Chapter 1. Overview of Storage Networking

Upon completing this chapter, you will be able to:

• Recount some of the key historical events and current business drivers in the storage market

• Recognize the key characteristics and major benefits of each type of storage network

• Distinguish between file-level and block-level protocols

• Explain the principal differences between mainframe and open systems storage networking

• Describe the basic differences between Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH), coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM)/dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM), and resilient packet ring (RPR)/802.17

• Recognize each storage virtualization model

• Describe how the technologies discussed in this chapter relate to one another

• Locate additional information on the major topics of this chapter

This chapter provides an overview of the storage networking landscape. Although this chapter discusses many of the technologies and devices that compose storage networks, many others are omitted for the sake of brevity. The discussion of each topic enlightens rather than educates, because you should have some experience with storage and networks. The goal of this chapter is to provide a context for the discussions that follow in subsequent chapters.

Pervasive use of computer and communication technologies characterizes the modern business environment. Corporations increasingly depend on such technologies to remain competitive in the global economy. Customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), and electronic mail are just a few of the many applications that generate new data every day. If a business is to survive, it must effectively store, manage, and access all data. This is one of the primary business challenges in the information age, and storage networking is a crucial component of the solution.