Summary

This chapter presents a high-level view of storage networking technologies and select related technologies. We provide insight to the history of storage to elucidate the current business drivers in storage networking. Several types of storage networking technologies are discussed, including open systems file-level, block-level, and backup protocols, and mainframe block-level protocols. We also provide a cursory introduction to the mainstream optical technologies to familiarize you with the long-distance storage connectivity options. We introduce storage virtualization, and briefly compare the various models. Figure 1-11 depicts some of the technologies discussed in this chapter as they relate to each other.

Figure 1-11. High Level View of Storage Networking

You can find more information on the topics discussed in this chapter and other related topics in standards documents such as IETF RFCs, ANSI T10 and T11 specifications, ITU G series recommendations, and IEEE 802 series specifications. Appendix A lists the specifications most relevant to the topics covered in this book. The websites of industry consortiums and product vendors also contain a wealth of valuable information. Also, the Cisco Systems website contains myriad business and technical documents covering storage technologies, networking technologies, and Cisco's products in a variety of formats including white papers, design guides, and case studies. Last, the Cisco Press storage networking series of books provides comprehensive, in-depth coverage of storage networking topics for readers of all backgrounds.

The subsequent chapters of this book explore select block-oriented, open-systems technologies. The book uses a comparative approach to draw parallels between the technologies. This allows each reader to leverage personal experience with any of the technologies to more readily understand the other technologies. The OSI reference model is used to facilitate this comparative approach.