Lesson9.Storage Overview

Lesson 9. Storage Overview

Lesson Files	None
Media	None
Time	This lesson takes about 90 minutes to complete.
Goals	Understand how disks work and how a disk's design affects its performance
	Learn about the different ways to connect storage to Macs
	Understand RAIDs
	Learn the basics of SAN
	Learn how to calculate your storage needs

You've mastered video concepts and standards, know what formats are available, and understand the best way to hook up a VTR to your Mac so you can capture some video and audio.

Now, where do you put all that data?

The short answer is: hard drives. Lots of hard drives.

The long answer is what this lesson is all about. Hard drives, sure, but how many, what kinds, and how do you hook them up? Video data rates can run from 300 KB/second (OfflineRT) to over 150 MB/second (uncompressed 10-bit 1080i29.97), a spread of 500:1. What works for OfflineRT probably won't handle full-up HD, and heavy-duty drive arrays for HD are overkill for OfflineRT. Picking the right storage for the task involves knowing how drives work, how to rate their performance, and how to connect and combine them to provide the needed speed and space.