SAN
STORAGE AREA NETWORK
The protocol that works best in this role is FibreChannel. Currently, the most commonly used standard is 16GbFC, but more and more customers are opting for 32GbFC, especially if their array is in AllFlash.
FibreChannel is a switchable protocol and is most often designed using SAN switches. To ensure redundancy, it uses a minimum of two switches in the SAN.
More common are the solutions based on the slightly less powerful iSCSI standard. The protocol is based on the SCSI standard encapsulated in IP frames, allowing transfers over longer distances. SANs based on iSCSI are built similarly to FC with at least two redundant Ethernet switches. It is important that these switches should be of the DataCenter type ensuring the lowest possible delays and the possibility of transmitting large frames, so-called JumboFrames.
A properly designed SAN allows for efficient and reliable operation of data processing systems guaranteeing uninterrupted access to services even in case of damage to individual interfaces, HBA cards or matrix controllers.
