Introduction To Storage Area Networks

Introduction to Storage Area Networks (SAN)
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2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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2006, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Presentation_ID.scr
Session Agenda
Main Topics for Today Storage Basics
What is it?
Fibre Channel Basics

What makes it tick?
Introduction to SAN Design

and a little bit of the how-to
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Storage Basics
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Storage Basics
SCSI Primer Storage topologies
DAS, NAS, and SAN
SCSI Transport
Fibre Channel (FC) , FCIP, iSCSI
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SCSI Primer
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Standards
SCSI has evolved since it was introduced as SASI in 1979 by Shugart Associatesit was approved as a standard by ANSI in 1986 and is now referred to as SCSI-1 SCSI-2 was approved by X3 in 1990 and by ANSI in 1994 SCSI-3 refers to a collection of standards, each of which defines a very specific part of SCSI: physical interface, transport interface, command interface, architecture model, programming interface, etc.
Also known as SCSI Architecture Model 3 (SAM-3)
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SCSI Architecture Model
SAN
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Small Computer System InterfaceSCSI

SCSI is a standard that defines an interface between an initiator (usually a computer) and a target (usually a storage device such as a hard disk) Interface refers to connectors, cables, electrical signals, optical signals and the command protocol that allow initiators and targets to communicate Logical Unit Number (LUN): A 64-bit field within SCSI that identifies the Logically addressable Unit within a target SCSI device
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SCSI Command Protocol

SCSI command protocol is the de facto standard that is used extensively in high-performance storage applications The command part of SCSI can be transported over various types of interconnecting technologies A basic understanding of SCSI communications is beneficial in understanding storage networks.
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The SCSI I/O Transaction

The SCSI protocol forms the basis of an I/O transaction The channel provides connectivity between communicating devices in a SCSI transaction
The following shows two sample SCSI exchanges:
Disk (Target)
READ
Host (Initiator)
DATA STATUS DATA DATA
SCSI READ OPERATION

SCSI I/O Channel
Host (Initiator)
READY STATUS
SCSI WRITE OPERATION

SCSI I/O Channel
Disk (Target)
DATA WRITE DATA DATA
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The SCSI I/O ChannelStarting Point

SCSI I/O Channel provides half-duplex pipe for SCSI command, data, and status SCSI I/O channel can be internal or external to host Multiple SCSI I/O channels can exist within host A network approach can scale the I/O channel in many areas (length, devices, throughput)
Applications File System Block Device SCSI Generic
Half-Duplex I/O Channel

SC SI
TCP/IP Stack
SCSI
NIC Driver NIC Adapter
Adapter Driver
SCSI Adapter
SI SC
SCSI Initiator SCSI Target

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The Parallel SCSI I/O Channel

The SCSI Channel is used to transmit SCSI commands, data, and status Multiple devices can exist on the channel each playing the role of SCSI initiator or SCSI target
I/O Channel Host (Initiator)
SCSI SCSI
Most common channel is the basic parallel SCSI bus which can be internal or external to a host Parallel SCSI Specifications:
Up to 25m bus length Shared channel bandwidth up to 320MBps Up to 16 devices per SCSI bus Half-duplex operation
Channel Controller
Target 1
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Target 2
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Networking the I/O Channel

Host (Initiator)
Same SCSI protocol carried over a network transport via serial implementation Transport must not jeopardize SCSI payload (security, integrity, latency)
Initiator SCSI SCSI
Networked I/O Channel
Two primary transports to choose from today, namely IP and Fibre Channel A networked I/O channel allows for multiple improvements:
Distance limitations greatly increased Dedicated bandwidth (not shared) High # of addressable devices Bandwidth increase (including link bundling)
Channel Controller
Network
Target
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Fibre Channel I/O Networking

Host System
Fibre Channel provides high speed transport for SCSI payload via Host Buss Adapter (HBA) Fibre Channel overcomes many shortcomings of Parallel I/O including:
Addressing for up to 16 million nodes Loop (shared) and fabric (switched) transport Host speeds of 100 to 400 MBps (14 Gbps) Segments of up to 10km (without extenders) Support for multiple protocols
Initiator SCSI SCSI
Fibre Channel HBA
Fibre Channel Fabric
Combines best attributes of a channel and a network together
Target
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Consolidated I/O Networking

Traditional Ethernet with Fibre Channel over Ethernet Consolidated Network Adapter (CAN)
Native Ethernet NIC Native FC HBA
FCoE (Target) FCoE Host (Initiator) Ethernet Network
FCoE FCoE
FCoE
CNA
Relies on Lossless Ethernet

PAUSE per IEEE 802.1p
Able to build Ethernet-based SANs using FCoE arrays
SCSI SCSI
FC Fabric
FC HBA Attached Host (Initiator)
Storage (Target)
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TCP/IP I/O Networking

IP access to open systems iSCSI and Fibre Channel storage iSCSI driver is loaded onto hosts on Ethernet network Able to consolidate servers via iSCSI onto existing storage arrays Able to build Ethernet-based SANs using iSCSI arrays Storage can be mapped from iSCSI to Fibre Channel
iSCSI (Target) IP Network iSCSI Gateway
SCSI SCSI
iSCSI-Enabled Host (Initiator)
iSCSI iSCSI Ethernet NIC
FC Fabric
FC HBA Attached Host (Initiator)
Storage (Target)
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Storage Topologies
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Storage Topologies
IP Network
SAN
IP Front-End Network
Host to Host Application to file system Client to Server NFS, SMB, CIFS, NCP NAS, WAFS
SAN Back-End Network

Host to Storage Block I/O to Storage Storage to Storage SCSI, IDE, NTFS, FAT SAN
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Direct Attached Storage (DAS)

Hosts directly access storage as block-level devices Storage is captive behind the server, limited mobility Limited scalability due to limited devices No efficient storage sharing possible Costly to scale; complex to manage
Clients
LAN
Application Servers
Win2k Linux Unix
Win2k Linux Unix
SCSI
FC
FC
Tape
Direct Attached Storage

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Storage Area Network (SAN)

Storage is accessed at a block-level via SCSI High performance interconnect providing high I/O throughput Lower TCO relative to direct attached storage, storage can be shared Limited vendor interoperability Complex management
Fibre Channel SAN Block Storage Devices Clients
LAN
Servers
Separation of Storage from the Server
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Network Attached Storage (NAS)

Storage is accessed at a file level via NFS or CIFS Storage is accessed over an IP network Storage devices can be shared between servers Files can be shared between users TCP can be tuned to optimize for file transport
LAN
Win2k Linux Unix
Generic
Generic
Application Servers
NAS = Optimized for File I/O

NAS Appliances or NAS Head Ends
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iSCSI Storage Network

Storage is accessed at a block-level via iSCSI Good performance via standard Ethernet NIC Enhanced performance with TCP Offload Engine (TOE) Lower TCO relative to direct Fibre Channel HBA/Fabric Standards based
iSCSI
iSCSI-Enabled Hosts (Initiators)
iSCSI iSCSI
iSCSI Appliance iSCSI (Target) IP Network iSCSI Gateway FC Fabric FC HBA Attached Host (Initiator) Storage Pool (Target)
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DAS, SAN, iSCSI, NAS Comparison

DAS
Computer System Application File System Volume Manager SCSI Device Driver SCSI Bus Adapter
SAN
Computer System Application File System Volume Manager SCSI Device Driver
iSCSI Appliance
Computer System Application File System Volume Manager
SCSI Device Driver iSCSI Driver TCP/IP stack NIC
iSCSI NAS Gateway Appliance

Computer System Application File System Volume Manager
SCSI Device Driver iSCSI Driver TCP/IP stack NIC
NAS Gateway
Computer System Application File System I/O Redirector NFS/CIFS TCP/IP Stack NIC
Computer System Application File System I/O Redirector NFS/CIFS TCP/IP Stack NIC
Host/ Server
FC HBA
Block I/O
File I/O
Storage Transport
SCSI
SAN
IP
NIC TCP/IP Stack iSCSI Layer Bus Adapter
IP
NIC TCP/IP Stack iSCSI Layer FC HBA
IP
NIC TCP/IP Stack File System Device Driver
IP
NIC TCP/IP Stack File System FC HBA
FC
Storage Media
FC
Block I/O
FC
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SCSI Transport
Parallel SCSI Fibre Channel (FC), FCoE, FCIP, iSCSI
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Network stack comparison

SCSI SCSI iSCSI SCSI FCP FC FCIP TCP IP Ethernet TCP IP Ethernet PHYSICAL WIRE
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The Parallel SCSI I/O Channel

The SCSI Channel is used to transmit SCSI commands, data, and status Multiple devices can exist on the channel each playing the role of SCSI initiator or SCSI target
I/O Channel Host (Initiator)
SCSI SCSI
Most common channel is the basic parallel SCSI bus which can be internal or external to a host Parallel SCSI Specifications:
Up to 25m bus length Shared channel bandwidth up to 320MBps Up to 16 devices per SCSI bus Half-duplex operation
Channel Controller
Target 1
Target 2
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Fibre Channel Stack

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SCSI FCP FC
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What Is It? Fibre Channel

Channels
Connection service Physical circuits Reliable transfers High speed Low latency Short distance Hardware intense
Networks
Connectionless Logical circuits Unreliable transfers High connectivity Higher latency Longer distance Software intense
Fibre Channel Circuit and packet switched Reliable transfers High data integrity High data rates Low latency High connectivity Long distance
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Fibre Channel Protocol Architecture

ULP (Upper Level Protocol)
(sample there are more)
SCSI-3
IP
FICON
FC-4
SNMP Mapping (FC-SNMP)
SCSI-3 Mapping (SCSI-FCP)
Link Encapsulation (FC-LE)
FC Single Byte Command Sets
FC-3 FC-2 FC-1 FC-0

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Common Services
Framing Protocol Encode / Decode Physical Interface Fibre Channel Physical & Signaling Interface (FC-PH, FC-PH2, FC-PH3) FC-AL FC-AL-2 FC-SW-2
8B/10B Encoding Copper Optical
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Fibre Channel Mapping

SCSI Architecture to Fibre Channel Mapping
FCP Goes Here (FC-4)
FC-3 FC-2 FC-AL FC-1 FC-0
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Fibre Channel Functions

Structure Is Divided into Five Levels of Functionality
FC-0
Defines the physical interface characteristics Signaling rates, cables, connectors, distance capabilities, etc.
FC-1
Defines how characters are encoded/decoded for transmission Transmission characters are given desirable characters
FC-2
Defines how information is transported Frames, sequences, exchanges, login sessions
FC-3
Place holder for future functions
FC-4
Defines how different protocols are mapped to use Fibre Channel SCSI, IP, Virtual Interface architecture, FICON, others
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Fibre Channel Frame Format

All FC-2 frames follow the general frame format as shown below Idles are Ordered Sets used for synchronization and basic signaling SOFStart-of-Frame, EOFEnd-of-Frame
General FC-2 Frame Format Frame Content Idles* SOF (4) Frame Header (24) Data Field (0-2112)
0-528 Transmission Word *Six idle words (24 bytes) required by TX; two idle words (8 bytes) guaranteed to RX
CRC (4)
EOF (4)
Idles*
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Fibre Channel FC-2 Hierarchy

Multiple exchanges are initiated between initiators (hosts) and targets (disks) Each exchange consists of one or more bi-directional sequences Each sequence consists of one or more frames For the SCSI3 ULP, each exchange maps to a SCSI command
OX_ID & RX_ID
Exchange Sequence Frame Sequence Frame

ULP Information Unit
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SEQ_ID
Sequence Frame
SEQ_CNT
Frame Fields
Example: Fibre Channel Exchange

One SCSI command is issueda single exchange is created consisting of multiple sequences Each exchange is identified with unique OX_ID/RX_ID Each sequence is identified with unique SEQ_ID
Initiator Fibre Channel Fabric Data Returned in Multiple Sequences Target
Sequence
#1
SEQ#1 , CN T#1
Read Command Issued New Exchange Issued New Sequence Issued Sequence #2 Sequence #3 Sequence #4 Sequence #5 Sequence #6
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CNT#1 SEQ#2, CNT#1 SEQ#3, CNT#1 SEQ#4, CNT#1 SEQ#5,
CNT#2 SEQ#2, CNT#2 SEQ#3, CNT#2 SEQ#4, CNT#2 SEQ#5,
Exchange
CNT#1 SEQ#6,
Status Returned in Additional Sequence
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Fibre Channel over Ethernet Stack

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SCSI FCP FC
FCoE Ethernet
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FCoE: FC over Ethernet

FCoE is I/O consolidation of FC storage traffic over Ethernet
FC traffic shares Ethernet links with other traffics Requires a lossless Ethernet fabric
Ethernet Fibre Channel Traffic
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Storage ProtocolsFCoE
FCoE Frame Format From a Fibre Channel standpoint its FC connectivity over a new type of cable called an Ethernet cloud From an Ethernet standpoints its yet another ULP (Upper Layer Protocol) to be transported FC frame not changed
FCoE FC SCSI Data

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Fibre Channel over IP Stack

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SCSI FCP FC
SCSI FCP FC
FCoE Ethernet
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Storage ProtocolsFCIP
FCIP Frame Format
Primary use is for Storage-to-Storage connectivity via an IP WAN/MAN The FCIP Link carries encapsulated fibre channel traffic between Link End Points over an IP network by using TCP on port 3225 The result is a virtual Inter Switch Link (ISL) between FC Fabrics FC frame not changed
IP TCP FCIP FC SCSI Data

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Internet SCSI Stack

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SCSI FCP FC
FCoE Ethernet
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Storage Protocols - iSCSI

iSCSI Frame Format
Primary use is for Host-to-Storage connectivity via an IP LAN SCSI command and data are encapsulated into iSCSI by adding a special header iSCSI data is encapsulated into a TCP packet IP is the transport protocol
IP TCP iSCSI SCSI Data
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Network stack comparison

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SCSI FCP FC
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SCSI Transport Summary

Parallel SCSILegacy host to storage bus topology Fibre ChannelRobust serial transport network for SCSI
Host-to-Storage Connectivity Primary transport for Storage Area Networks
FCoE FC-2 encapsulation in Ethernet

Host-to-SAN Connectivity Typically used for unified server I/O
FCIPFC-2 encapsulation in TCP/IP

SAN-to-SAN Connectivity Typically used in the WAN/MAN
iSCSITCP/IP transport for SCSI protocol

Host-to-SAN Connectivity Typically used in the LAN
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Fibre Channel Basics
Fibre Channel Physical Attributes Fibre Channel Operational Characteristics
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Physical
The main physical objects in Fibre Channel are:
Ports Links Nodes Fabric
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Fibre Channel Port Types

N port: Node ports used to connect devices to switched fabric or point to point configurations F port: Fabric ports residing on switches connecting N port devices L port: Loop ports are used in arbitrated loop configurations to build networks without FC switches; these ports often also have N port capabilities and are called NL ports E port: Expansion ports are essentially trunk ports used to connect two Fibre Channel switches GL port: A generic port capable of operating as either an E or F port; its also capable of acting in an L port capacity; Auto Discovery
N N
NL
FL
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Port Type Examples
Fabric Switch Node NL_Port

FL_Port E_Port E_Port
Node NL_Port
G_Port
F_Port
N_Port
Node
Node NL_Port
G_Port
F_Port
N_Port
Node
G_Port
F_Port
N_Port
Node
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N_Port
Device
Host
Host/ Device Interface
FC
N_Port
Serial Data Out Serial Data In
Can Be More than One N_Port on the Device
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Inter-Switch Link (ISL)

The interconnection between switches is called the Inter-Switch Link (ISL)
E_Port to E_Port
Supports all classes of service

Class 1, 2, 3, and a special Class F
FC-PH permits consecutive frames of a sequence to be routed over different ISL links for maximum throughput E E
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Fibre Channel Link

A link consists of
Two unidirectional fibers transmitting in opposite directions May be either: Optical fiber or Copper
Transmitters may be:

Long wave laser Short wave laser LED Electrical
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Node
The equipment which contains one or more N_Port or NL_Port (topology dependent) May be:
Computer (HBA) Controller (Port on Disk Subsystem) Device (SCSI FC to Parallel converter)
Is not a switch fabric device
Controller
N_Port
N_Port
N_Port
N_Port
Link
Link
Link
Link
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FC Communications Model
Point to point N_Port to N_Port Flow controlled Acknowledged
Node Node
Host
FC N_Port
Host
TX RX RX TX
FC
Link
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Fibre Channel Fabric

The entity which interconnects N_Ports Provides routing based on destination address Fabric may be:
Point to point: Arbitrated loop: Switched: No routing required Routing is distributed across ports Routing provided by switch
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Arbitrated Loop
NL_Node A
Link
NL_Node B
Communications ModelSource to Destination Based on Address Routing Distributed in the NL_Ports on the Loop
A
Still Pt. to Pt. Communication

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Switched Fabric
N_Port N_Port N_Port N_Port N_Port N_Port
Switch
Fabric Communications ModelSource to Destination Based on Address Routing through the Fabric; Still a Point to Point Connection; FSPF routing required when more then two switches make up the Fabric
A
B
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FC Operational Characteristics
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Operational
The Main Operational Subsystems in Fibre Channel are:
Worldwide Names Fabric Addressing Directory Server Fabric Controller Principle Switch Fabric Routing Zoning Virtual SANs
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Worldwide Names
Each switch element is assigned a WWN at time of manufacture Each switch port is assigned a WWN at the time of manufacture During FLOGI the switch identifies the WWN in the service parameters of the accept frame and assigns a Fibre Channel ID (FCID) These address assignments can then correlate each fabric port with the switch element
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Fabric Addressing
The 24-bit FCID address is partitioned into three fields
Device Area Domain
This partitioning helps speed up routing Switch element assigns the address to N_Ports Address portioning is transparent to N_Ports
8 bits
Switch Topology
8 bits
8 bits
Switch Domain
Area
Device
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Directory Server
Repository of information regarding the components that make up the Fibre Channel network Located at address FF FF FC (some readings call this the name server) Components can register their characteristics with the directory server An N_Port can query the directory server for specific information
Query can be the address identifier, WWN and volume names for all SCSI targets
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Fabric Controller
Each switch has a fabric controller Assigned address FF FF FD
Every fabric controller in the fabric has the same address It is the N_Port within the switch Responsible for managing fabric, initialization, routing, setup and teardown of Class-1 connections
Responsible to receive request and generate responses for the switch fabric
Information must be consistent independent of which fabric controller responds to a request
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Fabric Configuration: PS Selection

A principal switch shall be selected whenever at least one inter-switch link (a link between two E_Port) is established The selection process chooses a principal switch, which is then designated to assign domain identifier to all the switches in the fabric, and any who join later the fabric later on The principal switch selection can be triggered by anyone of the following events
Switch Boot and Exchange Fabric Parameters (EFP) Build Fabric (BF) Reconfigure Fabric (RCF)
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Fabric Configuration Disruptive/Non-Disruptive

One of the following three conditions can trigger BF (non-disruptive) or RCF (disruptive)
Two disjoint fabrics are combined together A principal ISL fails (upstream or downstream) A switch with Domain_ID request for another Domain_ID
Whenever a switch receives a BF/RCF, the switch starts F_S_TOV timer and enters the BF/RCF state; it forwards BF/RCF out of all E_ports except the incoming port (only once) and wait for the timer to expire When the timer expires, BF/RCF propagation state is left and principal switch selection begins BF is not a disruptive process RCF is a disruptive process
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Fabric Routing: FSPF

FSPF routes traffic based on destination domain ID For FSPF a domain ID identifies a single switch
This limits the max number of switches that can support in the Fabric to 239 when FSPF is supported
FSPF performs hop-by-hop routing FSPF uses total cost as the metric to determine most efficient path FSPF supports hierarchical path selection
Provides the scalable routing tables in large topologies
Static routes can be applied

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Fabric Routing: FSPF

Everyone says HELLO to their neighbor, on all initialized ISLs The neighbors say HELLO back, unless they are dead When the HELLO packet is received with both originator and recipient domain id, the two way communication is done and:
The ISL is active The ISL may be available as a two-way path for frames
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Fibre Channel Fabric Zoning

Zoning operation
Zone members see only other members of the zone Zones can be configured dynamically based on WWN Devices can be members of more than one zone FC-AL zoning allows the creation of private loops on a single hub Switched fabric zoning can take place at the port or device level Based on physical switch port Based on device WWN Based on LUN ID
SAN
Disk2 Disk3 Disk1
Benefits
Secured device access Allows operating system co-existence
ZoneA
Host1
ZoneC
Disk4 Host2
ZoneB
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ZoningEnforcement
Zoning is used to control access in a SAN Soft zoning
Enforced by name server query responses Name server sends membership list to N_Port N-port accesses members only
Hard zoning
Enforced by hardware (forwarding ASIC) at wire speed pWWN, fWWN, FC_ID, FC_Alias
Soft Zone
Host FC Zone-1 Host FC Zone-1
Hard Zone
Array MDS MDS Host FC Zone-2
Array MDS MDS Host FC Zone-2
Array
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Introducing Virtual SANs (VSANs)

A Virtual SAN (VSAN) Provides a Method to Allocate Ports within a Physical Fabric to Create Virtual Fabrics
Analogous to VLANs in Ethernet Virtual fabrics created from larger costeffective redundant physical fabric Reduces wasted ports of island approach Fabric events are isolated per VSAN maintains isolation for HA (i.e. RSCNs) Hardware-based isolationtraffic is explicitly tagged across interswitch links with VSAN membership info Statistics can be gathered per VSAN
Physical SAN Islands Are Virtualized onto Common SAN Infrastructure Cisco MDS 9000 Family with VSAN Service
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Virtualizing the FabricThe Full Solution

To Build a Cost-Saving Fabric Virtualization Solution, Seven Key Services Are Required:
1. Virtual fabric attachmentthe ability to assign virtual fabric membership at the port level 2. Multiprotocol extensionsthe ability to extend virtual fabric service to iSCSI, FCIP, FICON, etc. 3. Virtual fabric servicesthe ability to create fabric services per virtual fabric (routing, zones, RSCNs, QoS, etc.) 4. Virtual fabric diagnosticsthe ability to troubleshoot per virtual fabric problems 5. Virtual fabric securitythe ability to define separate security policies per virtual fabric 6. Virtual fabric managementthe ability to map and manage virtual fabrics independently 7. Interfabric routingthe ability to provide connectivity across virtual fabricswithout merging the fabrics ISL MDS MDS 9000 9000 Family Family Full Service End-to-End Virtual Fabric Implementation
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Virtual Fabric Service Model Intervirtual Fabric Routing Virtualized Fabric Management Virtualized Fabric Security Policies Virtualized Fabric Diagnostics Virtualized Fabric Services Multiprotocol Transport Extensions Virtualized Fabric Attachment
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VSANs and ZonesComplimentary

Virtual SANs and Fabric Zoning Are Very Complimentary
Hierarchical relationship
First assign physical ports to VSANs Then configure independent zones per VSAN
Relationship of VSANs to Zones Physical Topology

VSAN 2 Disk2 ZoneA Disk3 Host1 Disk1 Disk4 Host2
VSANs divide the physical infrastructure Zones provide added security and allow sharing of device ports VSANs provide traffic statistics VSANs only changed when ports needed per virtual fabric Zones can change frequently (e.g. backup) Ports are added/removed nondisruptively to VSANs
ZoneC
ZoneB VSAN 3
ZoneD Host4
ZoneA Disk5 Host3 Disk6
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ISL PortChanneling
A PortChannel Is a Logical Bundling of Identical Links
Criteria for forming a PortChannel
Same speed links Same modes (auto, E, etc.) and states Between same two switches Same VSAN membership
Treated as one logical ISL by upper layer protocols (FSPF) Can use up to 16 links in a PortChannel (32Gbps max) Can be formed from any ports on any modules HA enabled Exchange-based in-order load balancing
Mode 1: Based on src/dst FC_IDs Mode 2: Based on src/dst FC_ID/OX_ID
E.g. 4 Gbps PortChannel (Two x 2Gbps) E.g. 8 Gbps PortChannel (Four x 2Gbps)
Much faster recovery than FSPF-based balancing Given logical interface name with aggregated bandwidth and derived routing metric
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PortChannel vs. Trunking

ISL = inter-switch link PortChannel = E_Ports and ISLs Trunk = ISLs that support VSANs Trunking = TE_Ports and EISLs
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Fibre Channel Basics Summary

Fibre Channel is a very robust, hierarchical standard Fibre Channel utilizes a Point-to-Point communications model irrespective of the topology Fibre Channel includes a full set of services for naming, addressing, building, and managing fabrics Fibre Channel utilizes FSPF, an OSPF like routing protocol to route traffic Fibre Channel Zoning is a method of logically grouping devices within a given fabric We Have Only Scratched the Surface of FC Protocol Here!
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Introduction to SAN Design
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Type of SAN Networks

Two primary designs for SANs; Core-Edge and Collapsed Core-Edge Each design provides different advantages SAN still driven by oversubscription; host to disk, ISL, chassis As SANs increase in size, some modification to each model may be required SAN network services need to be considered in SAN design
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Core-Edge
Traditional SAN design for growing SANs High density directors in core and fabric switches, directors or blade switches on edge Predictable performance Scalable growth up to core and ISL capacity
A B A B
A A B
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Collapsed Core-Edge
SAN design to take advantage of high density directors Most traffic localized, reducing number of ISLs Oversubscription primarily in chassis and linecards Potential to scale further than traditional Core-Edge design
A B
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Additional Information
Cisco Storage Networking
http://www.cisco.com/go/storagenetworking
Cisco Data Center Networking

http://www.cisco.com/go/datacenter
Storage Network Industry Association (SNIA)

http://www.snia.org
Internet Engineering Task ForceIP Storage

http://www.ietf.org/html.charters/ips-charter.html
ANSI T11Fibre Channel

http://www.t11.org/index.htm
79
Q and A
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Recommended Reading
Continue your Cisco Live learning experience with further reading from Cisco Press Check the Recommended Reading flyer for suggested books
Available Onsite at the Cisco Company Store

81
Complete Your Online Session Evaluation

Give us your feedback and you could win fabulous prizes; winners announced daily Receive 20 Passport points for each session evaluation you complete Complete your session evaluation online now (open a browser through our wireless network to access our portal) or visit one of the Internet stations throughout the Convention Center
Dont forget to activate your Cisco Live virtual account for access to all session material on-demand and return for our live virtual event in October 2008 Go to the Collaboration Zone in World of Solutions or visit www.cisco-live.com
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Introduction To Storage Area Networks

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Introduction To Storage Area Networks

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Introduction to Storage Area Networks (SAN)

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2006, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Presentation_ID.scr

Fibre Channel Basics

Introduction to SAN Design

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2006, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Presentation_ID.scr

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2006, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Presentation_ID.scr

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

SCSI Architecture Model

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2006, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Presentation_ID.scr

Small Computer System InterfaceSCSI

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

SCSI Command Protocol

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2006, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Presentation_ID.scr

The SCSI I/O Transaction

SCSI READ OPERATION

SCSI WRITE OPERATION

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

The SCSI I/O ChannelStarting Point

Half-Duplex I/O Channel

NIC Driver NIC Adapter

SCSI Initiator SCSI Target

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2006, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Presentation_ID.scr

The Parallel SCSI I/O Channel

Networking the I/O Channel

Initiator SCSI SCSI

Networked I/O Channel

2006, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Presentation_ID.scr

Fibre Channel I/O Networking

Initiator SCSI SCSI

Fibre Channel HBA

Fibre Channel Fabric

Combines best attributes of a channel and a network together

Consolidated I/O Networking

Relies on Lossless Ethernet

Able to build Ethernet-based SANs using FCoE arrays

FC HBA Attached Host (Initiator)

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2006, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Presentation_ID.scr

TCP/IP I/O Networking

iSCSI-Enabled Host (Initiator)

iSCSI iSCSI Ethernet NIC

FC HBA Attached Host (Initiator)

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2006, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Presentation_ID.scr

SAN Back-End Network

Direct Attached Storage (DAS)

Win2k Linux Unix

Win2k Linux Unix

Direct Attached Storage

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

2006, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Presentation_ID.scr

Storage Area Network (SAN)

Separation of Storage from the Server

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Network Attached Storage (NAS)