Using patented techniques, Tivoli SANergy is implemented as a file system extension. It leverages the distributed data sharing capabilities embedded within the Windows, UNIX, and Linux operating systems. Tivoli SANergy redirects the data portion of standard network file I/O off the LAN and onto the SAN. Normal networking protocols (CIFS or NFS) establish access to shared files across a standard LAN. The data itself flows at much higher bandwidth over the more efficient SAN. SAN-connected storage media is formatted in NTFS, UFS, EXT2FS or any other file system that adheres to the Tivoli SANergy open API.

Tivoli SANergy extends the standard Windows, Red Hat Linux, or Solaris file server to act as the Meta-Data Controller (MDC) for shared storage. This MDC manages the access to storage across the SAN by the SAN-connected computers running Tivoli SANergy host software.

The MDC manages access to common shared storage by providing the necessary file system metadata when requested by the host computers. Hosts then access the storage directly through their SAN connection. In a heterogeneous sharing environment, this sharing of metadata is critical for ensuring the coherency of files being used across the SAN. Metadata sharing also allows the continued use of all the network-access security mechanisms already built into today's operating systems. With Tivoli SANergy, any computer running any supported O/S and any application can utilize SANergy to transparently receive all the benefits of a SAN connection.

Tivoli SANergy is a "set it and forget it" product. Typically it is installed with a new SAN-disk volumes are created, assigned to an MDC and shared to multiple hosts computers—then the settings aren't touched again until some storage configuration requires a change. A typical SAN utilizing Tivoli SANergy will probably have more than one MDC. In fact some SANs may assign each of the SAN-connected computers as an MDC that can share it's own disk volume to all the other computers in the SAN. Once configured and running, SANergy is completely transparent to the user and to any application. But with SANergy, all computers connected to the SAN have a high-bandwidth connection to the same disk volumes, the same files even, at the same time.

Die Software überzeugt durch die Unabhängigkeit von Betriebsystemen und deren Dateisystemen, ist also für Windows, Linux und MAC OS X basierte Infrastrukturen geeignet und auch verfügbar.

Für Anwendungen in einsatzkritischen Umgebungen bietet MetaSAN das Dynamische Metadata-Master Modul an. Hiermit kann die Software selbständig die Aufgabe des Metadata Controllers bei einem Fail-Out an einen anderen Client des SAN’s übergeben – und zwar ohne das Arbeiten der restlichen Clients auf dem Server unterbrechen zu müssen.

MetaSAN bietet zudem eine nahtlose Integration zwischen SAN und LAN Netzwerken mittels MetaLAN an, einer „Multi Point Gateway Software“, die das Firmennetzwerk mit dem High-Speed SAN vernetzt. Das ganze Netzwerk kann nun also von den einzelnen SAN Netzwerken profitieren.

Tiger Technology Software bringt diese Storage- und Netzwerk Komponenten in eine hochperformante Symbiose. MetaSAN ist komplett transparent und kompatibel zu allen gängigen Software Paketen wie z.B. Adobe Production Studio, Apple Final Cut Pro und Harris Velocity. Züsätzlich sind noch „Avid Unity MediaFile Virtualization“ und Digidesign Pro-Tools Unterstützung im Angebot, die eine effiziente Zusammenarbeit zwischen den einzelnen Avid und/oder Pro- Tools Usern ermöglicht.