WZIB-2030: Fundamentals of Storage Area Networks

Module 1: Data Transport Protocols and Storage Models

This module contains the following topics. Use the course menus button to view the course
table of contents.

Module Introduction
Topic 1: Data Transport Protocols

Topic 2: Evolution and Function of Fibre Channel Protocol

Topic 3: Fibre Channel Organizations and Standards

Topic 4: DAS Storage Model

Topic 5: NAS Storage Model

Topic 6: SAN Storage Model

Review Questions

Module Summary

Module Introduction
Before you can understand SANs, you need to appreciate their evolution from earlier
storage models. You also need to understand the protocols used to transport data.
This module gives you an introduction to the primary protocols used to transport data to
and from storage. It also introduces you to the storage models as they developed from DAS
to NAS and finally to SAN. You should learn the characteristics and limitations of each
storage model. Your business may have one, two, or all three of these storage models,
depending on your requirements.
Although the storage models are distinctly different, they share common goals. These goals
are:

Data integrity - Data is considered to be the most valuable asset of an organization.

Integrity of this data is critical to any storage model.

Data availability - All storage models can be configured for high availability by
using a highly available hardware and software framework that eliminates single
points of failure.
Leveraging existing investments - Existing storage arrays can be incorporated into
more complex storage models. This process is especially critical for large tape
libraries that may be deployed within an enterprise.

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Identify the differences between small computer system interface (SCSI) and Fibre
Channel (FC) protocols
Define the evolution and function of the FC protocol
Describe the functions of the FC standards organizations
Describe the characteristics and limitations of DAS
Describe the characteristics and limitations of NAS
Describe the characteristics and limitations of SANs

TOPIC 1. Objective
Data Transport Protocols
Historical Perspective
In the early 1970's, the paradigm for storage shifted from mainframes to open storage
systems. There was a short period during which many proprietary disk systems were
introduced. The industry recognized the need for a standard, so American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) formed a working group to define the new storage standard. The
new standard was called Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI). SCSI was based on a
parallel wire connection, for a limited connection distance and a relatively high speed, 10 to
40 Megabytes per second (Mbytes/sec).
As storage needs expanded and prices dropped on storage hardware, applications demanded
more flexibility and performance. ANSI saw an opportunity to introduce a new transport
that could solve the storage needs into the future. They introduced the Fibre Channel (FC)
specification. FC offered longer distances, 500 meters (m) with copper cables and up to 3
kilometers (km) with optical cables. It also offered greater speeds, 100 Mbytes/sec, with the
flexibility to increase distance and speed with new technologies
SCSI Protocol
The SCSI protocol is a method for accessing data on disk drives physically attached to a
server. SCSI was initially designed to support a small number of disks attached to a single
interface on the host. The SCSI protocol has matured from its original standard that
supported a few low-speed devices. It has gone through several iterations that improved

access speed, increased the number of devices, and defined a wider range of supported
devices.
SCSI is limited by the number of devices that can be attached to one SCSI chain (up to 15).
Its speed is also limited due to electrical interference and signal timing between individual
wires in the copper cabling.

Fibre Channel Protocol

The FC protocol is a layered protocol that defines a set of standards for the efficient transfer
of information.
The FC protocol is characterized by the following features:

Uses a synchronous serial transfer protocol

Simplifies traditional cable plants with cables using only transmit and receive
Allows extended distance between devices (kilometers, rather than meters)
Allows the connectivity of thousands and, potentially, millions of devices

The FC transport can use both fiber-optic cable and copper wire (either twisted pair or
coaxial). Because copper is also a valid transport, when referring to the FC protocol, the
spelling of fiber has been replaced with fibre to remove the assumed association with
optical technology
TOPIC 2. Objective
Evolution and Function of Fibre Channel Protocol
Evolution of Fibre Channel
Development of FC began in 1988. The primary design goals included:

Support for multiple physical interface types (copper and fiber-optic cables)
Greater bandwidth than that offered by SCSI
Support for multiple upper-layer software protocols (ULPs) over a common
physical transport layer. Upper-layer protocol support includes SCSI, IP,
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), High-Performance Parallel Interface-Fibre
Protocol (HiPPI-FP), and Single Byte Command Code Set (SBCCS).
Adoption as an industry standard

Fibre Channel Frames

Although FC does not have an integrated command set, it provides a means to encapsulate
other protocols (such as SCSI, or IP) onto the FC carrier.

FC data packets, known as FC frames, encapsulate ULP commands from the appropriate
command set (for example, SCSI commands). FC transports these frames to the correct
destination without processing the encapsulated command (for example, SCSI read, SCSI
write). The destination accepts the command from the frame and acts upon it.
The following diagram illustrates the elements of an FC frame

Key elements of an FC frame are found in the frame header and the payload.

The 24-byte header includes a 24-bit destination address and a 24-bit source
addresses for the frame. The 24-bit addresses can be used to identify up to 16.7
million unique addresses.
The payload of the frame contains the encapsulated ULP command or application
data. The payload can be from 0 to 2048 bytes

Fibre Channel Layers

The FC model is based on the Open System Interconnection (OSI) reference model. The
OSI reference model generically defines layers that are commonly referred to as the stack.
The lowest layer in the stack is the physical hardware layer. The highest layer in the stack is
the application layer (that is, the end-user application running on the computing device).
Intervening layers define how to move data reliably between the physical hardware layer
and the application layer, in either direction.
The FC model is called a stack because, to transfer a data packet from an application
running on one device to an application running on another device, data moves down the
layers on one side, and moves up the layers on the other side. The FC stack includes five
layers.
Click View Demo for more information on each of the FC layers.

Fibre Channel Topologies

FC devices can be connected in a variety of ways. The connection models are known as
topologies. The basic FC topologies are point-to-point, Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop (FCAL), and switched fabric.

The point-to-point topology provides a dedicated connection between two devices.

The FC-AL topology provides shared bandwidth among devices on a loop. Only
two devices can communicate at one time so the devices must "arbitrate" to access
the loop.
The switched fabric topology connects devices through switches

TOPIC 3. Objective

Fibre Channel Organizations and Standards

Telecommunications Industry Association
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) is the leading United States (U.S.)
non-profit trade association serving the communications and information technology
industry, with proven strengths in the following:

Market development
Trade shows
Domestic and international advocacy
Standards development
Enablement of e-business

Through its worldwide activities, the association facilitates business development

opportunities and a competitive market environment. TIA provides a market-focused forum
for its member companies, which manufacture or supply the products and services used in
global
Fibre Channel Organizations and Standards
Storage Networking Industry Association
As the world computer systems market embarks on the evolutionary journey called storage
networking, the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) is the point of cohesion
for:

Developers of storage and networking products

System integrators
Application vendors

Service providers

The SNIA is uniquely committed to delivering architectures, education, and services that
propel storage networking solutions into the broader market. Storage networking represents
the next step of technological evolution for the networking and storage industries. It is an
opportunity to fundamentally improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the storage
resources employed by the Information Technology (IT) community.
http://www.snia.org
Fibre Channel Industry Association
The Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA) is an international organization of:

Manufacturers
Systems integrators
Developers
Systems vendors
Industry professionals
End users

FCIA is committed to delivering a broad base of FC infrastructure to support a wide array

of industry applications within the mass storage and IT-based arenas. FCIA working groups
focus on specific aspects of the technology, which target both vertical and horizontal
markets, including:

Storage
Video
Networking
SAN management

http://www.fibrechannel.org

TOPIC 4. Objective
DAS Storage Model
Definition of DAS
One of the earliest storage models, after mainframe storage, is direct attached storage
(DAS). With DAS, a storage device is directly attached to a dedicated server. DAS devices
provide flexibility in managing and allocating storage to a server. External devices can be
shut down and maintained without necessarily affecting the server to which they are

attached. DAS devices have some intelligence, which allows them to off load some of the
overhead, like managing RAID volumes, from the server.
In the DAS model:

Storage devices are directly attached to dedicated servers.

These storage devices are referred to as direct attached storage devices, also
known as DASD. Access to data is directly controlled by the host.

File systems are not readily available to other hosts unless they are NFS mounted,
thereby providing fairly strong physical data security.
Application, file, and file system data can be made available to clients over
local area and wide area networks by using file access and network
protocols, such as Network File System (NFS) and Common Internet File
System (CIFS).

Click View Example to see an example of a DAS Configuration. Notice the DAS devices
attached directly to the servers.

Limitations of DAS
DAS devices present challenges to the system administrator. New tool sets are required to
manage intelligent DAS boxes. Troubleshooting becomes more complex as the number of

devices increases. When a server uses up the available space within an array, additional
arrays can be added. However, the storage needs can increase beyond the ability of the
server hardware to accommodate the added devices.
DAS has the following limitations:

File systems are not readily available to other hosts unless they are NFS mounted.
For SCSI arrays, only a limited number of disks are supported on the SCSI chain,
thereby limiting the addition of new drives.
For FC arrays, large numbers of disks in the loop contribute to poor performance for
lower priority devices.
Servers have limited slots available, thereby restricting the total number of disks
that can be attached.
Failure of a storage device can require system downtime for repair.

TOPIC 5. Objective
NAS Storage Model
Definition of NAS
A number of storage vendors have improved upon file servers and DAS by introducing
NAS devices. NAS devices plug directly into a network, and are often referred to as NAS
appliances. The term appliance often refers to a computer device that can be plugged into
the network and begin providing services with minimal configuration.
NAS appliances provide a level of flexibility to the system and the storage administrator.
By using network protocols, such as NFS, file systems can be made available to any server
or host attached to the network.

NAS devices can be added or removed from the network without directly impacting
the servers attached to the network.
Storage can be centralized and shared between a number of heterogeneous servers
and desktops.
Storage management requirements are reduced as storage is more centralized.
Backups can be handled efficiently because the storage is clustered in groups.

Characteristics of NAS
NAS appliances incorporate a file server and disk array storage within a single physical
unit. The file server integrated into the NAS appliance, which is generally available as a
LAN attached device, is usually running a cut-down or thin operating system (OS). This OS
is tuned specifically for the purpose of file management and logical volume management.
As with the DAS model, application, file, and file system data are made available to clients
over local area and wide area networks using file access and network protocols, such as
NFS and CIFS. Access to data is limited to LAN speeds, and availability of data is limited
to the availability of the LAN/WAN.
The NAS model:

Is a file-centric model. All transfers must be at the file or record level, rather than at
the block or track level.
Makes a storage array a network addressable device.
Treats NAS devices as modules that can be attached to and removed from the
network with minimum disruption to network activity or other network attached
devices.

One industry trend is to replace several smaller file servers, which use DAS, with one or
more larger NAS appliances. The larger NAS appliances use redundant components, such
as redundant power and logical volume RAID levels.
Click View Example to see a typical NAS model. The figure shows a NAS appliance that
has been used to provide access to all of the clients in the LAN.

Limitations of NAS
The NAS model is limited by network bandwidth issues. Each FC packet contains headers
and trailers that must be managed individually by the LAN. File access protocols such as
NFS lead to additional overhead.
LAN/WAN technology was never designed as a network for the transport of sustained,
sequential, high bandwidth I/O that the current storage environment often demands.

TOPIC 6. Objective
SAN Storage Model

Definition of SAN
A SAN is a dedicated network for the attachment and management of storage devices and
for the movement of data between those storage devices. The storage is accessed through
interconnecting devices called hubs or switches. While most SANs use an FC transport,
other mechanisms, such as iSCSI can also be used.
Storage that is directly attached to a server using fiber optic cables is not a SAN, even when
it uses FC transport. A more complex SAN configuration could include DAS, NAS, and
FC-attached storage devices. The overall environment is known as a SAN.
Some additional definitions:

The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) technical dictionary defines a

SAN as follows:
"A network whose primary purpose is the transfer of data between computer
systems and storage elements and among storage elements. Abbreviated SAN. 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. The term
SAN is usually (but not necessarily) identified with block I/O services rather than
file access services. A storage system consisting of storage elements, storage
devices, computer systems, and/or appliances, plus all control software,
communicating over a network."

In Designing Storage Area Networks, Tom Clark offers the following definition:
"Storage area networks; a network linking servers or workstations to disk arrays,
tape-backup subsystems, and other devices, typically over FC"

Note: Although a SAN storage network is typically implemented by using FC technology,

general definitions of SAN do not mandate the use of FC. For example, an Ethernet
network with the primary (or dedicated) function of providing storage services, could be
considered a SAN. When discussing a SAN that is implemented using FC technology, the
SAN is usually referred to as an FC SAN.
According to the first definition, SANs are generally considered to be device-centric, as
opposed to file-centric. Data is written directly to a device rather than to a file system. This
reduces the overhead and increases efficiency.
Characteristics of a SAN
A SAN:

Is a network dedicated to storage needs that uses serial transport protocols

Is scalable through the addition of new components
Uses pooled storage that can, potentially, be accessed by any host on the SAN
Does not increase traffic on the LAN or WAN

The single most important feature of the SAN model is the replacement of DAS storage
configurations with a dedicated storage network that can share storage resources. This
network makes use of transport protocols that are optimized for data movement and data
access. Storage resources are not directly attached to any one host. All of the benefits and
advantages of a SAN evolve from this one feature.
The most common data transport mechanism used within a SAN is FC. FC is a serial
transport protocol --the physical cabling mechanism uses just two lines, one for data
transmit and one for data receive. This serial transport mechanism replaces the more
traditional SCSI transport, which is a parallel transport mechanism limited by length and
connections.
Click View Example to see an example of the SAN model (sometimes referred to as
networking behind the server).

Advantages of SAN

SANs have the potential to solve many problems encountered in both storage device
management and data management. SANs have the advantage of combining the existing
investment in storage devices as well as incorporating newer storage strategies as they
evolve.

SANs lend themselves to storage consolidation efforts, thereby eliminating poorly

utilized pools of storage.
A SAN is a highly available, redundant network storage infrastructure that seeks to
eliminate single points of failure.
SANs can be used to eliminate distance barriers of other storage models. NAS is
attached to the same LAN/WAN backbone. DAS is attached directly to the server.
Performance can be managed more effectively in a SAN through the use of multiple
routes between the application servers and their data.

Limitations of SAN
The development of the FC SAN has revolutionized the storage industry and greatly
improved the availability and accessibility of data for Enterprise IT resources. It has also
brought new challenges.

Interoperability between hardware vendors is problematic. As a result, many SAN

installations are still single vendor. Organizations like SNIA are working to help
alleviate the management problem and hone the standard to reduce limitations on
interoperability.
Troubleshooting failures in a SAN requires a high level of expertise. SAN
administrators must deal with a wide variety of servers, arrays, and volume
managers in order to properly diagnose and correct errors and performance
concerns.
Management of a SAN introduces additional complexity. Few products exist that
can present a single picture of the SAN and allow all devices to be monitored and
managed. This process typically requires the administrator to be familiar with many
different configuration and management software tools. Organizations like the
Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) and SNIA are working to solve this
industry-wide problem.
Health monitoring tools are needed to predict or notify the administrator of
emerging problems. Many of the underlying metrics to support health monitoring
are still being developed by equipment manufacturers.

Historical Perspective
Storage networks, which used DAS and NAS devices, resulted from the desire to maintain
legacy technologies such as SCSI and to utilize every dollar from the more expensive, older
technologies. Standards and practices changed with the availability of FC technology, but
the computer room hardware did not always change.

The success of FC presented some new problems:

Disk arrays were getting larger, containing hundreds of disks, with lots of data.
Backups were becoming more difficult to accomplish during the nighttime window
due to the surge in storage capacity.
Customers wanted to attach more arrays to servers than the servers were designed to
support (servers have a limited number of slots for interface cards).
Customers wanted to start sharing their large storage arrays among different servers.

The logical solution was to eliminate direct attached storage and share the storage over a
network. The birth of storage area networks (SANs) provided the answer to these demands.
Review Questions - Data Transport Protocols and Storage Models
Congratulations! You have completed this module.
The following review has multiple-choice questions that are designed to both check your
understanding and enhance what you learned, by reinforcing important module concepts.
If you need to review the question topic, click the Review icon available at the top corner of
some question pages. With every response, you should receive feedback in the area at the
bottom of the review question screen.
Click the forward arrow button to begin the review
Which data transport protocol is limited by the number of devices that can be
attached?
SCSI
FC

DAS devices are readily available to other hosts.

True
False

NAS devices can be added to networks without downtime on the application servers.

True
False

A correctly configured SAN improves availability by eliminating single points of

failure.
True
False

Which storage model includes storage directly attached to dedicated servers?

DAS
NAS
SAN

Which storage model is a file centric model?

DAS
NAS
SAN

Which storage model requires a high level of expertise to troubleshoot?

DAS
NAS
SAN

Identify the technology illustrated by this storage topology diagram.

DAS
NAS
SAN

Identify the technology illustrated by this storage topology diagram.

DAS
NAS

SAN

Module
Summary
This module provided an overview of the primary data transport protocols used in data
storage. It also introduced the three primary storage models included in a storage design:
DAS, NAS, and SAN. The main goal of this module was to give you an understanding of
the evolution of the SAN model from earlier storage models.
Now that you have completed this module, you should be able to:

Identify the differences between SCSI and FC protocols

Define the evolution and function of the FC protocol
Describe the functions of the FC standards organizations
Describe the characteristics and limitations of DAS
Describe the characteristics and limitations of NAS
Describe the characteristics and limitations of SANs

Module Introduction

SANs have the potential to solve many problems businesses encounter in both storage
device management and data management. This module covers the business issues
addressed by a SAN.
Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Identify how the return on IT infrastructure investments can be maximized in a

SAN environment
Identify how a SAN supports backup solutions
Identify how a SAN supports business continuity

TOPIC 1. Objective
IT Infrastructure Return on Investment Maximized
Storage Consolidation
Storage consolidation refers to the ability to efficiently use a large pool of storage over
many, possibly heterogeneous, hosts. Industry demand for storage consolidation is
increasing, driven primarily by recent increases in available storage densities.

Storage consolidation is sometimes referred to as storage pooling, which allows the

aggregation of storage resources into a single and logically versatile storage pool.
Management issues which must be considered with storage consolidation include:

Ensuring that storage resources, such as disks and tapes, are only seen by those
server resources that should have access to them
Understanding, controlling, and managing I/O rates that are issued to a single array
that has been consolidated from several DAS arrays

Click View Demo to see how storage can be consolidated

Heterogeneous Connectivity
Heterogeneous connectivity refers to the ability to attach host processors and storage
devices from several different vendors to the same SAN. For example, several different
OS's (such as, Solaris OS, AIX, Microsoft Windows NT) can potentially share the same
storage array.
When different OS's share the same storage array, it is very important to manage data
access so that different hosts do not have access to the data owned by the other hosts.
Zoning is one technique that can be used to manage the isolation of heterogeneous hosts.
Click View Demo to see how zoning can be used to manage data access across
heterogeneous hosts.

Data Sharing
Data sharing refers to the access to a single shared data set by multiple hosts. Although the
concept of data sharing might seem straightforward at first, it is a complex subject.
In the case of heterogeneous hosts sharing the same data set, imagine the potential technical
complexity of translating data formats between different flavors of OS's. Although it is
generally more straightforward for homogenous hosts to share the same data set, this
process can still be problematic and therefore needs to be carefully designed and managed.
It might seem straightforward to allow two homogenous hosts to access a single shared data
set, with one host having read/write access, and the other host having read-only access.
However, most file systems use some form of caching to improve performance. Writes,

issued from the host with read/write access, modify file system data that might be cached in
memory. This cached data is not be visible to the host that has read-only access.
Even if you use techniques to bypass the file system buffer cache, metadata is still cached.
Metadata refers to data about data, in other words, data relating to file system structure,
such as file sizes, access times, modification times, and so on. To share file systems
between homogenous hosts, it is necessary to manage data access
Massive Scalability
The implementation of a SAN reduces the limitations imposed by the number of slots in the
servers and the number of interconnect devices. This process results in a more scalable
architecture. You can increase storage without adding servers. If you take this concept to its
extreme, you can imagine one server that can access any storage device in the SAN.
Although SANs do support massive scalability, you still need to understand and manage
multiple connections from servers to the SAN for reasons of redundancy, performance, and
maintenance.
Click View Demo to see how storage can be scaled in a SAN.

TOPIC 2. Objective
SAN Support of Backup Solutions
LAN-Free Backup
LAN-free backup is sometimes referred to as LAN-less backup. The single most important
feature of the SAN model is the replacement of dedicated DAS storage, and dedicated file
servers, with a dedicated storage network. This storage network has transport protocols
optimized for data movement and data access and storage resources not directly attached to
any one host.

The benefits of the LAN-free backup come from the fact that the SAN does not use LAN
resources for the transport of backup data. Instead, you use the dedicated storage network.
The use of a dedicated storage network eliminates the limitations of the more traditional
model, in which tape devices are directly attached to individual server resources. In the
traditional model, backup operations are limited to server-attached tapes or transport of
backup data over the LAN or WAN.
The traditional model also drives the need to perform backups during quiet periods of LAN
activity (for example, 1 A.M. to 5 A.M.). This available backup window might not be wide
enough to perform full or even incremental backups. The contention between the preferred
backup window and the time needed for the backup process is removed to a great extent in
a SAN model.
Click View Image to see an illustration of a LAN-free backup configuration

Server-Free Backup
Server-free backup is sometimes referred to as server-less backup. This term can be
somewhat confusing because backups must, essentially, involve a server at some point. The
server-free backup uses a backup data mover that is able to copy data directly from storage
device to storage device. This data mover can typically reside on Fibre Channel switches or
Fibre Channel-to-SCSI bridges.

The backup data mover is a processing system that recognizes file, file system, application
data semantics, and backup policies. For example, on Friday evenings you backup all files
which have been modified in the last 24 hours, and on Saturday mornings you perform a
full backup.
You still require a backup server to identify what data files or blocks need to be archived.
This backup server provides the list of blocks to the data mover. The data mover copies
data blocks directly from disk storage to the backup tape device. The backup data is not
processed through the I/O stack of a host or backup server.
Click View Demo to see how data can be backed up without going through a server

TOPIC 3. Objective
SAN Support of Business Continuity
Configurations Over Extended Distances
Some regulatory agencies require their constituents, such as banks and stock exchanges, to
implement business continuity plans that include remote data sites and remote mirroring of
data flow to ensure no loss of service. Many other companies do so for their own
protection. Keeping copies of data at sites that are remote from servers and from each other
is important for:

Disaster recovery - Ability to reconstruct the data over an acceptable time interval
during which the business cannot conduct its affairs.

Business continuity - Ability to continue to operate after an outage occurs by

switching processing sites quickly and efficiently, making the operation of the
business appear seamless in spite of the outage.

A configuration over an extended distance, known as a campus or a short-haul metropolitan

distance, is generally several kilometers and is enabled in the FC world. The technical
challenges that FC vendors address in such configurations include:

Signal integrity over extended distance

Signal latency over extended distance
Troubleshooting communication problems over extended distance

The use of FC technology, optical fiber cable, and the very coherent property of a laser light
source enables engineers to maintain signal integrity over extended distance.
Click View Image to see an illustration of an extended distance configuration. This
configuration supports disaster recovery, but not business continuity.

Server Clustering for High Availability

The SAN model implements a network topology for storage. This model enables the highly
available configurations that are so characteristic of networking technology.
Vendors of FC disks implement dual-ported drives. These drives have two interfaces
through which you can read and write data. If one interface fails, you should still be able to
access the data through the remaining interface. This process illustrates the redundant
connections through the dual-ported drive interfaces.
Although there is no physical single point of failure in this configuration, it still needs to be
carefully managed through a software framework, such as Sun Cluster hardware and
software. Such frameworks:

Implement logical volume RAID levels on the storage

Manage multiple TCP/IP network interfaces for client connections to the servers
Automatically move logical data volumes from the control of a host that might have
a hardware fault, to the control of a healthy host.

Click View Demo to see an example of a generic high availability configuration. This
demonstration shows redundant servers, switches, and cable connections to dual-ported
storage. There should be no single point of failure in such a configuration.

Review Questions - Business Issues Addressed by a SAN

Congratulations! You have completed this module.
The following review has multiple-choice questions that are designed to both check your
understanding and enhance what you learned, by reinforcing important module concepts.
If you need to review the question topic, click the Review icon available at the top corner of
some question pages. With every response, you should receive feedback in the area at the
bottom of the review question screen.
Storage consolidation refer to grouping arrays together into pools of storage that can
be centrally managed?
True
False

A SAN can support only a single OS across the servers attached to it.
True
False

When a server is attached to a SAN, only one storage device can be accessed through
that server.

True
False

Which of the following business functions can a SAN support?

Disaster recovery
Business continuance
Reduced Voice Costs

Module
Summary
The return on investment in IT infrastructure can be maximized in a SAN environment by
using storage consolidation, heterogeneous connectivity, data sharing, and massive
scalability.
SAN supports backup solutions in the areas of LAN-free backups and server-free backups.
Business requirements drive the requirement for the support of backup and recovery
strategies in the SAN environment.
Business continuity has been a driving force in the incorporation of configurations over
extended distances. The clustering of servers for high availability in recent years has
brought key technical components into the SAN environment.
Now that you have completed this module, you should be able to:

Identify how the return on IT infrastructure investments can be maximized in a

SAN environment
Identify how a SAN supports backup solutions
Identify how a SAN supports business continuity

Multipathing
The SAN supports multipathing for fast, redundant access to critical data located on high
capacity arrays. This module defines multipathing and identifies the business needs
supported by multipathing. It also describes the features and technical benefits of
multipathing.
Upon completion of this module, you should be able to define multipathing and identify its
features and technical benefits.
TOPIC 1. Objective
Features and Technical Benefits of Multipathing
Need for Redundant Paths
Redundant paths to components reduce the possibility of data loss or lack of data access. In
the event of a single component failure, system administrators can perform maintenance

services with the OS running and the data accessible by the remaining active paths. This
can prevent system downtime, which improves availability.
Click View Demo to see an example of how multipathing improves availability

Features of Multipathing
With multipathing, you can attach a dual-ported DAS device to multiple ports on a server.
Multipathing is an improvement over SCSI-attached devices in the FC environment. This
improvement is due to the multipathed FC environment's ability to:

Provide a fail over or redundant path to the DAS device to overcome potential
hardware failures.

Improve performance and throughput by using dual active paths to the DAS device.
Seamlessly integrate into the OS and driver stack. This process allows automatic
fail over and path selection to occur without having to modify the applications that
use the DAS resources

Benefits of Multipathing
Multipathing supports high availability and concurrent maintenance to improve system
performance. By having multiple paths connected directly to a single array, individual
component failures do not prevent access to critical data.
You can also use redundant paths to gain greater throughput to an array. The ability to
spread I/O transactions over more than one path means that the data can be delivered more
effectively to the array. This results in greatly improved application and system
performance, allowing IT managers to meet increasing numbers of Service Level
Agreements (SLAs) with their customers.
Load balancing can also be impacted by the ability to access a disk array over two paths at
the same time. You can have two transactions in progress at the same time if you have two
paths.
Click View Demo to see an example of how multipathing can balance loads at the server.

Review Questions Multipathing

Congratulations! You have completed this module.
The following review has multiple-choice questions that are designed to both check your
understanding and enhance what you learned, by reinforcing important module concepts.
If you need to review the question topic, click the Review icon available at the top corner of
some question pages. With every response, you should receive feedback in the area at the
bottom of the review question screen
Review Question
Multipathing reduces the impact of single component failures.
True

False

Multipathing can improve performance through load balancing.

True
False

All storage devices support multipathing.

True
False

Multipathing is supported in a SAN.

True
False

Module
Summary
When a SAN is multipathed, the multiple paths to an array increase the availability of that
array. In the event of the failure of one of the redundant paths to a device, the device is still
available through the other path or paths. Multipathing also supports concurrent
maintenance because there is still an open path to the device. Multipathing provides the
added benefit of balancing loads to improve performance.
Now that you have completed this module, you should be able to define multipathing and
identify its features and technical benefits

Course
Summary
This course provided you with the fundamental knowledge to begin understanding the
evolution of the storage models found in a SAN environment.
You were introduced to different storage models and their key features, benefits, and
limitations. You were also shown the business issues addressed by a SAN. You were given
an overview of the features and functionality you can expect from a multipathed SAN.
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WE-2032: Storage Area Network (SAN) Components

Module 1: SAN Server Hardware and Software

Module 2: SAN Storage
Module 3: Switches and Hubs
Module 4: Other Interconnect Devices
Module 5: Port Types
Module 6: Exercises
Course Summary

Module 1: SAN Server Hardware and Software

This module contains the following topics. Use the course menus button to view the course
table of contents

Module Introduction
Topic 1: Typical SAN Components
Topic 2: SAN Servers
Topic 3: SAN Device Firmware and Drivers
Topic 4: Device Drivers
Topic 5: Multipathing and the Leadville Driver
Review Questions
Module Summary

Module Intraduction
This module introduces the primary hardware and software components that are
implemented in a SAN environment. It also provides detailed information on server
hardware and software.
Upon the completion of this module, you should be able to:

Identify the components of a typical SAN

Define the role of servers in a SAN
Define the role of device firmware in a SAN
Define the role of device drivers in a SAN
Define the role of the Leadville driver to support multipathing

TOPIC 1. Objective

Typical SAN Components

Key Features of the Fibre Channel (FC) SAN
Some of the key features of a Fibre Channel (FC) SAN include:

Dedicated FC serial storage network (replacing the legacy parallel Small Computer
Systems Interface (SCSI)).
New FC components, that is, FC switches and FC-to-SCSI bridges.
Replacement of dedicated DAS storage and dedicated file servers with a storage
pool that can, potentially, be accessed by any host on the SAN.
No reliance on traditional LAN/WAN protocols for the movement of data.

The most common data transport protocol within a SAN is FC. FC is a serial transport
protocol. The physical cabling mechanism uses just two lines, one for data transmit and one
for data receive. This serial transport mechanism replaces the more traditional SCSI
transport, which is a parallel transport.

Typical SAN Components

Components in SAN Environments
SAN environments include a mixture of hardware and software components. These
components are implemented to meet a common goal. That goal is to access the needed
resources in a timely manner. The core component of an FC SAN is the FC switch, as
shown in the following diagram

Hardware Components
typical FC SAN can include any of the hardware components in the following list.

Servers:
o File servers
o Database servers
o Backup servers
o Application servers
Storage devices:
o RAID controller disk arrays, or hardware RAID arrays
o Simple disk arrays
o Tape libraries
o Legacy SCSI devices
Interconnect hardware:
o FC hubs
o FC switches, also called fabric switches
o FC host bus adapters (HBAs)
o FC cables
o Gigabit interface converters (GBICs), gigabit link modules (GLMs), and
media interface adapters (MIAs)
o FC-to-SCSI bridges

Software Components
A typical FC SAN can include any of the software components in the following list.

Device drivers and device firmware

SAN and storage management software:
o SAN management software
o Switch management software
o Device and data management software
o Diagnostic/troubleshooting software

Click View Example to see an illustration of software components

Data Servers
A data server in a SAN environment is a computer accessed through the LAN, by a LAN
client, that has access to storage on the SAN.
Data servers in a SAN environment perform the same function as data servers in a legacy
LAN/DAS environment, that is, they are the systems that issue I/O requests to read data
from, and write data to, storage devices. Examples of servers in a SAN include, file servers,
database servers, application servers, and backup servers.
Click View Example to see an example of a data server in a SAN

TOPIC 2. Objective

SAN Servers
Servers in a SAN Environment
In a SAN environment, just as in legacy network environments, servers still have the role of
initiating the I/O for networking applications. As a result, servers and their capabilities are

integral to SAN design. Although a few server models offer on-board FC connectivity, most
servers still require at least one Host Bus Adapter (HBA) for FC access
Server Operating Systems
There are numerous server class operating systems that can facilitate a SAN through a
compatible server with FC access. Some of thes include the following:

SolarisTM Operating System (Solaris OS)

HP-UX
Linux
AIX
Microsoft Windows NT, 2000, and XP

These operating systems (OS's) can manage several terabytes of FC storage and support the
FC products of multiple storage vendors.
HP-UX, AIX, and the Solaris OS are all based on the AT&T System V version of the UNIX
operating system and afford true multiuser multithreaded operation in a multi-CPU
environment. Many other operating systems are rooted from single-user multitasking
architectures, which cannot exploit the full bandwidth capabilities of the FC.
Click View Example to see an example of heterogeneous servers in a SAN

Mixed Operating Systems

You must be careful when adding Microsoft NT servers to an existing SAN. The NT
servers should not have access to arrays used by other systems. The NT server
automatically detects all storage arrays in the SAN and checks to see if they are owned by
another NT server by looking for a Common Internet File System (CIFS) entry on the
mounted volume. If none is discovered, the NT server writes one. The result of this action
is the corruption of any existing UNIX volume. To ensure that the NT does not corrupt nonNT fabric arrays, those LUNs must be mapped out (masked) or defined in a separate zone.
Although each previously mentioned OS has individual strengths and weaknesses, each
shares common requirements for FC-based storage. Each OS requires specific HBAs or FC
controller chips on the motherboard with the appropriate firmware and drivers to
communicate to the FC devices. The OS's could require configuration file modifications to
handle the FC disks.

Click View Example to see how zones can be used to isolate arrays for Windows and
Solaris OS's.

TOPIC 3. Objective

SAN Device Firmware and Drivers

Device Firmware in a SAN
The role of device firmware and drivers in a SAN is a role similar to that in other storage
solutions. Device firmware and drivers are the communications connection between
hardware devices and the software.
HBAs, storage devices, switches, hubs, and bridges all require firmware to allow the
software to communicate with the hardware. Device firmware is usually provided by the
vendor that provided the hardware device.
The device firmware for a SAN has a similar functionality to that of other storage models.
Device firmware versions determines the level of functionality and support for a device
within a SAN. It is important to keep like products at similar firmware levels to allow for
specific features, trouble shooting and possibly performance considerations. Not all

possible combinations of component firmware may be supported. Device firmware levels

for different vendor products must also be compatible.
Click View Example to see an illustration of the locations of device firmware in a SAN.

Device Firmware
Device firmware represents low-level software code that is I/O controller (that is,
hardware) specific. Device firmware is executed on the I/O controller. It is written and
optimized for the particular hardware circuitry implemented on the controller. Device
firmware controls the fundamental operations of the I/O controller, including power-onself-test (POST), transmission and reception of signals, and error detection.
When a new HBA is installed into a host server, you must manage the following tasks:

Ensure that the correct device driver kernel module is installed on the operating
system, and is successfully loaded at boot time.
Check, and upgrade if necessary, the firmware version of the HBA.
Ensure that the HBA is maintained correctly when subsequent firmware versions are
released by the HBA vendor

Devices That May Include Firmware

Device firmware runs on the following, to name a few, devices:

SCSI HBAs
FC HBAs
Sun StorEdgeTM A5x00 interface boards
Sun StorEdge A3x00 RAID controllers
Sun StorEdge T3 array RAID controllers
FC disk drives
FC switches

TOPIC 4. Objective

Device Drivers
Device Drivers in a SAN

You need device drivers to communicate with storage devices and HBAs. Device drivers
are the bridge between the device-specific hardware and firmware and the Upper Layer
Protocols (ULPs). Device drivers dictate what a device does with requests that come
through the firmware.
Device drivers are usually provided by the vendor that manufactures the hardware
component--an HBA for example. Sun provides a unique driver stack for its FC HBAs.
Other vendors, such as JNI, provide a different driver for use with their HBAs, even though
both may be used in a Solaris OS server
Operating System Device Drivers
OS device drivers are software components that are generally loaded into host kernel
memory during system boot/startup. On the UNIX operating system, device drivers are
usually written in the C programming language and compiled into the binary code
appropriate to the host CPU instruction set.
Device drivers direct and manage I/O requests (such as, read, write, inquiry, and status) that
are issued to host bus adapters and I/O controllers. Device drivers are host resident software
modules, because they run in host kernel memory.
Driver Stacks
Driver stacks represent the various functions and data flows that are performed by elements
of the I/O subsystem. Driver stacks are provided by the manufacturer of the HBA (native)
or by the manufacturer of the OS that is running on the server (OS dependent).
The HBA manufacturer writes native driver stacks and ports them to various operating
systems to support specific requirements that may be unique to that manufacturer or may be
missing in the host based OS. Native driver stacks are associated with a specific
manufacturer's HBA and are maintained and supported by that company. Many UNIXbased OS's support native driver stacks from various vendors. Native driver stacks support
specific HBAs.
The manufacturer typically writes OS-specific driver stacks for the OS that is resident on
the server. The stacks have typically been optimized to provide kernel -level integration,
with the vendor's other services, to improve the manageability and performance of the
server. OS-specific stacks support specific servers.

TOPIC 5. Objective

Multipathing and the Leadville Driver

Leadville Driver
In the Solaris OS, the SAN Foundation Software (SFS), commonly known as the Leadville
driver, is available as of Solaris 8 OS 4/01 and later releases. Leadville has been written to
support several Solaris OS functions, including Sun StorEdge Traffic Manager (SSTM) and
Dynamic Reconfiguration (DR). Leadville uses the supported Fibre Channel HBAs from
Sun, such as the Sun StorEdge 2-gigabit (GB) PCI Fibre Channel Network Adapter.
The following diagram illustrates the role of the Leadville driver

Resolving Limitations of the Operating System

Historically, many OS's did not have a means to recognize that the same storage array could
be seen down multiple physical paths. In the SCSI realm there were many efforts to handle
multi-initiators (multiple HBAs). Implementation proved to be quite problematic and was
typically proprietary.
With the advent of FC, arrays can now uniquely identify themselves through the FC
protocol. New features added to the OS allow these unique identifiers to be recognized and
resolved back to a single array. There can be a single virtual path to the applications, even
though there are multiple physical paths.
Sun StorEdge Traffic Manager (SSTM)
Sun StorEdge Traffic Manager (SSTM), from Sun Microsystems, allows the OS to resolve
multiple names for the same device. (This product was formally named MPxIO.) It
supports multiple paths to the device without conflict.
SSTM is available with the Solaris OS 8 4/01 and higher. It is also available for other OS's.
SSTM provides kernel-level multipathing components to ensure compatibility and minimal
overhead. SSTM uses the Leadville driver stack to support multipathing in an FC
environment. Currently, SSTM supports two physical paths to an array. Both links can load
balance the traffic for the array.
How and Why Businesses Use Multipathing

Multipathing allows fast, redundant access to critical data located on high capacity storage
arrays that use FC technology. To support multiple paths, many OS's were modified to
allow the storage array to appear as a single entity. In some cases, drivers and kernel
updates were required. In others, storage or HBA vendors provided specific software tools
to enable multipathing.
Volume manager products provide multipathing as a layer on top of the OS. Multipathing is
turned on by default and handles multipathing only for file systems under the control of the
Volume Manager product. The paths may be active/active, where both links to the array are
used to load balance traffic using a round robin methodology. The paths may also be
active/passive, where the active path is always used unless there is a failure. Then a switchover to the passive or standby path is required to maintain access to the array. Volume
Manager multipathing components are a kernel-level tool. Veritas Volume Manger is
compatible with Sun's SSTM and is supported on several disk arrays and OS's.
Multipathing in a SAN introduces additional opportunities for redundant paths and
components, eliminating single points of failure. As multipathing products mature,
additional path choices will be available to administrators.
Troubleshooting a fabric-based multipath environment introduces its own challenges.
Diagnostic tool sets must be able to discern the route within the fabric that a given set of
components use to access stored data. This presents a challenge as SAN environments
continue to grow.

Review Questions - SAN Server Hardware and Software

Congratulations! You have completed this module
The following review has multiple-choice questions that are designed to both check your
understanding and enhance what you learned, by reinforcing important module concepts.
If you need to review the question topic, click the Review icon available at the top corner of
some question pages. With every response, you should receive feedback in the area at the
bottom of the review question screen.
Click the forward arrow button to begin the review

Review Question
What is a key element of an FC SAN?
LAN/WAN
FC Switch

Parallel SCSI

What is the primary role of a data server in a SAN?

Support for legacy applications
Initiating I/O for networked applications.
SAN management

Which components require firmware to allow the software to communicate to the

hardware?
HBAs
Storage Devices
Switches
Bridges

What is the function of STMS?

Monitors system performance.
Allows the server to communicate with storage devices and HBAs.
Allows the OS to resolve multiple names for the same path.

Module
Summary
This module introduced you to the primary hardware and software components in a SAN. It
also provided more information on device firmware and drivers.
Now that you have completed this module, you should be able to:

Identify the components of a typical SAN

Define the role of servers in a SAN

Define the role of device firmware in a SAN
Define the role of device drivers in a SAN
Define the role of the Leadville driver to support multipathing

Module 2: Business Issues Addressed by a SAN

This module contains the following topics. Use the course menus button to view the course
table of contents.
-

Module Introduction
Topic 1: IT Infrastructure Return on Investment Maximized
Topic 2: SAN Support of Backup Solutions
Topic 3: SAN Support of Business Continuity
Review Questions
Module Summary

Module Introduction
SANs have the potential to solve many problems businesses encounter in both storage
device management and data management. This module covers the business issues
addressed by a SAN.
Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Identify how the return on IT infrastructure investments can be maximized in a

SAN environment
Identify how a SAN supports backup solutions
Identify how a SAN supports business continuity

Topic 1: IT Infrastructure Return on Investment Maximized

Storage Consolidation
Storage consolidation refers to the ability to efficiently use a large pool of storage over
many, possibly heterogeneous, hosts. Industry demand for storage consolidation is
increasing, driven primarily by recent increases in available storage densities.

Storage consolidation is sometimes referred to as storage pooling, which allows the

aggregation of storage resources into a single and logically versatile storage pool.
Management issues which must be considered with storage consolidation include:

Ensuring that storage resources, such as disks and tapes, are only seen by those
server resources that should have access to them
Understanding, controlling, and managing I/O rates that are issued to a single array
that has been consolidated from several DAS arrays