14.6 Chapter Summary

Integration of SANs into Mainstream Networking

• The historical trend of information technologies is toward widespread deployment, greater functionality, and lower total cost.

• The core value of SANs is reemerging on the basis of affordable and supportable mainstream technologies.

• The integration of SANs into mainstream networking fosters diversity in products to provide differentiation between vendor offerings.

Ubiquity of Shared Storage

• The proliferation of SAN technology results in ubiquitous storage access.

• Compaq's Enterprise Network Storage Architecture (ENSA) first defined the storage utility model.

• A storage utility is a single storage repository of global extent that leverages open standards to provide any-to-any connectivity between servers and storage.

• Ubiquitous access to storage requires security mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access.

Virtualization

• Ubiquitous access does not guarantee that access will be used.

• Storage virtualization complements and enhances common storage access.

• Virtualization intelligence should be undetectable.

• Standardization of virtualization technology accelerates adoption and deployment.

Human Factors

• The combination of storage and networking has spawned new architectures, concepts, and vocabulary.

• Enterprise networks typically do not have staff dedicated to storage administration.

• Training and certification should include high-level SAN concepts and design.

• To leverage the benefits and economy of SANs, customers must invest in upgrading the skillsets of storage and networking staff.

Contributing Technologies

• InfiniBand will integrate with storage networking via target channel adapter (TCA) bridges.

• 10Gbps Ethernet enables high-performance iSCSI storage arrays supporting hundreds of initiators simultaneously.

• ATA disk technology and new solid state storage will impact SAN storage at both the low and the high ends of the market.

• New technologies make the SAN landscape more complex but offer additional options and benefits to customers.