Hewlett Packard - NBU partnership : SAN (Storage Area Network) или какво стои зад облаците
Why SAN? Business demands have created the following challenges for storage solutions: Highly available and easily managed solutions Explosive storage growth with data capacities doubling every 18 months The need to have data online all the time with no interruption Shrinking backup windows Limited IT resources to manage their enterprise Rapidly shifting technologies
Agenda What is SAN? Features Benefits
SAN = Storage Area Network A SAN (Storage Area Network) is a network specifically dedicated to the task of transporting data for storage and retrieval. SAN architectures are alternatives to storing data on disks directly attached to servers or storing data on Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices which are connected through general purpose networks. In order to meet the demands of the storage system, enterprises apply SAN to increase the system efficiency and capacity expansion.
Definition of a SAN Storage Network Industry Association statement SNIA defines a SAN as "A network whose primary purpose is the transfer of data between computer systems and storage elements, and among storage elements. A SAN consists of a communication infrastructure which provides physical connections, and a management layer which organizes the connections, storage elements, and computer systems so that data transfer is secure and robust. SAN is able to attach with various kinds of storage devices, such as disk-array subsystems, magnetic tape drivers and libraries, and provides data I/O services via hub or switches through network connections.
Fibre vs Fiber Fibre Channel Fiber main protocol used in storage area networks media for transfer of data in Ethernet and SAN networks.
Features A secure implementation of storage I/O methods over network transports A high-speed, scalable, robust network of servers and storage devices A natural platform for server clustering applications
Features A storage service that: Connects to enterprise-wide servers Centralizes data Moves data automatically for availability and replication Provides accelerated data access Supports advanced storage management Provides for highly available configurations
SAN Protocols SCSI Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives.
SAN Protocols Fibre Channel Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP) is a transport protocol (similar to TCP used in IP networks) which predominantly transports SCSI commands over Fibre Channel networks. Fibre Channel, or FC, is a gigabit-speed network technology primarily used for storage networking. Fibre Channel was primarily used in the supercomputer field, but now, has become the standard connection type for SANs in enterprise storage. Despite its name, Fibre Channel signaling can run on both twisted pair copper wire and fiber-optic cables.
SAN Protocols iscsi familiar networking standards: Ethernet and TCP/IP total storage costs are reduced iscsi solves the issues of distance and bandwidth iscsi scales to 10 Gigabit eliminates Fibre Channel switches and cabling
It is a network after all..
Benefits Higher availability to storage by use of multiple access paths.
Reduced data center rack/floor space.
Increased disk utilization
Centralized storage SANs reduce the cost of managing storage by consolidating storage and sharing the resources across multiple hosts. Elimination of server downtime while adding storage Using Fibre Channel-based storage, storage resources can be added or deleted without interrupting the production environment.
Improved availability Implementing advanced SAN designs enables fault-tolerant and disastertolerant configurations that are ideal platforms for clustered, mission-critical systems. Modular scalability With modular scalability providing support for an unpredictable environment, the infrastructure can be changed as business needs evolve. Bandwidth, availability, redundancy, and capacity can be dynamically scaled on demand, providing maximum flexibility to accommodate business growth.
Serverless backup Having serverless backup enables direct backup from disk to tape without going through the host, which offloads data from the network. Online storage migration Storage can be dynamically allocated and reallocated among hosts without interruption, resulting in improved storage utilization.