What is a storage area network and why might you use one?

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.

What is the purpose of network attached storage devices?

Network-attached storage (NAS) is dedicated file storage that enables multiple users and heterogeneous client devices to retrieve data from centralized disk capacity. Users on a local area network (LAN) access the shared storage via a standard Ethernet connection.

Who uses storage area network?

Simply stated, a SAN is a network of disks that is accessed by a network of servers. There are several popular uses for SANs in enterprise computing. A SAN is typically employed to consolidate storage. For example, it’s common for a computer system, such as a server, to include one or more local storage devices.

What does a storage area network used to identify units of storage?

A Logical Unit Number is a logical unit that of storage that points out where things are. If it was used in a Storage Area Network, it would give the data a number so when the storage area would like to access it the LUNS can find its logical number to give to the storage area networks.

What is the purpose of network-attached storage devices external and removable hard disks?

Usually, with hard disk drives, the primary function of a NAS device is to store your files. The most popular NAS devices for home office, small business, or enterprise workgroup contain two to five hard drives.

Which type of virtualization do storage area networks typically use?

Network-based storage virtualization is the most common form used in enterprises today. A network device, such as a smart switch or purpose-built server, connects to all storage devices in an FC or iSCSI SAN and presents the storage in the storage network as a single, virtual pool.

Should I use a SAN or NAS?

SANs are the higher performers for environments that need high-speed traffic such as high transaction databases and ecommerce websites. NAS generally has lower throughput and higher latency because of its slower file system layer, but high-speed networks can make up for performance losses within NAS.

How does the use of a storage area network SAN differ from the use of a network attached storage NAS device?

How is NAS different than a SAN? SAN and network-attached storage (NAS) are both network-based storage solutions. A SAN typically uses Fibre Channel connectivity, while NAS typically ties into to the network through a standard Ethernet connection. A SAN stores data at the block level, while NAS accesses data as files.