by What is a SAN?
A storage area network, or SAN, is a dedicated high-speed network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear to the operating system as locally attached devices.
Key Components of a SAN
There are a few key components that make up a SAN:
– Connectivity infrastructure: Fibre Channel (FC), Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), InfiniBand, or iSCSI connections are used to connect storage devices to servers and desktop systems.
– Storage devices: Devices like disk arrays, tape libraries and virtual tape libraries. These Storage Area Network (SAN)storage that is accessible over the SAN.
– Host systems: Typically servers running applications that need to access the consolidated storage on the SAN. The servers are connected to the storage devices through host bus adapters (HBAs).
Benefits of Using a SAN
– Centralized data storage: A SAN allows storage to be consolidated in one location rather than having direct-attached storage on each server. This facilitates better utilization of storage resources.
– Increased availability: With redundant components in a SAN, high availability of data is achievable even if a component fails.
– Scalability: Storage and server connectivity can be added non-disruptively as needs expand. Resources can be easily shared across servers.
– Backup/restore: Backup/restore tasks can be centralized since all servers have access to the same pool of storage.
SAN Topologies
There are different topological arrangements for connecting SAN components:
– Direct fabric attachments: Each server connected directly to Fibre Channel fabric switches through an HBA. Fabric switches connect servers to storage.
– Arbitrated loop: Loop topology with no switches, just fiber cables. Not commonly used.
– Fabric topology: Multiple fabric switches interconnect servers, storage and host bus adapters. Most scalable and flexible configuration.
Design Considerations for Storage Area Network (SAN)
When designing a SAN, certain factors need to be considered:
– Bandwidth requirements: Amount of raw data throughput needed for different applications.
– Scalability: Able to add hosts, storage systems and connectivity over time as demand grows.
-Fault tolerance: Use of redundant components, multipathing, cabling etc to prevent single point failures.
-Performance monitoring: Collecting metrics to monitor I/O rates, response times, bottlenecks.
-Security: Access control, authentication, encryption to protect sensitive data on SAN.
-Budget: Upfront and operational costs of buying components and maintaining SAN infrastructure.
Implementing a Storage Area Network (SAN)
A successful SAN implementation project involves the following stages:
– Assess storage needs: Determine capacities, performance benchmarks required.
– Design topology: Choose fabric architecture, connectivity, redundancy levels.
– Procure hardware: Select HBAs, switches, storage systems and cables to meet design.
– Install and configure: Physically install hardware, configure zoning, LUN masking, multipathing.
-Test and validate: Run tests to verify no bottlenecks and performance meets targets.
-Deploy and support: rollout to end users, administer, troubleshoot, upgrade as needed.
-Monitor performance: Track metrics to ensure SLAs are being adhered to over time.
A Storage Area Network (SAN) provides enterprises with a centralized, pooled block storage infrastructure that delivers data availability, scalability, simplified management and backup/restore capabilities superior to direct-attached storage. With careful planning and design, SANs can effectively satisfy both current and future storage requirements of modern IT environments.
*Note:
1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it.
