IBC 2017: Pixit Media Integrates IBM Spectrum Scale With Spectra Logic BlackPearl Converged Storage
Pixit Media (Stand 7.K01), a supplier of high-performance software-defined storage solutions, has enhanced its PixStor Ngenea HSM software to be able to archive digital assets to the BlackPearl converged storage system from Spectra Logic (Stand 7.J30). Pixit Media used the Spectra S3 API to build its certified Spectra S3 client for PixStor and IBM Spectrum Scale to address the challenges of transparent migration and recall of data between file system and tape to free valuable Tier 1 storage. BlackPearl clients use the Spectra S3 protocol, an extension of the commonly used S3 cloud-storage interface.
Easy to deploy, PixStor Ngenea HSM provides a single, simplified ingest point that manages the flow of content to each tier of storage from IBM Spectrum Scale into the BlackPearl converged storage system. The fully integrated solution provides a transparent means for users to easily migrate, search for, and restore assets regardless of the storage tier they reside on and to make smart decisions based on storage requirements and budget through its intelligent capacity-usage analytics.
PixStor Ngenea HSM is provided in either an appliance or software-delivered format and easily connects to both existing Spectrum Scale and BlackPearl deployments. The integration provides Spectrum Scale users an extremely cost-effective tier of storage within their existing file system, without requiring users or administrators to manually copy or manage data. Users continue to access data in the same way they always have, with automated migration and recall of data occurring in the background between Spectrum Scale and BlackPearl. Data movement from Flash all the way through to Public Cloud and back again becomes a simple, online operation.
Spectra Logic BlackPearl acts as an object-storage gateway to deep storage. It enables the use of RESTful interfaces to manage large amounts of data on multiple storage domains: online and nearline disk, LTFS tape, public cloud. BlackPearl and PixStor Ngenea HSM deliver a simple solution that provides the ability to easily move data to various storage tiers, including the lowest-cost storage tiers for greatest savings. Together, the solution offers a hybrid storage environment, using object storage to manage data on multiple tiers of storage.
“Pixit Media’s strategic partnership with Spectra is an enormous boost to our integrated end-to-end storage workflow for our customers who wish to store digital assets much more cost-effectively,” says Ben Leaver, managing director, Pixit Media. “Spectra is the perfect partner to help us round out our storage offerings, given its unmatched expertise in the media and entertainment storage industry, and BlackPearl’s flexibility and rich feature set.”
Says Spectra Logic CTO Matt Starr, “Media and entertainment workflows are both complex and unique, where no two environments are exactly alike. BlackPearl is an incredibly flexible solution that offers connections to multiple storage types — including tape, SATA, and SAS — to meet the individual requirements of many different types of workflows.”