Promise's VTrak E-Class RAID delivers a great combination of performance, features and value. When configured with Xsan 2 and Final Cut Studio 2, it can deliver up to 6 streams of 8-bit uncompressed high definition video, 22 streams of ProRes HQ compressed HD video and 26 streams of 8-bit uncompressed SD video at costs as low as $1.12 per GB.

"Xserve RAID is still available while supplies last and we will continue to sell the 500 and 750GB drive modules," said Apple's Anuj Nayar, "for new RAID purchases we recommend the Promise VTrack E-Class subsystem." However, if you try to buy an Xserve RAID in the Apple Store, you will be greeted with this message:

The item you have selected is currently not available from the Apple Store.

Please note that Apple cannot guarantee availability of any product.

So those purchases are probably limited only to resellers. There's not mention of Xserve RAID demise in Apple press release about the latest version of its Storage Area Network filesystem manager, which now allows for a single workstation to access multiple SANs at the same time. It is also "qualified to work with third-party RAID storage," just like the Promise RAID system.

Apple Introduces Xsan 2

CUPERTINO, California—February 19, 2008—Apple® today introduced Xsan® 2, the first major upgrade to its easy to use, high performance, enterprise class Storage Area Network (SAN) file system for Mac OS® X. Combining enhanced performance with Apple's legendary ease of use, Xsan 2 makes it easier for first time users to set up and quickly deploy a SAN; introduces MultiSAN, allowing users on a single workstation to access multiple SANs at the same time; is fully integrated with Mac OS X Leopard™ and Mac OS X Server Leopard and is now qualified to work with third-party RAID storage.

Administration tools have been completely redesigned in Xsan 2, making it easier than ever to set up and manage a SAN file system. Xsan 2 intelligently handles different data types, file sizes and usage scenarios for ideal performance. For example, administrators have the ability to pre-set volume workload settings for optimal streaming of all file types, from very large files, such as uncompressed HD video to small data center files. Xsan 2 includes a new feature, MultiSAN, for users who need to access multiple Xsan volumes from the same workstation or server, such as in newsrooms with separate SAN volumes for production and broadcast.

Xsan 2 is fully integrated with Mac OS X Leopard and takes complete advantage of core Mac OS X features, such as Spotlight™ to search across multiple SAN volumes. Xsan 2 also works seamlessly with Server Assistant in Leopard Server for easy setup and configuration of SAN volumes. Leopard Server features, such as iCal® Server, Mail Server and Podcast Producer, can now integrate with Xsan 2 to support clustered file systems, improving performance and scalability and reducing the impact of a service outage from the loss of any one server.

For the first time, Xsan 2 has been qualified with third-party RAID storage hardware. Along with Apple's Xserve® RAID, Xsan 2 supports third-party RAID solutions from Promise Technology in configurations tuned and optimized for Xsan, Mac OS X Server and Apple's professional applications.

Pricing & Availability
Xsan 2 is available immediately through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) and through Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $999 (US) per node.

Apple has qualified Xsan 2 with Xserve, Mac® Pro and Apple Fibre Channel PCI-X cards. Xsan 2 requires Mac OS X version 10.5 or Mac OS X Server version 10.5 software installed and will support qualified Fibre Channel switches from vendors such as Brocade, QLogic and Cisco, and RAID storage hardware including Xserve RAID and Promise VTrak E-Class RAID subsystems.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

[New storage RAIDThanks Jacob]

Apple Introduces New Xserve - Most Powerful Apple Server Ever

CUPERTINO, Calif., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple(R) today
introduced the new Xserve(R), a 1U rack-optimized server that is up to twice
as fast as its predecessor* and includes an unlimited client license for Mac
OS(R) X Server Leopard(TM). Starting at just $2,999, the new Xserve has up to
two Quad-Core 3.0 GHz Intel Xeon processors for 8-core performance, a new
server architecture, faster front side buses, faster memory, up to 3TB of
internal storage and two PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots for greater
performance and flexibility.
"With the latest Intel processors and no client access licenses, Xserve
offers unbeatable server performance and value for under $3,000," said Philip
Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.
"Xserve's power, storage and Leopard Server make it ideal for supporting Mac
clients and mixed platform workgroups."
Xserve is configurable with up to two Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 series
processors running up to 3.0 GHz with 12MB of L2 cache per processor and
features a new high-bandwidth hardware architecture, dual-independent 1600 MHz
front side buses and up to 32GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory for a 64
percent increase in memory throughput**. Two PCI Express 2.0 expansion slots
provide up to four times the I/O bandwidth of the previous Xserve to support
the latest high-bandwidth expansion cards including multi-channel 4Gb Fibre
channel and 10Gb Ethernet cards.
Xserve now includes built-in accelerated graphics to drive up to a 23-inch
Apple Cinema Display(R) and a new front-facing USB 2.0 port. Using Apple's
Server Monitor, an administrator can remotely turn Xserve on or off and manage
server software from anywhere on the network. Each of Xserve's three drive
bays can be configured with 73GB or 300GB SAS drives or 80GB and 1TB SATA
drives, providing a mix of high performance and vast storage capabilities for
a wide range of server applications. Apple offers a hardware RAID card option
that delivers hardware RAID levels 0, 1 and 5 with 256MB of cache and an
included backup battery for up to 72 hours of cached data protection. The
Xserve RAID card delivers up to 251MB/s RAID 5 performance*** for the most
demanding server workloads, without using a valuable PCI Express expansion
slot.
The new Xserve improves energy efficiency with Intel's 45 nanometer core
microarchitecture technology. The processors draw a maximum consumption of
80W, and drop as low as 4W when idle. Power supplies exceed Energy Star
recommendations from the US Department of Energy and Apple's thermal
management technology cools the systems efficiently in a wide variety of
environments while reducing power consumption.
Every Xserve ships with a preinstalled, unlimited client edition of
Leopard Server software, offering true 64-bit support, easy-to-use management
tools and support for Mac(R), Linux and Windows clients. Leopard Server is
fully UNIX compliant and extends Apple's legendary ease of use by introducing
over 250 new features, including Podcast Producer, the ideal way to
automatically publish podcasts to iTunes(R) or the web; Wiki Server, allowing
people to collaboratively create and modify their shared web sites with just a
few clicks; and iCal(R) Server, the world's first commercial CalDAV standard-
based calendar server.

Pricing & Availability
The new Xserve is shipping today and will be available through the Apple
Store(R) (http://www.apple.com) and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The Xserve standard configuration, with a suggested retail price of $2,999
(US), includes:
— a single 64-bit 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Xeon processor with 12MB of L2 cache
and a 1600 Mhz front side bus;
— 2GB of 800 MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM RAM, expandable up to 32GB;
— a single 80GB SATA Apple Drive Module;
— dual Gigabit Ethernet on-board;
— internal graphics;
— two FireWire(R) 800 and three USB 2.0 ports; and
— an unlimited client license for Mac OS X Server version 10.5 Leopard.

In addition to the standard configuration, Xserve offers numerous build-
to-order options and accessories including: dual 2.8 or 3.0 GHz Quad-Core
Intel Xeon processors; 80GB and 1TB 7200 rpm SATA or 73GB or 300GB 15,000rpm
SAS Apple Drive Modules; internal Xserve RAID card; Gigabit Ethernet, 4Gb
Fibre Channel and U320 SCSI expansion card options, and a 750W redundant power
supply.

*Based on industry-standard SPEC jbb 2005 benchmark tests conducted by
Apple in December 2007 using preproduction 3.0 GHz 8-Core Xserve units and
shipping 3.0 GHz Quad-Core Xserve units. SPEC is a registered trademark of the
Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC); see http://www.spec.org
for more information. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer
systems and reflect the approximate performance of Xserve.

**Testing conducted by Apple in December 2007 using preproduction 3.0 GHz
8-Core Xeon-based Xserve units and shipping 3.0 GHz Quad-Core Xserve units.
All systems were configured with 8GB of RAM. Results are based on the STREAM
v. 5.6 benchmark (http://www.cs.virginia.edu/stream/ref.html) using OMP
support for multiprocessor-compiled builds. Performance tests are conducted
using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of
Xserve.

***Testing by Apple in December 2007 using preproduction 3.0 GHz 8-core
Xeon-based Xserve units configured with Xserve RAID card. Testing conducted
using Iometer 2006.07.27 with a 30-sec ramp-up, 5-min run, 512KB request size,
and 4 outstanding IOs. System configured with the OS and test volume on a
single RAID volume. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer
systems and reflect the approximate performance of Xserve RAID Card.

Rowley seems like he's pushing a little too hard for this idea. While having a feature like auto syncing of content added to iTunes would be nice. Nearly all of his other wishes are doable with a current Mac Mini, Or at best a Mac Mini with slight modifications.

For instance, my Mac Mini is set up with over 1/2 a terabyte of space that is streaming my music and video files across my entire apartment. And on top of that I have Chronosync checking my music and video folders for new content to sync from my laptops to the mini. Seems like all the space and content management that I need.

Am I missing something here? Would you find it so much more useful to have a dedicated server at home, that you would go out and purchase an iServe? Or would a Mac Mini serve your needs?– Ben Longo

A boom in digital content and DRM headaches will drive "Apple iServ"-like products [New Rowley]