Tiger Technology
metaLAN LAN client software
Single Client Perpetual License | 1 Year Support Subscription
Mac / PC / Linux
metaLAN is a block-level software initiator for Windows, Mac and Linux clients that establishes an efficient 1Gb or 10Gb LAN connection to a highly scalable cluster of servers made of any number of metaSAN, metaSAN iSCSI or metaLAN Server workstations. The more servers, the more performance is available to your LAN network. With metaLAN, all clients connect to a unified namespace and you benefit from dynamic load balancing and transparent failover. And while metaLAN is optimized for clustered applications, it also brings significant value to single server setups, such as superior block-level performance, bandwidth control and project workflow management.
The ultimate role of a server is to efficiently transfer data from storage to multiple clients over IP. This is most often achieved through "re-sharing" a local drive using network file protocols such as SMB, AFP or NFS. These protocols operate over the universal TCP/IP layer. The speed at which data can be transferred depends on the performance of the storage, motherboard, NIC, network and choice of protocol. But even when all these components are optimal, you can run into a number of issues such as i/o bottleneck and network lags and there comes a time when you need more performance because your server has become a "hot spot". Some protocols might also provide uneven performance between one OS and the other.
metaLAN uses a block-level technology that is similar to iSCSI. But instead of connecting a single client to a single target, it integrates the SAN arbitration technology that allows multiple metaLAN initiators to connect to a target "cluster" that is made of multiple computers running either metaSAN, metaSAN iSCSI or metaLAN Server. For increasing the performance of the cluster, you simply need more servers and more disks. The cluster acts as a massively scalable server.
Even when the cluster consists of a single server, metaLAN can offer significant benefits over iSCSI. For one, it integrates the arbitration logic so there is no need for additional SAN management software and the entire setup is greatly simplified. There is a single manufacturer supporting all operating systems, so performance is even. In addition, you benefit from bandwidth control and project management, including support for Avid.
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