Quantum Upgrades Xcellis

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Quantum has upgraded its Xcellis appliances powered by the company’s StorNext file system.

The new appliances are based on a next-generation server architecture that includes dual 8-core Intel Xeon CPUs, 64 GB memory, SSD boot drives, and dual 100Gb Ethernet or 32 Gb Fibre Channel ports. The significantly enhanced CPU and 50 percent increase in RAM over the previous generation greatly improve StorNext metadata performance, according to the company, making file auditing less time intensive, provide support for an even greater number of clients per node, and enable the management of billions of files per node. Customers operating in a dynamic application environment on storage nodes will also see performance improvements, the company said.

Quantum says that the 100 Gb Ethernet and 32 Gb Fibre Channel connectivity option allows customers to utilize the latest generation networking infrastructure between their clients and storage arrays, thereby accelerating workflows and improving productivity. Combined with StorNext’s capability to provide the most comprehensive and coordinated file accessibility over NAS, SAN, and DLC architectures, the new platform offers industry-leading architectural flexibility, Quantum said.

The new version of Xcellis gives customers the ability to provide cross-protocol locking for shared files across SAN, NFS, and SMB, optimizing performance for collaborative workflows and the ability to share content across both Fibre Channel and Ethernet. This will allow StorNext to provide even higher levels of streaming performance for video playback, with even greater reliability, according to Quantum.

Xcellis appliances provide a high-performance gateway for StorNext advanced data management software to integrate tiers of massively scalable on-premise and cloud-based storage. This end-to-end capability provides a cost-effective solution to retain massive amounts of data according to Quantum. In addition, StorNext offers a variety of important features that ensure data-protection of valuable content over its entire life-cycle. Customers can easily copy files to off-site tiers and take advantage of versioning to roll back to an earlier point in time (prior to a malware attack, for example) as well as set up automated replication for disaster recovery purposes, all designed to protect valuable digital assets.

Quantum’s latest Xcellis appliances are available now.

Tom Butts

Tom has covered the broadcast technology market for the past 25 years, including three years handling member communications for the National Association of Broadcasters followed by a year as editor of Video Technology News and DTV Business executive newsletters for Phillips Publishing. In 1999 he launched digitalbroadcasting.com for internet B2B portal Verticalnet. He is also a charter member of the CTA's Academy of Digital TV Pioneers. Since 2001, he has been editor-in-chief of TV Tech (www.tvtech.com), the leading source of news and information on broadcast and related media technology and is a frequent contributor and moderator to the brand’s Tech Leadership events.