Xtarget enables you to inexpensively transform your Mac into an iSCSI SAN storage server. Just connect your Thunderbolt and USB devices to a Mac with Xtarget installed, then present the storage over Ethernet as iSCSI devices.
Expand
Create a complete iSCSI SAN environment using your existing storage and other hardware. Add more storage as needed.
Share
Use SANmp or Xsan to share direct-attached and internal storage, enabling you to coordinate media and collaborate on projects with everyone in your workgroup.
Reuse
Save time and money by using the storage hardware you already own. No extra cards, switches, drives, servers, or IT staff to buy!
Watch the Xtarget Video
See how quickly and easily you can install the Xtarget Storage Server software and begin using it. In this short video we’ll demonstrate the entire process of creating a macOS software SAN from start-to-finish.
Build your own iSCSI Xsan
Using iSCSI as a connection for Xsan volumes is a reality using Xtarget. With globalSAN Xtarget and Initiator you can build your very own iSCSI Xsan environment. Create separate targets for Metadata LUNs and Media LUNs, and connect to them all via iSCSI over GbE or 10GbE.
Xtarget Cloud
Configure your storage server’s firewall to allow incoming iSCSI connections. You can then access your Xtarget-shared storage from anywhere in the world.
Common Ways to Use Xtarget
Post production SAN
Applications like Avid, Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, Smoke, and Pro Tools can have enormous requirements for throughput and data capacity. Companies who use these professional applications typically have a dedicated appliance for their SAN (like this one) so that everyone can get shared access to lots of really fast storage. But not every shop has the size or budget for a larger purpose-built system.
With Xtarget, you can get the benefits of a SAN (fast, sharable storage that’s compatible with your applications), but you build it at a lower cost because you’re able to use the storage and network you already own.
Field SAN
As content is acquired, Xtarget can share Thunderbolt drives to a workgroup in a hotel room or mobile rig. The benefits being that multiple laptops can start to log, catalog, encode and transcode, develop scripts and stories, and even create rough edits before the content makes it to the post facility for post production.
Client Content Acquisition
Many clients are providing file based content to post facilities on portable drives. By placing the drive on the network via Xtarget, you can start to Ingest, transcode and encode from multiple workstations and servers within minutes of ingest.
Time Machine Backup
Use Xtarget to setup a shared, consolidated TMB server for multiple users – each user can have his own password-protected iSCSI volume for Time Machine, without the hassle of direct-attached external disks.
iPhoto storage
Huge iPhoto library? No problem! Put it on an Xtarget-shared volume for fast and easy accessibility by anyone in your workgroup. You can even setup the permissions so that only certain people can make changes to the library!
The globalSAN Xtarget GUI installs into the System Preferences utility. Watch the “how to” video above for quick instructions on setting up an Xtarget SAN.