How to Build a Video Editing Network for Less

Ask any design firm competing for video editing contracts and they’ll tell you that they have a need to build a quick, affordable video editing network in order to remain competitive and timely with their clients and project deadlines. This sentiment gets a resounding confirmation from all video editing firms that rely on small teams to accomplish big goals. In an industry that requires perfection with speed and collaboration, the need to efficiently share files among team members is undeniable. Without advances in technology, companies without the ability to share and store their proprietary products would see projects begin to pile up on their local drives as demand for more production grows. Overcoming this common obstacle is easy. Learning how to build a shared video-editing network can be done for less then you might think.

Step 1: Identify what your storage requirements are for your project, and model your workflow. Learn to distinguish your “real-time” storage needs (video editing) versus the “standard data flow” access needs you have. You can have access to both in most cases, however, often times, doing one or the other will determine how your Shared Storage will be configured to run on your network. Small Tree's ST-RAID's can be configured for both of these kinds of networks.

Step 2: Small Tree's Shared Storage solutions take advantage of a configuration more like DAS (Direct Attached Storage). In the traditional ways of shared storage area networks (SAN’s) you would need management software and Meta data servers to properly manage all your incoming and outgoing connections as well as keep track of what data goes where and how. With Small Tree's GraniteSTOR ST-RAID's for Final Cut video editing, this problem is solved by connecting your editors to a Mac Pro or Xserve, acting as the server, and will maintain data flow management while meeting the performance requirements you need to sustain over the network reliably.

Step 3: Deciding on a fully managed switch versus just one that has routing capabilities that are “cheap” will often make or break your shared networking abilities. A good fully managed switch will cost significantly more than an unmanaged switch, and will perform better. The Edge-corE ES4528V from Small Tree provides a cost-effective way to get 28-Port Gigabit Ethernet connectivity for bandwidth-intensive networks that require real-time performance. Features such as fan-less design, power saving “green” features, the ability to do Flow Control, and Dynamic Link Aggregation performed well in a Mac environment are just some of the key benefits that the ES4528V can offer. Additionally, it has a very user-friendly web management GUI (graphical user interface) and is configured by Small Tree for your real-time video editing network prior to your purchase.

*Alternatively, some situations will not require you to have a network switch like this. Using a Small Tree multi-port Gigabit Ethernet adapter will connect a few editors, connecting to shared storage off their server directly with Ethernet.

Step 4: Connect the editing stations directly to your server or switch. Small Tree uses a dedicated Gigabit or 10Gb Ethernet connection for video editing clients to prevent outside networks from being accessed on that same connection where editors are working. This ensures superior performance on the wire with Jumbo Frames, in addition to keeping down congestion on the “editing network” because Joe in the sound studio is downloading his latest MP3 from the shared storage.

Step 5: In your real time environment, there are several tuning and performance measurements that Small Tree will consider when designing your Shared Storage solutions. Some of these considerations include assigning static IP addresses to all computers connected to the newly created editing network and allowing jumbo packets sizes on the wires to flow.

*Using a second Ethernet connection (wireless or wired) will ensure that two networks can reach each of your editors effectively. Small Tree networks can be dropped in alongside most existing networks.

About Small Tree

Designer of simple-to-install and affordable Mac-based networking and shared storage products, Small Tree is the premier multi-port Ethernet networking technology provider for OS X customers, enabling cost-effective Ethernet shared storage technology. For more information about the company and its products, please call 1-866-STC4MAC (1-866-782-4622), visit the official website or follow Small Tree on Twitter.