Storage Area Networks (SAN)
                     STORAGE 
AREA 
NETWORK
S (SAN)
INTRODUCTI
ON
SAN is an abbreviation of the 
Storage Area Network. Storage 
Area Network is a dedicated, 
specialized, and high-speed 
network which provides block-
level data storage. It delivers the 
shared pool of storage devices to 
more than one server.
Source: www.javatpoint.com
AIM OF SAN
The main aim of SAN is to transfer 
the data between the server and 
storage device. It also allows for 
transferring the data between the 
storage systems.
Storage Area networks are mainly 
used for accessing storage devices 
such as tape libraries and disk-based 
devices from the servers.
Source: www.javatpoint.com
PROTOCOLS 
OF SAN
Following are the most common 
protocols of SAN (Storage Area 
Network):
• FCP (Fibre Channel Protocol)
• iSCSI
• FCoE
• NVMe
Source: www.javatpoint.com
DESCRIPTION 
OF 
PROTOCOLS 
OF SAN 
FCP (Fibre Channel Protocol)
It is the most commonly used protocol of 
the Storage Area Network. It is a 
mapping of SCSI command over the Fibre 
Channel (FC) network.
ISCSI
It stands for Internet SCSI or Internet 
Small Computer System Interface. It is 
the second-largest block or SAN protocol. 
It puts the SCSI commands inside an 
ethernet frame and then transports them 
over an Internet protocol (IP) ethernet.
Source: www.javatpoint.com
DESCRIPTION 
OF 
PROTOCOLS 
OF SAN CONT. 
 
FCoE
FCoE stands for "Fibre Channel Over 
Internet". It is a protocol which is 
similar to the iSCSI. It puts the Fibre 
channel inside the ethernet datagram 
and then transports over an IP 
Ethernet network.
NVMe
NVMe stands for Non-Volatile Memory 
Express. It is also a protocol of SAN, 
which access the flash storage by the 
PCI Express bus.
Source: www.javatpoint.com
HOW A SAN 
WORKS?
• A SAN is essentially a network 
that is intended to connect 
servers with storage. 
• The goal of any SAN is to take 
storage out of individual servers 
and locate the storage collectively 
where storage resources can be 
centrally managed and protected.
Source: www.techtarget.com
SETTING UP 
THE STORAGE 
AREA 
NETWORK
To integrate all components of the 
SAN, an enterprise first must meet 
the vendor's hardware and software 
compatibility requirements:
• host bus adapters (firmware 
version, driver version and patch 
list)
• switch (firmware)
• storage (firmware, host 
personality firmware and patch 
list)
Source: www.techtarget.com
ADVANTAGES 
OF SAN
• It is more scalable.
• Security is also a main advantage 
of SAN. If users want to secure 
their data, then SAN is a good 
option to use. Users can easily 
implement various security 
measures on SAN.
• Storage devices can be easily 
added or removed from the 
network. If users need more 
storage, then they simply add the 
devices.
Source: www.javatpoint.com
ADVANTAGES 
OF SAN CONT.
• The cost of this storage network is 
low as compared to others.
• Another big advantage of using 
the SAN (Storage Area Network) is 
better disk utilization.
Source: www.javatpoint.com
SAN 
DISADVANTA
GES
• Although more convergence options, 
such as FCoE and unified options, 
exist for SANs today, traditional 
SANs present the added complexity 
of a second network complete with 
costly, dedicated HBAs on the host 
servers, switches and cabling within 
a complex and redundant fabric and 
storage processor ports at the 
storage arrays. 
• Considering the cost, a SAN is 
generally effective only in larger and 
more complex environments where 
there are many servers and 
significant storage.
Source: www.techtarget.com