CN

Typical SAN (STorage Area Network)-Introduction To FC SAN Network Architecture

Time: 2023-06-27
        SAN (Storage Area Network) is a block-level storage network that uses a high-speed architecture to connect servers, disk arrays, and other storage devices. In this network, all servers can access storage devices for read and write operations, featuring high throughput and low latency.
        Common SAN architectures include FC SAN (based on Fibre Channel) and IP SAN (based on iSCSI). This article focuses on the FC SAN network architecture.
        Fibre Channel (FC) is mainly used to build high-speed transmission storage networks. Optical cables are typically used as the transmission medium in FC SANs. Current Fibre Channel transmission speeds have reached up to 128 Gb/s.
        A typical FC SAN network topology is shown below.
a typical FC SAN network topology.
Figure 1 Typical FC SAN Network Topology
Key Components of FC SAN
        • FC storage devices
          Mainly include disk arrays, tape libraries, and other data storage carriers, similar to the "hard disk" of a PC but with extremely large capacity, which can be expanded according to actual requirements.
        • FC switches
          Used to interconnect storage devices, MDC servers, workstations, and application servers. They undertake high-bandwidth, low-latency data transmission between storage devices and host devices. Mainstream FC switch vendors include Brocade and Cisco.
        • MDC server (Meta Data Controller)
          Acts as a "scheduler" in the storage network. Before workstations or servers access data on FC storage devices, they query the MDC for the location of the target data, then directly access the corresponding storage location.
        • Workstations / Servers
          Serve as the front-end hosts that initiate data access requests.
        • Ethernet switches
          Used to connect the MDC server with workstations and servers, responsible for transmitting and exchanging metadata information between the MDC and host devices.
        Moduletek provides FC optical modules compatible with Brocade and Cisco switches, including FC8G, FC16G, FC32G and other rates.
        For further inquiries about the above content, please contact us at: sales@moduletek.com
Back
PREVIOUS：Guidelines For Upgrading Brocade G610 Switch System Versions Using FTP
NEXT：Difference Between Multimode Fiber OM3-150 And OM3-300