The FlashNet Clustered Architecture
It's all in the cluster
All organisations require two things to remain profitable: they need to offer reliable services, and they have to be able to grow as business needs dictate. Reliability and scalability are key attributes of any business, and this applies as much to individual departments as to the organisation in general. If the service provided by a department fails, or does not have the capacity to deal with its workload, then entire organisational workflows are put at risk and ultimately profits are threatened.
The archive is no exception, and SGL FlashNet provides the most scalable and reliable solution available to the broadcast industry. SGL's FlashNet content storage management system is constructed around a unique clustered architecture that has been developed specifically to provide customers with unrivalled levels of device availability, throughput rates and expandability.
What's a Cluster?
A clustered system involves multiple servers, or nodes, each in constant communication. Each cluster node has identical software installed, and each is connected via fibre channel into the archive devices - generally disk storage and one or more tape libraries. At the heart of the cluster is the Microsoft SQL database which is usually installed across two servers running a Microsoft cluster for automatic failover. The database processes and queues jobs and allocates them to a node to perform the archive or restore operation.
Reliability
The real beauty of the clustered architecture is that any node is the same as any other. There are no single servers dedicated to a single task. Therefore, when a server is unable to perform its duties, whether for scheduled or unplanned downtime, any other node automatically picks up its workload, and archive operations continue uninterrupted. Losing a node doesn't mean that you lose essential services without which the archive cannot function. All elements of the cluster are in constant communication, reporting their status to the database via 'heartbeats', simple Windows Messaging™ calls that tell the cluster that they are still operational. If no heartbeat is sent for a defined period, the node is assumed to be down and its tasks are passed by the database to a different node. The database is similarly protected, installed across a standard dual-server Microsoft cluster. If the primary database server is unexpectedly offlined, the secondary server automatically takes over, within seconds and without the need for user intervention. For multi-layer database security, frequent database backups are made; and in the event of major catastrophe, the database can even be rebuilt from backup tapes in the library, using SGL FlashNet's unique system of media indexing.
Scalability
There is no content archive system available that is as scalable as SGL FlashNet, thanks to its clustered architecture. SGL FlashNet systems can comprise a single server, or scale to multiple node clusters for larger operations. As your business requirements grow, it's likely that you'll deal with greater amounts of data in the archive. You'll require faster access to your data, via concurrent restore and archive operations using multiple drives and storage locations. Expanding the archive is as simple as plugging in a new server. A new node is created simply by installing identical SGL FlashNet software as the others in the cluster, and adding it to the network. It registers itself as a node with the database, and is able to begin archive and restore tasks straight away, immediately increasing the access channel into and out of the archive with no fuss.
Off the shelf
SGL FlashNet is all about ease of use and simple implementation; that's why we call it the Open System. This goes as much for the hardware architecture as for the simple yet highly intelligent software implementation. There's no proprietary hardware to worry about; SGL FlashNet runs on standard, off-the-shelf IT hardware available from any Microsoft-certified manufacturer, using standard IT technology - Microsoft Windows Server and SQL are about as complicated as it gets. Cluster nodes communicate using Microsoft Windows Messaging and other standard services, and SGL FlashNet's cutting-edge XML-based API means that requests from third-party control systems (such as MAM or automation systems) can be phrased in a standard language, available to all developers of software solutions.
It's Open, it's easy, and it works.
Our solutions
"SGL FlashNet provides the most scalable and reliable solution available to the broadcast industry."
