SANs Demystified

NO-HYPE SANs

With plain words but impressive authority, storage area network (SAN) consultant Denise Colon explains how SANs use fibre channel to store vast amounts of data, move it at lightning speed, scale to meet accelerating growth, and offer unprecedented reliability. Her SANs Demystified then gives you the tools to build, configure, and manage your own SAN without mishaps.

YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK IF—

* People look to you for answers on networks, systems administration, or data management

* How a SAN fits with your system--practically and technically--is need-to-know info

* Evaluating, implementing, configuring, or managing SANs may be in your future

* You want a solutions kit for SAN issues from buildout to backup

* Impartial comparisons of off-the-shelf SANs could save your company money

* Right answers on recovery and disaster avoidance are more than a pass/fail issue to you

* You need to be knowledgeable on the next steps for networks

* Your job involves network training, security, administration, management, assessment, implementation, or configuration

* Your business is growing globally—or you want it to

Faster than a speeding bullet, capable of storing and moving massive quantities of data, reliable and scalable, SANs are in the future of many networks—and this is the book that brings the future home.

Contents           

    Chapter 1: Understanding Storage Area Networks
     What is a SAN?
     Who Needs a SAN?
     What Should Every Good SAN Do?
     Designing a SAN
     The Preferred Technology That Powers a SAN
    Chapter 2: Understanding How a SAN Works
     The Basics
     How Fibre Channel Works
     Protocol Basics to SAN Services
     Fibre Channel Topologies
     Fibre Channel Architectures by Design
     Other Emerging Technologies
    Chapter 3: SAN Setup
     Combining Switch Access and Shared Media
     Managing a SAN
     Common SAN Terminology and Organizations
     Understanding the Difference Between NAS and SAN
    Chapter 4: Configuring SANs: Dos and Donts
     Configuring From Existing Legacy Systems
     SAN Configuration
     Return on Investments
     Interoperability Issues
     SAN Gateways
     Project Management
     Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs)
     Wide Area Networks (WANs)
     Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
    Chapter 5: Fibre Channel
     Fibre Channel Overview
     Concepts and Terminology
     Fibre Channel Architecture
     Ports
     Fibre Channel Service Classes
     Fibre Channel Topologies
     More Concepts and Terminology
     Transmission Hierarchy
    Chapter 6: Case Studies
     SAN Implementation Saves Money and Boosts Network
     R&B Group Adds Redundancy and Speed
     Forest Products Manufacturer Takes Control of its Storage
     Two Risk-Averse Users Tread Cautiously During SAN Development
     Law Firm Backs Up Data to EVaults
     Global Provider Relies on Flexible Storage
     Data Restoration Package One-Ups Lovebug and Anna Kournikova
     Euroconex Turns to MTI for High-Availability Data Storage
     What $100 Trillion in the Balance, DTCC Plays it Close to the Vest
     SAN-Bound A. B. Watley on Migration Path with Sun StorEdge T3 Arrays
     New SNIA Technology Center Opened for Interoperability Testing
    Glossary
    Appendix A: Quick Reference Card
    Index