Studio Network Solutions globalSAN Xtarget Storage Server Software

Studio Network Solutions (SNS), provider of post-production storage products for video and audio workgroups, unveiled the capabilities of its new software product, globalSAN Xtarget Storage Server.

Xtarget is a software built for OS X that enables customers to inexpensively transform an Intel Mac into an iSCSI SAN storage server. Users can connect Thunderbolt, USB, and FireWire DAS devices to a Mac with Xtarget installed, then present the storage over Ethernet as iSCSI devices, which can then be shared using Xsan.

The driving benefit of Xtarget is that it enables customers to quickly create a SAN using components they’re likely to already own, thus saving time and money yet still getting the performance and workflow benefits of a typical SAN.

Customers understand the value in building a SAN with hardware they already have.

"With Xtarget and iSANmp, we turned our Mac Mini and Promise Thunderbolt array into a production SAN for our FCP X suites," states Christopher Mattock, president of Flow Motion, Inc. "The improvement to our workflow has been massively enhanced. We’re very pleased."

"Xtarget can present just about any local storage over iSCSI, but in fact, Xtarget is proving to have use cases above and beyond what would be considered for a traditional SAN," states Ryan Stoutenborough, president of Studio Network Solutions. "For example: with Xtarget, a Mac Mini, and a few pounds of hardware, you can have a multi-user SAN that travels with you to the field, hotel, and other on-location work. You can even present your Xtarget disks to the cloud for remote users."

Xtarget is compatible with Intel Mac running OS X 10.6.8 or Lion. It can be used with FireWire, Thunderbolt, USB, eSATA, FC, and SAS disks. The common use will be for multiple users to share common pools of storage, so Xtarget is compatible with Xsan, iSANmp, and other similar sharing software.

globalSAN Xtarget is a new component of the globalSAN iSCSI Initiator for OS X.

A 14-day trial can be installed by downloading the globalSAN package after registration.

Xtarget Storage Server is available for $899.