Traditional SAN is based on Fiber Channel Framework for which IP-SAN is an
alternative. IP-SAN is usually over
Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and it represents a new generation of networked storage.
It is a combination of the best attributes of Fiber-Channel SANs (FC-SAN) as
well as NAS. These include functionality and scalability, ease-of-deployment and
ease-of-use. IP-SAN provides virtually all the competence of Fiber-Channel SAN
and NAS devices combined at a lower cost.
IP-SANs are highly scalable and easily manageable. It can run on the existing
GbE network infrastructures, but for security and performance purposes, it is
advisable to implement it as a separate network. IP-SAN offers RAID striping and
mirroring, dynamic storage allocation, snap-shots, and replication, which enable
enterprises to cut costs and increase usefulness.
| One
Over Another |
| FC
SAN |
IP-SAN |
| Works
on Fibre Channel link and uses FCP |
Works
over TCP/IP and uses iSCSI over Gigabit Ethernet |
| Expensive
implementation, deployment, and maintenance |
Much
lower implementation, deployment, and maintenance costs than FC SANs |
| Operates
on a dedicated FC network |
Can
work on internal LAN, but it is recommended that dedicated LAN is
deployed. |
| It
is a proprietary technology and interoperability issues
might arise |
Its
proprietary nature might be limited only to controller or advanced tool
sets. It has very few interoperability issues |
| Can
operate at throughputs of up to 10 Gbps |
Can
operate at a maximum throughput of less than 1 Gbps |
| Ideal
for large enterprises and applications that require high performance |
Ideal
for SMBs and for low-cost backup or DR set-ups |
IP-SAN Vs FC SAN
The issues related to Fiber Channel are expense, complexity, and
interoperability, which are absent in IP storage. IP can take advantage of
common network, hardware and technologies, which makes IP-SAN less complicated
to deploy than Fiber Channel. As its name suggests, IP SAN is built on top of
IP, making deployment relatively easy and quick.
IP-SANs' iSCSI (Internet SCSI)
network is a complete alternative solution to Fiber Channel. There are other
alternatives, which offer hybrid solutions and can be used to either extend the
existing Fiber Channel frameworks or to migrate from them to an IP storage
network. These are such as iFCP (Internet Fiber Channel Protocol) and FCIP
(Fiber Channel over IP). IP-SANs present a good option for SMBs on the storage
centralization front, i.e when they want to consolidate their storage from
distributed DAS systems.
| Advantages
of IP-SAN |
-
Reduced buy-in and
scalability costs
-
Interoperability
-
iSCSI advantages:
-
Long-distance
connectivity and lower costs
-
Simple use, easy
implementation, and management
|
Combination of six cost-effective and high performance technologies,
essentially make the IP-SANs. These are iSCSI, GbE switches, Serial ATA (SATA)
hard disk arrays, Linux or similar open source OS kernel, virtual LANs (VLAN),
and Cat 6 cables.
Latest development in the IP-SAN technology is 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE).
The present distance restraint in 10 GbE will not limit its usage in IP SANs
since their cabling does not exceed this. IP networking already boasts a large
R&D profile, with an established roadmap that has 10Gbps emerging now, on
the way to 40Gbps.
The IP-SAN storage solutions are convenient and cost affective for an
enterprise. It has the capability of switching protocols and share files across
multiple application environments-without storage infrastructure changes. This
solution also facilitates simple, rapid backup, and restoration of damaged or
accidentally deleted files and databases.
Importance of storage is growing as an organization's data requirements
continued to grow. IP-SAN is a technology, which will enable them to keep up
with that growth.
Sonia Sharma
sonias@cybermedia.co.in
Page(s) 1
Print
Comment
Email
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
