Where to Start with a SAN

What is the minimum investment you can make to create a SAN? All SANs have three common elements:

• Storage servers File servers, NAS, or intelligent arrays

• Connection device Switches, hubs, and so on

• Transport media Fibre Channel, Ethernet, and so on

If you simplify it to just those items, they can form the basis of a nascent SAN. Indeed, it is possible to buy products such as QLogic's SAN-in-a-Box, which is currently packaged under the name SAN Connectivity Kit (see Figure 12.2). The 2GB SAN Connectivity Kit 3000 (see www.qlogic.com/simplify/sck3000.asp) bundles the following:

• An 8-port SANbox 5200 switch

• SANblade 2340 HBAs (with optical interface)

• Four LC 5M fiber-optic cables

• A portfolio of HBA and switch software managers and device APIs

Figure 12.2. QLogic's SAN Connectivity Kit 3000 is the successor to a product called SAN-in-a-Box.

Mix in your own storage server with the QLogic kit, and you have all the ingredients needed to create a small fabric SAN at an attractive price. QLogic bundles this package with instructions that allow an IT professional, even one unfamiliar with these technologies, an easy entry into this technology.