SAN

IT423(D)

SAN

What is a SAN?
According to the Storage Networking Industry Association dictionary a storage area network
(SAN) is any high-performance network whose primary purpose is to enable storage
devices to communicate with computer systems and with each other.
The most interesting things about this definition are what it doesn'tsay:
It doesn't say that a SAN's only purpose is communication between computers and
storage.
It doesn't say that a SAN uses Fibre Channel or Ethernet or any other specific
interconnect technology.
It doesn't say what kind of storage devices are interconnected.Disk and tape
drives, RAID subsystems, robotic libraries, and file servers are all being used
productively in SAN environments today.

Conventional client server

computer system VS SAN
environment

What are the Market Drivers

for SANs?
The limitations in speed, distance, and connectivity of SCSI technology prompted the search for
an alternative method to access storage devices. The need for LAN-free backups and data
sharing started the initial move toward SAN technology. These necessities and the desire to keep
all data on-line and accessible 24 hours a day to an increasingly global and/or Internet-based
user population are driving current adoption.
Market Drivers:
Backup Capacity: Increasing data storage requirements and the need for 100%
availability of applications have overwhelmed SCSI backups across the LAN.
Capacity Growth: IDC and Gartner Group estimate that data is growing at a rate of
over 85% annually. To put this in perspective a 750GB
System Flexibility/Cost: SANs are storage-centric networks that provide easy
scalability, allowing servers or storage to be added independently of each other.
Availability/Performance: The use of a storage data transmission protocol like SCSI
permits the transfer of large amounts of data with limited latency and overhead.

Why are Storage Area

Networks Needed?
Traditional means for connecting servers and storage can no longer satisfy today's requirements
for fast access to massive amounts of data. SCSI technology uses parallel cabling which severely
limits speed, distance and the number of attached storage devices. Configuring SCSI (Small
Computer Systems Interface) connections to support terabytes of data is impractical. In addition,
traditional server/storage connections make the server the exclusive owner of its attached
storage. As computing environments move from a server centric to data centric model, access to
shared data resources becomes critical. Storage Area Networks are an enabling technology that
allow storage resources to be shared in order to provide continuous, faster, easier access to
data.

What are the Benefits of a

SAN?
Availability: A single copy of data is accessible to any and all hosts via multiple paths.
Reliability: Dependable data transportation ensures a low error rate, and an ability to recover from failures is provided.
Scalability: Servers and storage devices may be added independently of one another, and do not depend on proprietary
systems.
Performance: Fibre Channel (the standard method for SAN interconnectivity) has a 100MB/sec bandwidth and low
overhead, and it separates storage and network I/O.
Manageability: Emerging software and standards for both FC-AL and Fibre Channel fabric allow single centralized
management and proactive error detection and correction.
Return On Information Management: Due to increased redundancy and superior manageability, as well as the ability to
add storage and servers independently of one another SANs provide a lower cost of ownership and a Higher Return On
Information Management (ROIM).

When should I use a Switch

versus a Hub?
Hubs: Hubs are perfect for small, entry-level environments and systems. The typically cost less

and offer a lower throughput the switches.

Switches: Data-intensive, high-bandwidth applications such as backup, video editing, and

document scanning can make full use of switches. Due to their redundant data paths and superior
manageability switches are also perfect when high availability is required.

Reasons to use Switches instead

of Hubs in a SAN
Switches provide several advantages in a SAN environment.
Failover Capabilities: In a switched fabric, in the event that a single switch fails, other switches in the fabric remain
operational. A Hub based environment typically fails if a single hub on the loop fails.
Increased Manageability: Switches support the Fibre Channel Switch (FC-SW) standard, which makes addressing
independent of the subsystem's location on the fabric and provides superior fault isolation and high availability. FCSW also allows host to better identify subsystems connected to the switch.
Superior Performance: Switches offer "multiple-transmission data flow", in which each fabric connection can
simultaneously maintain a 100MB/sec throughput. A hub offers a single data flow with an aggregate throughput of
100MB/sec.
Scalability: Interconnection switches provide thousands of connections without degrading bandwidth. A hub-based
loop is limited to 126 devices.
Availability: Switches support the on-line addition of subsystems (servers or storage) without for re-initialization or
shutdown. Hubs require a Loop Initialization (LIP) to reacquire subsystem addresses whenever changes occur on
the loop. A LIP typically takes 0.5 seconds and can disable a tape system that is in the process of doing a backup.

How does a SAN differ from a

LAN or WAN?
A SAN is similar to a LAN, in that it is a methodology of connecting systems together with standardized
hardware and software protocols. A SAN differs from a LAN is two main ways.
Storage versus Network Protocol: A LAN uses network protocols that send smaller "chunks" of data

with increased communication overhead. This reduces bandwidth. A SAN uses storage protocols
(SCSI) that sends larger "chunks" of data with reduced overhead and increased bandwidth.
Server Captive Storage: LAN based systems connect servers to clients, with each server owning and

controlling access to its own storage resources. Storage must be added to a server rather than directly
to the LAN. A SAN allows storage resources to be added to the network enabling any server to directly
access storage resources.

What is Fibre Channel?

Fibre Channel is a standards-based, gigabit transport that is optimized for storage and other highspeed applications. Currently implemented in 1 gigabit (200MBps full duplex) speed, Fibre
Channel will support up to 400MBps full duplex transfer speeds in the near future. There are three
topologies based on Fibre Channel - point to point, arbitrated loop and fabric. Arbitrated loop and
fabric provide the underlying infrastructure of most SAN implementations today. Fibre Channel
supports high speed transport, long distances (up to 60 km), and up to 16 million devices in
extended network configurations. By introducing the scalability and flexibility of networking to the
server/storage relationship, Fibre Channel is enabling new storage applications for clustering,
disaster recovery, and shared resource requirements.

What is The Difference

Between SAN and NAS?
Storage Area Networks (SAN) and Network-attached Storage (NAS) are similar, in that they both
represent a convergence of storage and networking technologies. However, they are also entirely
different. NAS products, such as Network Appliance Filers and Auspex servers are storage
devices fronted by a thin server client that is directly attached to the messaging or public network.
These products tend to be optimized for file serving purposes only. Storage Area Networks are
separate networks dedicated to storage devices and traffic. SANs provide greater flexibility and
additional functionality over a NAS. However each of these approaches has their merits, it is
generally agreed that SANs represent the future of storage connectivity. NAS devices will
continue to perform their specific functions but shall migrate, over time, to the Storage Area
Network model.

References
http://www.snia.org/education/storage_networking_primer/san/