When an organization starts its baby actions towards setting up a computer center, it is normally a couple of servers hooked up on a local network. Users' computers are connected to exactly the same network to access enterprise applications running on those servers. To acquire external access to the internet, devices such as routers or modems are put in place. For added security, a firewall is inserted between router and also the nearby network to weed out viruses and other unwelcome bits of data from the web.
As the organization's IT needs improve, the server farm continues to grow until it reaches a capacity whereby it is no longer feasible to store data in each server's local tough disk. The much more effective method would be to set up SAN (Storage area networks and relocate all data into it. Although it sounds like a splendid concept, there are some factors to appear into prior to proceeding ahead. A SAN is essentially a collection of storage disks which run on its own network to ensure super quick transmission speeds. It's important not to allow traffic from the server farm or local network to mix with traffic generated in the SAN as it causes detrimental effects to both and can bring every thing to a halt.
To ensure quick response times when sending and receiving data, the SAN runs on its own set of protocols and is connected via fiber channels for maximum bandwidth. Although standard Ethernet connections are cheaper, they are not in a position to deal with fast speeds as needed by the SAN. Since the SAN (Storage Area Network) is 1 giant storage box comprising numerous pieces of hard disks, it demands its own management method to deal with its operations. Nobody server controls the SAN as its disks are allocated to all servers. Via a central console, the SAN administrator switches from disk to disk as though moving around all servers' storage disk. As added security, local users registered to one server cannot access the disks of another server.
In the event 1 of the disks within the SAN is faulty, depending on the RAID technologies practiced, the SAN is able to rebuild data from the faulty disk onto a spare disk. Then it is just a easy matter of popping out the faulty disk, replacing a good 1 into location and formatting it to readiness. If the SAN is set up well, it plays an important role in getting the organization back onto its feet during disaster recovery processes. Backup routines over SAN are also more efficient as compared to server by server backup.
Before deciding to move all information into a SAN, it's recommended to check that the enterprise applications are able to support SAN. There are some applications which need their data to be locally stored and may pose a challenge when trying to implement SAN.