Rohde & Schwarz boosts performance and applications with SpycerNode2

Rohde & Schwarz, a global leader in broadcast distribution and trusted partner in media technologies, introduces a new version of its popular and successful R&S®SpycerNode storage platform. R&S®SpycerNode2 builds on the HPC (high performance computing) technologies of the original, and adds a new flexibility and scalability, more dynamic media performance, and enhanced connectivity which makes it ideal for a broad range of server applications. It will be unveiled at NAB2023 (booth N1949, Las Vegas Convention Center, 16 – 19 April).

Central to the success of the R&S®SpycerNode family is that it is built on HPC technologies from IBM, including the Spectrum Scale RAID software. R&S®SpycerNode2 complements the range by taking full advantage of the capabilities of Spectrum Scale in media-focused applications. The new model retains the 5U storage appliance but adds two (for redundancy) 1U RAID control servers. This architecture boosts RAID and delivery performance by as much as 50% i n 4K applications.

The new architecture allows the addition of Dynamic Media Cache, high performance caching on NVM Express modules in the RAID controllers. In post production applications calling for multiple reads, like editing and audio, the ability to cache regularly used content reduces the demand on the disk array, ensuring a much better performance for all users and managing bandwidth through the system.

While the original concept of R&S®SpycerNode was around channel playout, increasingly it is used where high performance, high resilience storage is needed in post, and this valuable new functionality has been added in direct response to user demands. Caching content also boosts performance for network attached clients, like edit workstations, which communicate over standard protocols like SMB, allowing facilities to build the environments and workflows they require without performance constraints. The companion R&S®SpycerPAM project-driven production management software provides seamless interworking with third-party software like Adobe and Avid editors.

The 5U disk drive chassis can be populated in blocks of 28 disk drives (including SSD) up to a maximum of 84 drives. A single pair of R&S®SpycerNode2 controllers can manage as many as four chassis for a maximum capacity of 6.7 petabytes, and SpycerNode2 systems can be networked for even larger capacities if required. The unique Rohde & Schwarz VSA (virtual storage access) technology provides complete failover protection and uninterrupted data. For tiered storage in the cloud, R&S®SpycerNode2 includes S3 export protocols, making it easy to build hybrid storage architectures.

“The applications for large-scale, high performance storage have expanded dramatically, and we have responded with a new architecture for R&S®SpycerNode2,” said Duncan Beattie, product manager at Rohde & Schwarz. “The underlying HPC architecture of IBM Spectrum Scale is very powerful indeed, but it needed a specialist company to take the core functionality and create something that meets the extreme demands of broadcast and media users. We are immensely proud of the incredible, user-focused advances we have made in R&S®SpycerNode2, and we look forward to gauging customer reaction at NAB.”  BCS Bureau