Chapter List

Overview

What This Chapter Will Do For You

Data can be accessed from storage using different methods for various needs and applications. Some of the items you will learn about in this chapter include:

• All data is not the same, use the appropriate access method for the specific need

• How to protect data over distance for continual access and recovery

• Cost-effective techniques for sharing storage and data across servers

3.1 Overview

There are similarities and differences between traditional I/O interfaces and enterprise messaging networks, including LANs, MANs, and WANs. Traditional storage and I/O interfaces have been constrained in support over long distances compared with LANs, MANs, and WANs. This chapter takes a look at logical storage access, including techniques for accessing data and storage such as direct attached, network attached, block, storage network (SAN) attached, file, and object. Also covered in this chapter are different uses for storage networks, including server to storage, storage to storage, server to server, and SAN to SAN for multisegment storage networks. Physical networking, storage interfaces, and logical protocols are covered in Chapter 4.

3.2 Networks and I/O channels

Often taken for granted with computer systems of all sizes today is the I/O subsystem, which encompasses many things, including keyboards, monitors, disk, tape, networking interfaces, and even memory. Consequently, there is an association between...