Archetype Creative encountered bottlenecks when collaborating with cloud technology on massive media projects. This article outlines a requirements-gathering process & the rigorous system definition, that led to the procurement of a 10 Gigabit Network-Attached Storage (NAS) solution.
| Component | Description for Creative Workflow |
|---|---|
| Situation | Adrian from Archteype Creative and his client collaborate 4K video projects. Source files, including RAW footage and project files, total 8TB. Using cloud based technologies to collaborate on projects. Limited to the slowest connection in the network. |
| Task | The team needs to simultaneously access, edit, and render segments of the project files on the shared storage. The current setup results in transfer speeds of only ∼100 MB/s, causing long load times, dropped frames during playback, and render times. Archetype needed to reduce load times, eliminate dropped frames, and cut render times to meet client deadlines, and improve speed and fluidity of video production work. |
| Action | Silvertine, using the bottleneck analysis, determined the need for a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) NAS solution with high-speed SSD caching and a dedicated 10GbE switch. The action was to define a formal requirement for a high-performance network storage system that could sustain ≥800 MB/s throughput for multiple simultaneous users. |
| Result | The adoption of a 10GbE NAS and network infrastructure eliminated dropped frames, reduced file load times from minutes to seconds, and brought render times down. This increase in efficiency allowed Archetype Creative to take on an additional project immediately, directly increasing revenue and client satisfaction. |
Model-centric system definition, ensuring consistency, traceability, and completeness. For this creative workflow a structure of the requirements and design.
| Requirement Type | Description | Traceability |
|---|---|---|
| Functional | The NAS shall allow simultaneous read/write access for 3 -5 client workstations depending on the project. | Traces to: Task (Simultaneous access for 3 -5 client workstations). |
| Performance | The storage system shall sustain a minimum sequential read/write throughput of 800 MB/s to each of the 5 concurrent clients. | Traces to: Result (Eliminate dropped frames; cut render time). |
| Storage | The NAS shall provide a minimum usable storage capacity of 10 TB (Raw capacity ≥12 TB with RAID redundancy). | Traces to: Situation (8 TB existing files, plus room for growth). |
| Interface | The NAS and the network switch shall support 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) connectivity. | Traces to: Action (Need for high-speed infrastructure). |
| Non-Functional | The system shall implement RAID for fault tolerance, ensuring data is protected against 1 drive failure. | Traces to: Business need for Reliability and Data Integrity. |
| Security | Access to shared project folders shall be managed via user-level authentication. | Traces to: Business need for Security. |
SILVERTINE
