Storage Area Networks (SANs)

Put in simple terms, a SAN is a specialised, high-speed network attaching server(s) and storage device - sometimes referred to as ‘the network behind the servers’.

A SAN allows ‘any-to-any’ connection across the network, using interconnect elements such as routers, gateways, hubs, switches and directors. It eliminates the traditional dedicated connection between a server and storage, and overrides the concept that the server effectively ‘owns and manages’ the storage devices. It also counteracts restrictions to the amount of data that a server can access - currently limited by the number of storage devices attached to the individual server.

SANs create new methods of attaching storage to servers. These new methods can enable great enhancements of both availability and performance, including:

• Improvements to application availability - Storage is independent of applications and accessible through multiple data paths for better reliability, availability and serviceability
• Higher application performance - Storage processing is off-loaded from servers and moved onto a separate network
• Centralised and consolidated storage - Simplified management, scalability, flexibility and availability
• Data transfer and vaulting to remote sites - Remote copy of data enabled for disaster protection and against malicious attacks
• Simplified centralised management - Single image of storage media simplifies management.

SANs in the small-to-medium business space

Managing storage complexity in the immediate future will remain very much part of the daily experience of the storage administrator of large SANs.

But for smaller organisations without a dedicated storage administrator, SANs are starting to emerge as a viable storage solution.

One reason for this change is the advent of iSCSI SANs which enable storage to be accessed directly over an IP network. With built-in support for iSCSI protocols in the Windows Server platform, Microsoft has helped drive iSCSI SAN adoption, so that a new generation of system administrators can capitalise on their IP and LAN expertise in delivering SAN solutions to their enterprise.

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