A storage area network (SAN) or storage network is a computer network which provides access to consolidated, block-level data storage. SANs are primarily used to access storage devices, such as disk arrays and tape libraries from servers so that the devices appear to the operating system as direct-attached storage. A SAN typically is a dedicated network of storage devices not accessible through the local area network (LAN).
A storage area network (SAN) is a dedicated, independent high-speed network that interconnects and delivers shared pools of storage devices to multiple servers. Each server can access shared storage as if it were a drive directly attached to the server. A SAN is typically assembled with cabling, host bus adapters, and SAN switches attached to storage arrays and servers. Each switch and storage system on the SAN must be interconnected.
Although a SAN provides only block-level access, file systems built on top of SANs do provide file-level access and are known as shared-disk file systems.
Components
SANs have their own networking devices, such as SAN switches. To access the SAN, so-called SAN servers are used, which in turn connect to SAN host adapters. Within the SAN, a range of data storage devices may be interconnected, such as SAN-capable disk arrays, JBODS and tape libraries.
Quality of service
SAN Storage QoS enables the desired storage performance to be calculated and maintained for network customers accessing the device. Some factors that affect SAN QoS are:
- Bandwidth: The rate of data throughput available on the system.
- Latency: The time delay for a read/write operation to execute.
- Queue depth: The number of outstanding operations waiting to execute to the underlying disks (traditional or solid-state drives).
Storage virtualization
Storage virtualization is the process of abstracting logical storage from physical storage. The physical storage resources are aggregated into storage pools, from which the logical storage is created. It presents to the user a logical space for data storage and transparently handles the process of mapping it to the physical location, a concept called location transparency. This is implemented in modern disk arrays, often using vendor-proprietary technology. However, the goal of storage virtualization is to group multiple disk arrays from different vendors, scattered over a network, into a single storage device. The single storage device can then be managed uniformly.
CAN
A Controller Area Network (CAN bus) is a robust vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other’s applications without a host computer. It is a message-based protocol, designed originally for multiplex electrical wiring within automobiles to save on copper, but it can also be used in many other contexts. For each device, the data in a frame is transmitted sequentially but in such a way that if more than one device transmits at the same time, the highest priority device can continue while the others back off. Frames are received by all devices, including by the transmitting device.
Applications
- Passenger vehicles, trucks, buses (gasoline vehicles and electric vehicles)
- Agricultural equipment
- Electronic equipment for aviation and navigation
- Industrial automation and mechanical control
- Elevators, escalators
- Building automation
- Medical instruments and equipment
- Pedelecs
- Model Railways/Railroads
- Ships and other maritime applications
- Lighting Control Systems
CAN Benefits
Low-Cost, Lightweight Network
CAN provides an inexpensive, durable network that helps multiple CAN devices communicate with one another. An advantage to this is that electronic control units (ECUs) can have a single CAN interface rather than analog and digital inputs to every device in the system. This decreases overall cost and weight in automobiles.
Broadcast Communication
Each of the devices on the network has a CAN controller chip and is therefore intelligent. All devices on the network see all transmitted messages. Each device can decide if a message is relevant or if it should be filtered. This structure allows modifications to CAN networks with minimal impact. Additional non-transmitting nodes can be added without modification to the network.
Priority
Every message has a priority, so if two nodes try to send messages simultaneously, the one with the higher priority gets transmitted and the one with the lower priority gets postponed. This arbitration is non-destructive and results in non-interrupted transmission of the highest priority message. This also allows networks to meet deterministic timing constraints.
Error Capabilities
The CAN specification includes a Cyclic Redundancy Code (CRC) to perform error checking on each frame’s contents. Frames with errors are disregarded by all nodes, and an error frame can be transmitted to signal the error to the network. Global and local errors are differentiated by the controller, and if too many errors are detected, individual nodes can stop transmitting errors or disconnect itself from the network completely.