A Storage Area Network (SAN) is a dedicated, independent high-speed network that

interconnects and delivers shared pools of storage devices to multiple servers.

Each server can access shared storage as if it were a drive directly attached to
the server. A SAN is typically assembled with cabling, host bus adapters, and SAN
switches attached to storage arrays and servers. Each switch and storage system on
the SAN must be interconnected.
Why storage area networks are important
Computer memory and local storage resources might not provide enough storage,
storage protection, multiple-user access, or speed and performance for enterprise
applications. So, most organizations employ some form of a SAN in addition to
network-attached storage (NAS) for improved efficiency and better data management.

Traditionally, only a limited number of storage devices could attach to a server,

limiting a network's storage capacity. But a SAN introduces networking flexibility
enabling one server, or many heterogeneous servers across multiple data centers, to
share a common storage utility. The SAN eliminates the traditional dedicated
connection between a network file server and storage — and the concept that the
server effectively owns and manages the storage devices — eliminating bandwidth
bottlenecks. A SAN eliminates single points of failure to enhance storage
reliability and availability.

A SAN is also optimal for disaster recovery (DR) because a network might include
many storage devices, including disk, magnetic tape and optical storage. The
storage utility might also be located far from the servers that it uses.

Learn more about data storage

What are the advantages of a SAN
The SAN frees the storage device so that it isn't on a particular server bus. It
attaches storage directly to the network, so storage is externalized and
functionally distributed across the organization. The SAN also centralizes storage
devices and the clustering of servers, potentially achieving easier and inexpensive
centralized administration, lowering the total cost of ownership.

Typically using block-level storage systems, SANs allow data-moving applications to

perform better by transmitting data directly from the source to the target with
little server intervention. But organizations can use any network file systems
(NFS) appropriate for their infrastructures. SANs also allow multiple hosts to
access multiple storage devices connected to the same network in new network
architectures. A SAN can offer the following benefits:

Improved application availability

Storage exists independently of applications, and it's accessible through multiple
paths for increased reliability, availability and serviceability.

Better application performance

SANs offload and move storage processing from servers onto separate networks.

Central and consolidated

SANs make simpler management, scalability, flexibility and high availability
possible.

Remote site data transfer and vaulting

SANs protect data from disaster and malicious attacks with a remote copy.

Simple centralized management

SANs simplify management by creating single images of storage media.

Introduction to Storage Area Networks (11.6 MB)

How does a SAN work?
Sometimes referred to as the network behind the servers, a SAN consists of a
communication infrastructure, which provides physical connections, allowing an any-
to-any device to bridge across the network using interconnected elements, such as
switches and directors. The SAN can also be viewed as an extension of the storage
bus concept. This concept enables storage devices and servers to interconnect by
using similar elements, such as local area networks (LANs) and wide-area networks
(WANs). A SAN also includes a management layer that organizes the connections,
storage elements and computer systems. This layer ensures secure and robust data
transfers.

Today's SANs create new methods of attaching storage to servers, enabling high
availability and performance improvements. They connect shared storage arrays and
tape libraries to multiple servers used by clustered servers for failover. And they
can bypass traditional network traffic bottlenecks, facilitating direct, high-speed
data transfers between servers and storage devices in three ways:

Server to storage
This traditional interaction model's advantage is that the same storage device
might be accessed serially or concurrently by multiple servers.

Server to server
A SAN might be used for high-speed, low-latency and high-volume communications
between servers.

Storage to storage
The ability to move data without server intervention frees up server processor
cycles for other activities, such as application processing. Examples include a
disk drive device that backs up its data to a tape device without server
intervention or a remote device mirroring across the SAN.

What is a SAN switch?

At the heart of most storage area networks is the SAN switch. Its sole purpose is
to move storage data traffic between servers and shared storage pools. A switch
interconnects multiple host servers made up of storage servers and devices to
create a SAN. Some switches can be used as a standalone device to build a simple
SAN fabric. Others can be interconnected with other switches to build a larger SAN
fabric. SAN fabrics are active, intelligent and non-shared interconnections of
multiple SAN switches. They increase the number of possible connections in a SAN.
Fibre Channel host bus adapters (HBA) connect switches to file servers.

SAN components
The core components of a SAN are servers, storage and networking infrastructure.

Servers
The server infrastructure is the underlying reason for all SAN solutions, and this
infrastructure includes a mix of server platforms. With initiatives, such as server
consolidation and Internet commerce, the need for SANs increases, making the
importance of network storage greater.

Storage
A storage system can consist of disk systems and tape systems. The disk system can
include HDDs, SSDs or Flash drives. The tape system can consist of tape drives,
tape autoloaders and tape libraries.

Network infrastructure
SAN connectivity consists of hardware and software components that interconnect
storage devices and servers, including Fibre Channel. Hardware can include hubs,
switches, gateways, directors and routers. The software includes SAN management
software.
Types of SAN storage connections
A storage area network protocol is a type of connection that determines how devices
and switches communicate with each other within a SAN fabric. A SAN can use one
protocol or many. Certain devices are multiprotocol routers and devices.

Multiprotocol routers and devices provide improved scalability, security and

manageability. They enable devices in separate SAN fabrics to communicate without
merging fabrics into a single, large meta-SAN fabric. Depending on the
manufacturer, multiprotocol routers and devices support many protocols, like Server
Message Block (SMB), and offer their own features, such as zoning. Here's a list of
SAN connection types:

Internet Small Computer System Interface

Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) is an IP-based standard protocol
for linking data storage devices over a network and transferring data by carrying
SCSI commands over IP networks. Using the iSCSI protocol for IP-based SANs enables
clients to use the same networking technologies for storage, storage management and
data networks. And because iSCSI uses Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP), iSCSI is also suited to run over almost any physical network.

Fibre Channel Protocol

Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP) is the serial SCSI command protocol used on Fibre
Channel (FC) networks. It provides higher throughput than a local area network
(LAN). It's a gigabit-speed network technology primarily used for storage
networking, and it's the standard protocol for open systems. First used in the
supercomputer field, FCP has become the standard connection type for SANs in
enterprise storage.

Fibre Channel over Ethernet

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is a protocol to route FC packets over Ethernet.
It can improve the flexibility and simplification of the SAN infrastructure. It
replaces dedicated switching solutions for LANs and SANs with a single device that
can transfer both types of data: IP packets and storage data. These deployments are
called converged networks.

Fibre Channel over IP

Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) is also known as Fibre Channel tunneling or storage
tunneling. This method allows the transmission of Fibre Channel information to be
tunneled through the IP network. Most organizations have an existing IP
infrastructure, so they find being able to link geographically dispersed SANs, at a
relatively low cost, attractive.

Non-Volatile Memory Express over Fibre Channel

Non-Volatile Memory express over Fibre Channel (FC-NVMe) is a host controller
interface and storage protocol. It accelerates the transfer of data between
enterprise and client systems and solid-state drives (SSD) over a computer's high-
speed Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) bus.

Read NVMe over Fibre Channel for Dummies (3.8 MB)

SAN versus NAS storage
Unlike direct-attached storage (DAS), network-based storage allows more than one
computer to access it through a network, making it better for data sharing and
collaboration. Its off-site storage capability also makes it better suited for
backups and data protection. Two typical network-based storage setups are network-
attached storage (NAS) and storage area network (SAN).

NAS is often a single device made up of redundant storage containers or a redundant

array of independent disks (RAID). SAN storage can be a network of multiple
devices, including SSD and flash storage, hybrid storage, hybrid cloud storage,
backup software and appliances, and cloud storage. It's important to choose the
right one that suits your use cases. Here are how NAS and SAN differ:

SAN
Network of multiple devices
Block storage system
Fibre Channel network
Optimized for multiple users
Faster performance
Highly expandable
Higher cost and complex setup
NAS
Single storage device or RAID
File storage system
TCP/IP Ethernet network
Limited users
Limited speed
Limited expansion options
Lower cost and easy setup
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SAN b-type switches
SAN switches are the heart of storage area networks. They move storage data traffic
between servers and shared storage pools and interconnects multiple host servers
made up of storage servers and devices to create a SAN. Find scalable, affordable
solutions for enterprises and small and midsize businesses here.

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SAN c-type switches
The IBM Storage Networking c-type family provides storage connectivity into the
future for mission-critical applications, massive amounts of data, solid-state
drives and cloud-based environments. They use a single, proven operating system and
a centralized management platform to enable evolutionary adoption and consistent
SAN operations.

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Hybrid cloud storage
Existing IT infrastructures can make moving to hybrid cloud models harder than it
should be, with complications ranging from multiple cloud platforms to rapid growth
in containerized workloads. IBM hybrid cloud storage solutions simply and
seamlessly deploy container-enabled enterprise storage across your on-premises and
hybrid cloud storage environments, simplifying your storage strategy.

Browse hybrid cloud storage

Flash storage and all-flash array
All-flash storage systems can help you quickly gain the most value from your oceans
of data as you drive a competitive advantage for your business. With IBM all-flash
storage solutions, you can make storage simple with innovations and enterprise-
class features for deployments of all sizes.

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Hybrid storage solutions
Different organizations have different requirements for storage. Even different
applications within a single organization may have different needs such as entry
point, performance, scalability, data services, functionality and availability.
Tailor your hybrid storage system to your exact business needs with an IBM hybrid
storage solution.