International Journal of New Technology and Research (IJNTR)

ISSN:2454-4116, Volume-3, Issue-2, February 2017 Pages 01-02

Storage Devices
Jyoti Madabhushi

 Thus SANs are primarily used to enhance storage devices

Abstract— A subnetwork of storage devices that are such as disk arrays, tape libraries accessible to servers so that
connected with one another over a high speed network
the devices appear to the operating systems as locally
connection is Storage Area Network(SAN). It allows all
designated users on the network to access multiple storage attached devices. Storage virtualisation hides the physical
devices not only the storage devices installed within their storage from applications on host systems and presents a
computers. Once a SAN is constructed and all the storage simplified view of storage resources to the applications.
devices are shared within the SAN, it is than connected to the
servers that are accessed by network users. Large backup disk Virtualization allows the application to reference the storage
arrays can be stored on an off-site location and shared on a SAN resource by its common name wherethe actual storage could
where users can access them remotely. SANs are used for be on complex multi-layered multipath storage networks.
storage redundancy purposes in case of unexpected disaster and RAID is an early example of storage virtualization. Host
loss of data. A SAN typically supports data storage, retrieval
and replication on business networks using high-end servers, based storage virtualization could be implemented on the host
multiple disk arrays and interconnect technology. through logical volume management which provides the
Index Terms— Network, Storage, Devices, Disks, logical view of the storage to the host operating system.
Applications.
Storage virtualization could be implemented on the SAN
switches. Each server is assigned a LUN(logical unit number)
I. INTRODUCTION to access the storage resources. Here we have ease of
A Storage Area Network is a specialised, high speed network configuration and management, redundancy and high
that provides block level network access to storage. SANs are availability. There is potential bottleneck on the switch and
composed of hosts, switches, storage elements and storage high cost.
devices that are interconnected using a wide variety of
II. BENEFITS
technologies, topologies and protocols. SANs are used to
improve application availability e.g. multiple data paths, Benefits of SAN include storage consolidation, data sharing ,
enhance application performance, increase storage utilisation improved backup and recovery, cost effectiveness, ease of
and effectiveness e.g. consolidate storage resources, provide data migration, disaster tolerance, data integrity, high
tiered storage etc. and improve data protection and security. performance, high availability server clustering, lan free and
SANs play an important role in organisation’s business server free data movement. In SAN storage type is in blocks,
continuity management(BCM) activities. A SAN presents data transmission is through fibre channel, access mode is
storage devices to a host such that the storage appears to be through servers, complexity is difficult and management cost
locally attached. is low. Storage is accessed at block level and not at file level.
SANs are helpful in backup and disaster recovery settings. Thus a SAN is a network designed to transfer data from
Within a SAN, data can be transferred from one storage servers to targets and is alternative to directly attached storage
device to another without interacting with a server. This architecture where the storage is connected to the servers on
speeds up the backup process and eliminates the need to use general purpose networks.
server CPU cycles for backup. Many SANs use fibre channel
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1 www.ijntr.org
 Storage Devices

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Author’s Information

JyotiMadabhushi, B.E, M.S. has got more than 25 years of work

experience in IT industry with more than one and a half decade experience in
project management. She has worked in various capacities from being a
hands on technical person to project manager, program manager, portfolio
manager to strategic business unit head mapping her portfolio to the
changing trends in IT.

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