Storage area networks.

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Instructor, PACE-IT Program – Edmonds Community College

Areas of Expertise Industry Certifications

PC Hardware

Network Administration

IT Project Management

Network Design

User Training

IT Troubleshooting

Qualifications Summary

Education

M.B.A., IT Management, Western Governor’s University

B.S., IT Security, Western Governor’s University

Entrepreneur, executive leader, and proven manger with 10+ years of experience turning complex issues into efficient and effective solutions.

Strengths include developing and mentoring diverse workforces, improving processes, analyzing business needs and creating the solutions required— with a focus on technology.

Brian K. Ferrill, M.B.A.

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Storage area networks.

– Justifications for storage area networks.

– SAN technology.

PACE-IT.

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Justifications for storage area networks.Storage area networks.

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Justifications for storage area networks.

Several factors have led to the increased demand for data storage—one of them is the dramatic decrease in the actual cost of data storage.

What has happened is that, as the cost of storage has decreased, the demand for storage has increased dramatically. Business are now generating and analyzing huge amounts of data in an effort to create competitive advantages, leading to more demand for storage capacity. Another factor is that the demand for the data to be available from anywhere and accessible from any device has also increased.

A storage area network (SAN) can be a solution to the need for both storage capacity and high availability.

Storage area networks.

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Justifications for storage area networks.

– Advantages of the SAN.» Scalability: the amount of data that is being

generated is huge, which has led to a need to store that data. The SAN is more scalable than other options.

• As storage needs increase, the capacity of the SAN can be easily increased to meet them.

» Data availability: demand has increased for data to be available at anytime from anywhere. A SAN can play a vital role in creating that accessibility.

• SANs are often deployed as part of a cloud computing solution, thus increasing that availability.

» Optimization: as the requirements to store data are removed from application servers, those servers can then be optimized to run those applications more efficiently.

• At the same time, data storage is also optimized.

Storage area networks.

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SAN technology.Storage area networks.

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SAN technology.

The storage area network (SAN) and network attached storage (NAS) often get confused with one another.

The SAN is an actual network of devices that have the sole purpose of storing data efficiently. The NAS is a specifically designed network appliance that has been configured to store data more efficiently than standard storage methods.

The difference is that a NAS is a data storage appliance that is placed on a network, while a SAN is a network of data storage devices. It is not uncommon for a SAN to contain multiple NAS devices.

Storage area networks.

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SAN technology.

– Fibre channel (FC).» A high speed network technology originally developed

to operate over fiber optic cables only.• The standards have been modified to allow the use of

copper cabling in conjunction with the fiber.» Commonly used to connect SANs.

• Uses Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP) as its transport protocol to transmit SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) commands to storage devices (e.g., NAS appliances).

– Internet SCSI (iSCSI).» An IP based networking standard used to connect data

storage facilities and SANs.• Allows SCSI commands and processes to take place

over long distances.

– Jumbo frames.» Allows for greater throughput of data by allowing up to

9000 bytes of data in a single frame.• Can greatly increase the efficiency of the SAN.

Storage area networks.

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What was covered.Storage area networks.

The reduction in cost of storage and the increased desire to access data at anytime from anywhere has led to an increase in the demand for data storage. The SAN is a solution to the data storage needs of the modern era. SANs are scalable, can lead to increased data availability, and can also be used to optimize networking performance.

Topic

Justification for storage area networks.

Summary

A SAN is a network of storage capacity, while a NAS is a data storage device (or devices) that is attached to a network. Multiple NAS devices may be found within a SAN. Fibre Channel (FC) uses FCP as the transport protocol to connect SANs and to transmit SCSI commands within the SANs. Internet SCSI (iSCSI) allows SCSI commands and processes to occur over long distances. Jumbo frames can be used to increase data throughput by allowing payloads of up to 9000 bytes.

SAN technology.

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THANK YOU!

This workforce solution was 100 percent funded by a $3 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. The solution was created by the grantee and does not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Department of Labor makes no guarantees, warranties, or assurances of any kind, express or implied, with respect to such information, including any information on linked sites and including, but not limited to, accuracy of the information or its completeness, timeliness, usefulness, adequacy, continued availability or ownership. Funded by the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Grant #TC-23745-12-60-A-53.

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