Xsan 2 Adds Multi-SAN Support

Apple this week released an update to Xsan, the company's 64-bit storage-area network solution designed to allow workstations and Xserve systems to share RAID storage over Fibre Channel networks. The new version adds workflow enhancements across the board and also introduces a new feature called MultiSAN.

MultiSAN allows a single client on a desktop or workstation to access multiple storage area networks simultaneously, particularly Xsan volumes hosted by separate Xsan metadata controllers. Such a scheme is designed to improve the performance and reliability of the volumes.

Xsan 2 also includes expanded administration features via Xsan Admin 2, which includes access control, notifications, a new Inspector feature, and new options for connecting to remote computers.

Other new features include:

  • Simplified setup;
  • Content scanning via Spotlight;
  • Support for files as large as 2 petabytes (PB);
  • File-level locking;
  • Full integration with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and Leopard Server; and
  • Qualifications for third-party RAID storage.

In other Apple news, the company has also released Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0 for MacBook and MacBook Pro systems. The update addresses an issue having to do with keyboard input after the machine has been sitting idle. It also tackles "some other issues," according to Apple.

Xsan 2.0 is available now. The full system runs $999. The MacBook/MacBook Pro Keyboard Firmware Update 1.0 is available through Software Update or Apple's support site at no charge.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.

  • Abstract geometric shapes including hexagons, circles, and triangles in blue, silver, and white

    Google Launches Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet

    Google has introduced Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental, a new artificial intelligence model designed to reason through problems before delivering answers, a shift that marks a major leap in AI capability, according to the company.

  • Training the Next Generation of Space Cybersecurity Experts

    CT asked Scott Shackelford, Indiana University professor of law and director of the Ostrom Workshop Program on Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, about the possible emergence of space cybersecurity as a separate field that would support changing practices and foster future space cybersecurity leaders.

  • Two stylized glowing spheres with swirling particles and binary code are connected by light beams in a futuristic, gradient space

    New Boston-Based Research Center to Advance Quantum Computing with AI

    NVIDIA is establishing a research hub dedicated to advancing quantum computing through artificial intelligence (AI) and accelerated computing technologies.