Whether you're part of a huge network of stations, or the smallest independent on the block, the ability to grow is what keeps your organisation moving forward. As you grow it's important that the underlying technology on which your facility is based can expand with you, helping you to accommodate the increasing amount of data that is part of the modern broadcast environment. FlashNet has been designed with these needs in mind. A Microsoft SQL database drives an infinitely-scalable cluster of servers, transferring data into and out of the archive at the highest possible speeds. Each server runs identical software, which means each can perform any task, and each is connected via a switch to every archive device (e.g. tape drive or disk archive) so that the archive always operates at maximum capacity.

Expandable.
FlashNet is designed around a clustered architecture, which scales from just a single archive server to an infinite number of I/O machines. As your data throughput requirements increase, the cluster can be augmented by further servers, each of which simply plugs in to the cluster and gets straight to work.

Powerful
More servers mean greater I/O (input/output) capability. FlashNet uses multiple data transfer servers, called nodes, to increase data throughput to and from the archive. All nodes are connected directly to every drive or disk, so the cluster is never waiting for a particular server to become free before the transfer is initiated. If required, each node can be separately configured to process specific tasks, such as background data migration or copy tasks initiated by the StorageManager module.

Reliable.
High availability is a key theme in FlashNet's clustered architecture. All nodes are in constant communication with the central database server, reporting their status every few seconds with a 'heartbeat'. If a node fails, or is taken off-line for maintenance, its workload is automatically redistributed throughout the cluster, keeping the flow of data to and from the archive consistent and uninterrupted. In standard configurations the main database server is also fully redundant, using the latest clustering techniques and software to ensure that data is available 24x7x365.

Integrated.
The links below provide further details of how SGL FlashNet integrates with each stage of the broadcast workflow. If you have questions about specific areas of interest that are not addressed in these pages, please contact us.