What defines SAN?
SAN's, Storage Area Networks, present an architecture containing
several types of storage devices such as disks, (virtual) tape
and optical jukeboxes.
The server accesses the SAN using either a Fibre channel network
or iSCSI over (gigabit) Ethernet.
SAN compared to NAS
The main distinction between a SAN and a NAS is the way data are
approached and processed.
SAN operates at 'block' level, NAS at file level.SAN sends disk
commands instead of merely files. Also, speed of a SAN is much
higher since Fibre channel features a higher throughput than
standard TCP/IP which is used with NAS.
SAN-connection example.
A server
will consider the available SAN a local hard disk.
NAS-connection example.
A NAS regards available storage as a drive-mapping.
Why apply SAN or NAS?
When determining your choice for either SAN or NAS, several
subjects need to be carefully considered.
-
Do you require de-duplication?
-
Do applications present within your network run on SAN as
well as NAS?
-
Which type of access is used (random, sequential, database,
large file etc.)?
-
Which type of network is available?
-
Which replication and backup options do you want to
implement?
How can we help?
To help you work out details, Qi ict can perform a 'Storage
assessment'. This service results in an advisory report,
detailing the configuration that fits your companies needs.