By following the diagram above, much of the data utilized in your RED filename can be deciphered by simply understanding the information contained within the filename. Many times, your NLE will simply parse the information found in the filename, and populate the appropraite columns in your Bin/Browser. This information can also be used if the link between the offline and online media is lost, and the files need to be located manually. Graphic Courtesy of avid.com

Here is what is going on with your media, as you work within the Avid:

• Almost everything you are doing in Avid (from launching the Avid, saving any bins, leaving capture mode, or closing the application ) is causing the system to read and write data to your media drives simultaneously.
• Each partition will have one OMFI MediaFiles Folder and/or one Avid Media Files Folder (for MXF media).
• Each media files folder contains two database files (msm.MMOB and msm.FMID) which keep track of all of the changes to media files; keeping them constantly linked to the master clips in your bins (pointer files living on another drive in your applications folder).
• Every time you launch the Avid, save any bins, leave capture mode, or close the application it is forcing those database files to index all of the files in that media files folder.
• By having 2 database files on one very large partition containing 500GB 1 TB, etc of media , the Avid is indexing the hundreds of thousands of files included on that partition . That, in turn, taxes the database files beyond a reasonable level and they begin to either lose track of media, or fail to complete their updates.
• Media Databases no longer update correctly, causing things like “OMFI HP Domain INIT Failed” errors as well as ‘Media OffLine” messages, among others.
• By creating more, yet smaller Drive Partitions, the Avid can more efficiently and reliably maintain its Media Database files, giving overall stability and speed back to the system.

Avid Customer Support has found that partitioning down larger striped sets to sizes of approximately 250-300 GB has TREMENDOUSLY helped overall performance and stability. We recommend this for systems setup with larger than 300 GB partitions, in use with a 12 or 24 way stripe.

A note about Windows File Limit:

The Windows OS starts to slow down after 10,000 files. This is a limitation of the OS itself, not of the Avid. After 10,000 files, the system cannot buffer it’s file count fast enough, as well as the Avid’s Media Databases also not updating correctly, if at all.

More info available at:  http://avidtechnology.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/avidtechnology.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=71457