Final Cut with Server?

[Jedda]

What are the potential issues with the following configuration?

16 eMacs running FCP, but potentially using a network server to save all data. This is in an education enviroinment, with the probablity that quite a few of the machines would be used at the same time.

Is this only possible with an xServe and RAID configuration, or would a networked Powermac with internal and external drives suffice?

Is there a bandwidth problem?

Am I talking to a brick wall here?

Let me know. Thanks in advance.

[mnkeybsness]

you won't want to be saving or working directly from a server with FCP. i have seen entire servers crash and become unusable (without reformat).

i have never seen any server configuration that was good enough to do what you are looking for. save the troubles down the line and just purchase a bunch of firewire drives for those emacs to save on.

[evil_santa]

Last year I had a demo of FCP on a g5 using all its media running from a server. The demo system was only running 1 FCP client, but we were looking at multiple edit station, TX, news cutting, scheduling & input stations. In fact the entire TV station would be based around a media server.

This is what you need,
http://nmr.webhoster.co.uk/uploads/applework.jpg
it is a SANS network (http://www.nmr.com/page.php?page=1000412)
Storage Area Networks or SANs allow for the transfer and access of large amounts of data almost instantly. For high speed collaborative workflow they are essential, and when used in conjunction with a high speed LAN make for a very efficient workflow.

[rand()]

i have never seen any server configuration that was good enough to do what you are looking for. save the troubles down the line and just purchase a bunch of firewire drives for those emacs to save on.

Actually, both mnkeybsness and evil_santa are right. mnkey's suggestion is *exactly* what we have in place here at the High School I work at. We've got 120GB LaCie's on 18 eMacs & iMacs, and when we set up Final Cut, we use the external as our "Scratch" drive. It works with absolutely no problems. Except when kids decide they want to move the disks without permission, and then drop them. Grrr... :)

evil_santa's configuration is preferrable, but it requires FAST FAST connections on each end. THE ONLY way to do it is getting a top-end XRAID, and Gigabit Ethernet. And since your eMac's don't have Gigabit, it throws that possibility right out, unless you've got serious $$$ and you want to replace EVERYTHING.

So there ya's go.
-rand()