Introduction to Storage

By Nitendra Thakur

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Date
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Agenda

• Introduction to storage media and devices

• File-level access and Block level(NAS & SAN)

• Host Connectivity and storage

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Types of Storage?
• Computer data storage, often called storage. There are two types of Storage –
Primary and Secondary.

• Primary storage is also called main memory or internal memory, is the only one
directly accessible to the CPU. It is volatile memory so it lose the data when power
is down.

• Secondary Storage also known as external memory. Secondary storage does not lose
the data when the device is powered down—it is non-volatile. In modern
computers, hard disk drives are usually used as secondary storage.

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Storage media and devices

The device that actually holds the data is known as the storage medium (‘media’ is
the plural).

The device that saves data onto the storage medium, or reads data from it, is known
as the storage device.

Sometimes the storage medium is a fixed (permanent) part of the storage device,
e.g. the magnetic coated discs built into a hard drive

Sometimes the storage medium is removable from the device, e.g. a CD-ROM can be
taken out of a CD drive.

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Storage Media

Common storage media:

• Magnetic tapes,
• CDs/DVDs (Optical devices),
• Memory sticks,
• Flash memory
• Hard discs,

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Magnetic Tape
Magnetic tape is a large capacity, serial access medium. Because it is a serial access
medium, accessing individual files on a tape is slow.

Tapes are used where large amounts of data need to be stored, but where quick
access to individual files is not required. A typical use is for data back-up (lots of
data, but rarely only accessed in an emergency)

Tapes are also used and in some batch-processing applications (e.g. to hold the list
of data that will be processed).

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Optical Storage devices

Optical storage devices save data as patterns of dots that can be read using light. A
laser beam is the usual light source.

The data on the storage medium is read by bouncing the laser beam off the surface
of the medium. If the beam hits a dot it is reflected back differently to how it would
be if there were no dot. This difference can be detected, so the data can be read.

Dots can be created using the laser beam (for media that is writable such as CD-Rs).
The beam is used in a high-power mode to actually mark the surface of the medium,
making a dot. This process is known as ‘burning’ data onto a disc.

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Flash Memory

Flash memory is a type of Electronically-Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory

(EEPROM). Flash memory is non-volatile (like ROM) but the data stored in it can also
be erased or changed (like RAM).

Flash memory can be found in many data storage devices...

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Hard Drives

Hard-drives have a very large storage capacity (upto TBs). They can be used to store
vast amounts of data. Hard-drives are random access devices and can be used to
store all types of films, including huge files such as movies. Data access speeds are
very fast.

Data is stored inside a hard-drive on rotating metal or glass discs (called ‘platters’).

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Common Drive interfaces

• ATA/IDE - Advanced Technology Attachment / Integrated Drive

Electronics

• Serial ATA

• SCSI - Small Computer System Interface

• Fiber Channel

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 IDE/ATA/PATA

The first version of ATA interface was developed by Western Digital under the name
Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE).

After the introduction of Serial ATA in 2003, the original ATA was renamed Parallel
ATA (PATA).

Parallel ATA cables have a maximum allowable length of only 18 inch, Because of
this limit, difficult to create arrays and the technology normally appears as an
internal computer storage interface.

For PATA drives, maximum data transfer rate is 167MB/s.

The traditional cable uses 40-pin connectors attached to a ribbon cable.

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Serial ATA (SATA)

SATA devices communicate via a high-speed serial cables.

It provides faster transfer rates(upto 600MB/s).

Allow hot swap hard drives.

SATA cable can have length up to 1 metre.

Thinner and more flexible cabling( only 7 pin connector)

Less expensive than SCSI.

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SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)
Also known as Parallel SCSI.

SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives.

It can connect a wide range of other devices like scanners, CD drives etc.
Up to 16 devices can be attached to a single bus.

Latest SCSI interface ULTRA-640 have maximum transfer rates of 640MB/s .

SCSI connector has 68 or 80 pins.

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Storage Connectivity(DAS)

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Direct attached Storage(DAS)

DAS can be internal to the server or directly attached through an external storage
system. It allows you to share storage through the network with other devices or
users with access rights.

•DAS Advantages
Easy to implement
Initially cost-effective
Block-level I/O,
great performance

•DAS Limitations
Isolated storage pools
File duplication
Increased management
Network bottleneck

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Network Attached Storage(NAS)
• A NAS unit is a computer connected to a network that provides only file-based data storage
services to other devices on the network.
• It is not designed to be a general purpose server. For example, NAS units usually do not have
a keyboard or display, and are controlled and configured over the network, often using a
browser.
• NAS systems contain one or more hard disks, often arranged into logical, redundant storage
containers or RAID arrays.
• NAS uses file-based protocols such as NFS (popular on UNIX systems) and SMB/CIFS (Server
Message Block/Common Internet File System) on Windows systems.

Advantages:
1. Easy to implement
2. Remote Management

Limitations:
1. Limited capacity of single NAS appliance.
2. Network problems can restrict access
3. Network bottleneck

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NAS Appliance components

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Storage Connectivity (NAS)

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What is SAN?
• Storage Area Network:
• A high availability, high-performance dedicated storage network that connects servers and
storage in a secure, flexible and scalable architecture.
• A pool of storage devices that can be used by any host within the storage network.
• A SAN is a separate network for storage that exists behind the servers. This allows storage to
be external from the server, which enables sharing of storage without taxing the
performance of the primary network or the system. The main purpose of a SAN is to transfer
data between systems and storage units.

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Fiber Channel topologies
Topologies
• Point-to-point Rarely Used
• Arbitrated loop
• Switched fabric

Point-to-point
Two devices are connected directly to each other. This is the simplest
topology, with limited connectivity.
Arbitrated loop
All devices are in a loop or ring. Adding or removing a device from the loop
causes all activity on the loop to be interrupted. The failure of one device
causes a break in the ring.
Switched fabric
All devices or loops of devices are connected to Fibre Channel switches.

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Fiber Channel topologies

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Example of Fabric

FC HOST

FC HOST FC HOST

san switch san switch

FC HOST FC HOST

FABRIC
FC HOST SA
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SW
ITC
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• SAN Benefits:

• SANs fully exploit high-performance, high-connectivity network technologies

• SAN Architecture facilitates scalability - Any number of storage devices can be added
to store hundreds of terabytes

• SAN provides long distance connectivity - With Fibre channel capable of running
upto 10 kilometers, we can keep our data in a remote, physically secure location

• SAN is not directly attached with any particular server or network, a SAN can be
shared by all

• Limitations:-
• Expensive to implement

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Hardware Components

• Servers with host bus adapters

• RAID Arrays

• JBOD

• Tape Libraries

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Host Bus Adapter and Interface

Single port HBA Dual port HBA

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2Gbit/sec ports

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Hub and Switches

 Multi-Port Fibre Channel Hub

 7 -16 ports, copper or optical GBIC’s
 Network management software
 Supports FC-AL

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Storage Systems

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Thank You

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