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Chapter 12 Determining Your Hard Disk Storage Options 163
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If you require rock-solid data integrity, consider purchasing a RAID, or Redundant Array
of Independent Disks. Many RAIDs record the same data on more than one disk, so that
if a drive fails, the same data can still be retrieved from another disk. There are many
RAID variations available, but one that offers high performance for both digital video
capture and data redundancy is RAID level 3. Because they use specialized hardware,
RAID level 3 systems can be more expensive, but they should be considered whenever
the safety of your media is more important than the cost of your disks.
When you create or purchase a disk array, there are two important considerations:
 Compatibility: Make sure the software you use to create the array is compatible with
Final Cut Express. For more information, go to the Final Cut Express website at
http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress.
 Ventilation: If you’re creating an array yourself with an off-the-shelf drive enclosure,
make sure to allow for good ventilation. Disk arrays store information on several disks
simultaneously. If one of your disk drives fails, information on all the disks is lost. One
of the most common reasons a disk drive breaks down is overheating, so make sure
that your disks stay cool.
Check the manufacturer’s specifications before buying disks to make sure the disks
offer the level of performance you need.
Fibre Channel Drive Arrays and RAIDs
Fibre Channel is a hard disk drive interface technology designed primarily for
high-speed data throughput for high-capacity storage systems, usually set up as a disk
array or RAID. Fibre Channel disk drive systems typically have performance rivaling or
exceeding that of high-performance SCSI disk arrays.
One of the most common ways of connecting a computer to a Fibre Channel disk drive
system for video capture and output is called a point-to-point connection. A single
computer, equipped with a Fibre Channel PCI card, is connected to a single Fibre
Channel disk drive array. Unlike SCSI systems, Fibre Channel cables can be run
extremely long distances, up to 30 meters using copper cables and 6 miles
(10 kilometers) using optical cables
Fibre
Channel
card
Computer Disk array