avid NEXIS Management Console,while all users are active. Each workspace has full access to the total bandwidthprovisioned in the storage group.Avid NEXIS Management ConsoleAVID NEXIS: MEDIA MIRROR PROTECTION FOR ENTERPRISE ENGINES 4
AVID NEXIS MEDIA PROTECTION TYPESAvid NEXIS Enterprise engines have five levels of media protection rangingfrom Unprotected to Mirror plus 2-Disk Protection. A suitably configured AvidNEXIS enables each workspace to be configured with any protection type. Thisflexibility allows mirror protection for those workspaces that require the highestlevel of protection. Mirroring delivers seamless operation, with no interruption tothe workflow in the event of a wide variety of failure modes, including total lossof an entire storage engine.System Director Appliance (SDA)Single StorageGroupE4E4MIRROR MIRROR 2 1DISKDISKTWODISKONEDISKMedia ProtectionConfigurable perWorkspaceE4Avid NEXIS Enterprise engines have some simple configuration guidelinesto enable mirror protection. A mirror-capable system requires three or moreAvid NEXIS E2, E2 SSD, E4, or E5 storage engines configured with the samenumber and capacity of Media Packs, plus the Avid NEXIS System DirectorAppliance (SDA). Avid NEXIS E2, E4, and E5 systems can be deployed asmirror-capable, or they can be expanded and upgraded to meet the mirrorcapable requirement.Avid NEXIS E4 and E5 can be partially populated; however, all engines musthave the same number of Media Packs. This allows a configuration of three halfpopulated E4 or E5 engines to support a media-mirrored configuration that canbe expanded by adding Media Packs to all engines simultaneously. At least threeengines are required to enable mirror protection, ensuring that new media isalways written to two separate engines—even in the case of a failed engine.Avid NEXIS automatically detects if a storage group is mirror-capable andenables engine protection as an option when creating workspaces.5 AVID NEXIS: MEDIA MIRROR PROTECTION FOR ENTERPRISE ENGINES
The chart below describes the various types of media protection available withAvid NEXIS Enterprise storage solutions.PROTECTION TYPEDETAILSIDEAL FOR Unprotected0 Parity—any drive failuretakes media offlineAssets and files that are storedon at least two other systems,where time to restore is notcritical. If one disk fails, mediabecomes unavailable. To restorematerial, assets would need tobe copied back into Avid NEXIS,which may take many hours. Notrecommended for active projects.1-Disk Protection1 Parity block permedia stripeAssets and files that are stored onat least two other systems, wheretime to restore is not critical.Media would become unavailableif more than one disk failure in aMedia Pack occurs; in this event,assets would need to be copiedback into Avid NEXIS, whichmay take many hours to restorematerial.1 drive failure tolerated perMedia Pack2-Disk Protection2 Parity blocks per mediastripeAssets and files that are stored onat least one other system, wheretime to restore is important (i.e.,2 drive failures tolerated perusers need to maintain quickMedia Packaccess to these assets withoutinterruption to their overallworkflow). 2-Disk Protection isthe default for most workspacesand is ideal for ingest, editing,providing a library of commonlyused assets, and more.Mirror plus 1-DiskProtectionOffers protection against: Any engine failure, or Any 3 drive failures, or Any engine, plus 1 drivefailure per Media Packin the Avid NEXISstorage groupAssets in constant use, whereaccess to project files and mediaare required for tight deadlineprojects. Assets are stored on atleast one other system.Mirror plus 2-DiskProtectionOffers protection against: Any engine failure, or Any 5 drive failures, or Any engine, plus 2 drivefailures per Media Packin the Avid NEXISstorage groupProject files and media requiredfor broadcast deliverables, tightdeadline projects, finished projectsrequired for client screenings, andhigh-scale workflows.Assets are stored on at least oneother system.TABLE 1: Avid NEXIS Media Protection TypesAVID NEXIS: MEDIA MIRROR PROTECTION FOR ENTERPRISE ENGINES 6
Avid 1-Disk and 2-Disk Protection are superior to traditional RAID-5 and RAID6 in that the Avid NEXIS FS file system is media-aware and only needs torebuild disk sectors in use, unlike traditional RAID systems, which rebuild thetotal capacity of the disk including unused space. The Avid NEXIS approach issuperior because it gets the system to a fully-protected state faster.Avid Mirror Protection, also known as Seamless Engine Protection, is anadditional protection level that creates a mirrored media block on a differentengine within the same storage group. Mirror Protection is designed to providenon-stop editing in the event of the failure of a complete Media Pack, storageengine, or other event, like a network disconnect or full engine power loss thatrenders the engine unreachable.AVID NEXIS MEDIA PACKS AND MEDIA BLOCKSSDAAvid NEXISCLIENTSAll media online andavailablePrimary Media BlockBackup Media Block7 AVID NEXIS: MEDIA MIRROR PROTECTION FOR ENTERPRISE ENGINES1MEDIA PACKn3MEDIA PACK42MEDIA PACK71MEDIA PACK53MEDIA PACK65MEDIA PACKn4MEDIA PACK72MEDIA PACK6
WHY MIRROR PLUS 1- OR 2-DISK PROTECTIONAvid NEXIS Mirror Protection is built on top of 1-Disk or 2-Disk Protection so thata disk failure is recovered locally within the 10-drive Media Pack without systemwide impact. Avid NEXIS does not support mirror protection with unprotectedworkspaces because while the mirror protection would prevent media loss, thewhole system would be impacted by a simple single disk failure. Also, a mirrorconfiguration with unprotected workspaces would be tolerant to only a singledisk failure, whereas the Avid NEXIS solution provides protection against anyfive disk failures with Mirror plus 2-Disk Protection or any three disk failures withMirror plus 1-Disk Protection.These figures are the worst-case scenario where the disk failures areconcentrated in a few Media Packs. It’s possible for a single Avid NEXISsystem to have more disk failures if they are spread across multiple MediaPacks. Notifications about any disk failures are displayed in the Avid NEXISManagement Console, as well as by email alerts if configured. Avid recommendsreplacing failed drives at the earliest opportunity. Hot spare drives are optionalfor Avid NEXIS E4 and included in Avid NEXIS E5, enabling automated recoveryand restoration to a fully-protected state without administrator intervention.CLIENT IMPACT DUE TO A FAILURE MODEWORKSPACE PROTECTIONMIRROR 1-DISKMIRROR 2-DISKStorage engine controller switch-over(dual controllers)No interruptionNo interruptionSingle network link loss (when usinginterface redundancy)No interruptionNo interruptionEngine network isolation (all links down)No interruptionNo interruptionStorage engine complete power lossNo interruptionNo interruption1 media drive failure per Media PackNo interruptionNo interruption2 media drive failures per Media PackNo interruptionNo interruption1–2-minute pausein workflow1–2-minute pausein workflowSDA Controller switchoverTABLE 2: Workspace Protection and Workflow ImpactWhen each workspace is created, the administrator can select the mediaprotection level appropriate for the perceived value of the media assets in thatworkspace. Avid NEXIS is very flexible, offering extensive configurability toprovide a different level of protection for each workspace, which enables theprotection level and total useable space to be optimized to meet the businessneed. A traditional system configured for mirroring gives up half its totalstorage for the mirror copies. Avid NEXIS is much more efficient as it allowsfor workspace-by-workspace protection, providing higher effective storageAVID NEXIS: MEDIA MIRROR PROTECTION FOR ENTERPRISE ENGINES 8
utilization (see the table below) for typical systems that employ a combinationof 2-Disk Protected workspaces for the main assets and Mirror plus 2-DiskProtection for the most critical assets and workflows.PROTECTION TYPEUSER CAPACITYREQUIRED (TB)TOTAL SPACE ONDISK (TB)USABLE rror plus 1-Disk0044%Mirror plus 2-Disk4010040%28539872%User CapacityTotal CapacityEffective Usable %TABLE 3: Storage EfficiencyWHY YOUR CONFIGURATION SHOULD BEMIRROR-CAPABLEAvid NEXIS Mirror Protection delivers non-stop workflows for the most criticalfast-turnaround and broadcast workflows. This is possible because ofAvid NEXIS Due Times, an Avid-patented technology unique to the Avid NEXISclient that issues a “required by” time in all media requests from the client to AvidNEXIS storage. The Avid NEXIS Due Time mechanism provides feedback to theAvid NEXIS client to request media from the alternate mirror block if the originalrequest is not acknowledged within the expected time. This protects against awide range of issues, including: A complete engine failure Engine isolation from the network A temporary pause due to an engine controller switchover Multiple disk failures in a single Media Pack Media traffic congestionIn this way, the Avid NEXIS client can request required media blocks from thealternate location before the media is required by the client application, so thatthe editor can be playing a timeline and see no interruption even if an engine fails.9 AVID NEXIS: MEDIA MIRROR PROTECTION FOR ENTERPRISE ENGINES
CONCLUSIONToday’s workflows are very time-sensitive. Whether working on high-valuecontent, managing high volumes of reality TV media, or producing fastturnaround packages for live events, broadcast sports, or news workflows, theimpact of downtime—however brief—should be carefully considered.Avid NEXIS Enterprise storage solutions can be configured to allow all of theseworkflows to continue without interruption. Without Avid NEXIS Media MirrorProtection, a number of system events can interrupt the workflow—from a fewminutes for a storage engine controller switchover, to multiple hours to restorean engine or Media Pack failure. Administrators should carefully consider theworkflow cost of such events and the trade-off of adding Mirror Protection forcritical assets and workflows.To fully take advantage of the power, flexibility, and protection Avid NEXIS offersto meet the demands of today’s fast turnaround, high-scale, and broadcastworkflows, Avid NEXIS systems should be configured as mirror-capable. Thismakes it quick and easy to create mirror workspaces now or in the future toenable non-stop workflows for all types of critical workflows.AVID NEXIS: MEDIA MIRROR PROTECTION FOR ENTERPRISE ENGINES 10
APPENDIX: AVID NEXIS ENTERPRISE ENGINE TYPESAND HOW TO DEPLOY A MIRROR-CAPABLE SYSTEMAvid NEXIS Enterprise engines scale from the compact Avid NEXIS E2, toAvid NEXIS E4, on up to the high-density Avid NEXIS E5. The following tableprovides an overview of each Avid NEXIS Enterprise engine’s attributes.AVID NEXISENGINE TYPENUMBEROF MEDIAPACKSCAPACITYRACKSIZENETWORKINTERFACEIDEAL FOR Avid NEXIS E2SSD19, 6, 19.2,38.4 TB2U40GbpsEthernetUltra highperformanceAvid NEXIS E2120, 60, 100,or 140 TB2U10GbpsEthernetSmallerconfigurationsAvid NEXIS E41 or 240, 120, 200,or 280 TB4U10GbpsEthernetMid-sizeconfigurationsAvid NEXIS E54 to 880, 160, 240,400, 480,560, 800,or 1,120 TB5U40GbpsEthernetHighest density,highest scalen/an/a2U10GbpsEthernetMetadatacontroller, filesystem host;required for mirrorprotectionAvid NEXIS SDAAvid NEXIS E2, E4, and E5 engines, as well as the System Director Appliance(SDA), can be configured with redundant controllers. Avid recommends thatall configurations, especially mirror-capable deployments, be deployed withredundant controllers in the SDA. This minimizes any workflow disruption due toa controller switchover in the SDA.Avid NEXIS E2, E4, and E5 HDD storage engines can optionally be configuredwith a single or dual controller. If all workspaces have mirror protection, itcan be a cost-savings trade-off to deploy the engines with a single controller.However, if some workspaces are 2-Disk or 1-Disk Protected and not mirrored, itis recommended that you deploy redundant controllers in all storage engines,in addition to the SDA. Avid NEXIS offers many redundancy options andconfigurations. Redundant storage controllers deployed with 1-Disk or 2-DiskProtection provide automated switchover in the event of a storage controlleroutage. The workflow is paused for 2–5 minutes while the storage managersand associated Media Packs are restarted on the newly active controller.Avid NEXIS Enterprise engines are typically configured by calculating thenumber of Media Packs to deliver the bandwidth required. While a workflow thatrequires 12 Media Packs could be provisioned as 12 Avid NEXIS E2 engines, orsix E4 engines, or two partially-populated E5 engines with six Media Packs each,it is better to deploy this with 12 E2 engines, six E4 engines, or three E5 engineswith four Media Packs each—plus an SDA—to make all of these configurations11 AVID NEXIS: MEDIA MIRROR PROTECTION FOR ENTERPRISE ENGINES
mirror-capable. Similarly, smaller configurations should also be provisioned withat least three engines with the same number of Media Packs and an SDA to allowmirror-protected workspaces to be provisioned.Avid NEXIS Mirror Protection is per-engine; mirror blocks are always created ona different engine to the primary media block. This provides protection againsta whole engine becoming unavailable. The overall bandwidth available duringan engine failure is reduced by the bandwidth of one engine. To examine thatconcept with the previous example, a configuration with 12 Avid NEXIS E2s, sixE4s, or three partially-populated E5s with four Media Packs—each equating to atotal of 12 Media Packs—is reduced by one engine-worth of bandwidth when anengine is offline. Therefore, the total bandwidth required to support the overallworkflow should be considered.Corporate Headquarters 800 949 AVID (2843)Asia Headquarters 65 6476 7666Europe Headquarters 44 1753 655999To find your regional Avid office, visit www.avid.com/contact 2020 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice. Avid, the Avid logo,Avid NEXIS and Media Composer are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. All othertrademarks contained herein are the property of their respective companies. ANMMPEE0920
The Avid NEXIS Enterprise line of engines is the culmination of over 20 years of Avid designing and delivering innovative shared storage solutions for media . professionals. With legacy Avid Unity storage and Media Composer editing software, Avid invented the collaborative shared storage workflows in use by
