Back to: Storage Area Network (SAN) Storage
Storage and data management are critical components of IT infrastructure, ensuring that data is stored, organized, protected, and accessible efficiently. Here’s an overview of key concepts:
1. Storage Technologies
- Direct Attached Storage (DAS): Storage directly connected to a single server (e.g., HDDs, SSDs, NVMe).
- Network Attached Storage (NAS): Storage connected to a network, accessible by multiple devices via file-level access.
- Storage Area Network (SAN): A high-speed network of storage devices providing block-level access to multiple servers.
- Cloud Storage: Remote storage solutions offered by providers like AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, and Google Cloud Storage.
2. Storage Protocols
- Fibre Channel (FC): High-performance SAN storage protocol.
- iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface): Block storage over TCP/IP networks.
- NFS (Network File System): File-sharing protocol for Linux/Unix environments.
- SMB/CIFS (Server Message Block/Common Internet File System): Windows-based file-sharing protocol.
3. Data Management Strategies
- Data Lifecycle Management (DLM): Managing data from creation to archival.
- Backup & Recovery: Ensuring data protection through snapshots, replication, and backups.
- Tiered Storage: Categorizing data into different storage classes based on access frequency.
- Deduplication & Compression: Optimizing storage usage by removing duplicate data and reducing file sizes.
4. Storage Virtualization
- Software-Defined Storage (SDS): Decoupling storage hardware from management, providing flexibility.
- Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI): Combining compute, storage, and networking in a single solution.
5. Cloud & Hybrid Storage Solutions
- Hybrid Storage: Combination of on-premises and cloud storage.
- Multi-Cloud Storage: Using multiple cloud providers to enhance availability and redundancy.