Storage Area Network

SAN (Storage Area Network):

A storage area network (SAN) is a high-speed secure data transmission network in which storage devices can access multiple servers. It is a high-performance storage network that transfers data between servers and storage devices that are separate from the local area network. SAN is often used where more spaces are required for high-speed storage and fast I / O space.

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Unlike DAS or NAS, which are both optimized for sharing data at the first level, the strength of SAN lies in its ability to transmit large sets of data. This is very important for bandwidth intensive applications such as IP / Megapixel camera system recording. It provides block level storage, which means that when a host wants to access a storage device, it sends a block-based access request for that storage device. SAN storage devices include disk-based devices such as RAID.

Implementing a SAN, which is found in the following two types, results in consistent and secure data transfer. Depending on the type used, different types of cables, protocols, and routing equipment are used.

Fiber Channel (FC): Storage units and servers are connected through a high-speed network of Unified Fiber Channel adapters. This is used for mission-critical applications where constant access to data is required. The fiber channel provides data retrieval speed of more than 5 Gbps.

Internet Small Computer System Interface (ISCSI) Protocol: SCSI is a standard used for communication between servers and storage devices. Through this infrastructure, low cost IP network flexibility is achieved.

In a SAN, data is transferred from one volume to another without server intervention or minimal interference. SAN provides dynamic failover protection which means if the server fails or the internet connection drops for maintenance, the network continues to operate. Also, additional capacity can be added to the SAN as needed. These are the advantages of SAN. The main disadvantages of SANs are cost and complexity. Since SAN devices are expensive and also build and manage SAN, it requires special skill set.

The distributed architecture of a SAN enables higher performance and reliability. SANs provide fast data transfer while reducing latency and server workload.

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