What is SAN? Type of SAN. Advantages & Disadvantages of SAN.

What is SAN?

SAN is well-known as Storage Area Network and is a block-level storage solution for multiple servers. 

A SAN consists of several storage devices connected to each other and to servers usually via a high-speed network. 

One positive point of a SAN is its speed. 

Because it provides block-level storage it can be used for applications that require high performance and low latency such as databases or virtual machines. 

Because SANs are designed to be shared between multiple servers they can also use storage resources more efficiently than local storage. 

However SANs can be complex to configure and manage and require specialized knowledge to implement and maintain. 

Additionally SANs are typically more expensive than other storage solutions so they may not be the best option for small businesses or home users.

Advantages of SAN:-

1. High performance: SAN solutions offer high processing and storage capabilities that are ideal for large enterprises and virtualized environments.

2. Scalable: SAN solutions can be easily scaled to accommodate growing storage needs.

3. Redundancy: SAN solutions typically offer redundancy and data protection features that can protect against data loss in case of hardware failures.

Disadvantages of SAN:-

1. Complex to set up: SAN solutions are complex to set up and require dedicated storage administrators to manage and maintain the system.

2. Expensive: SAN solutions are more expensive than NAS solutions, which may make them cost-prohibitive for small businesses or home users.

3. Limited flexibility: SAN solutions may not be as flexible as NAS solutions in terms of adding new features or integrating with other systems.

Common Types of SAN:

1. Fibre Channel SAN: It is a very high-speed storage network technology. 

Fibre Channel switches, host bus adapters (HBAs), and storage arrays are the main components for the reliability of data & better performance.

2. iSCSI SAN: Internet Small Computer System Interface - iSCSI is a protocol. It can be accessed over the IP network. It uses Ethernet switches, network adapters, and storage arrays which allows giving cheaper solutions and helps to extend at any time.

3. FCoE SAN: Fibre Channel over Ethernet - FCoE is also a protocol.

Fibre Channel storage arrays, Ethernet switches, and Converged Network Adapters(CNAs) are used for giving cheaper solutions and better performance. 

4. InfiniBand SAN: A high-performance and high-speed network technology is provided by InfiniBand. Adapters, InfiniBand switches, and storage arrays are used for reliable and better performance.

5. Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI): One of the SAN architectures is HCI. Storage, compute, and networking resources are clubbed in a single integrated system in HCL. 

virtualization software, commodity servers, and local storage are the main components of HCI systems which make it a cheaper & scalable solution.