Resilient Storage Networks: Designing Flexible Scalable Data Infrastructures

What This Chapter Will Do For You
This chapter looks at flexible and scalable storage access infrastructures for SMB, and distributed environments to simplify storage access and management costs. Some of the items you will learn about in this chapter include:
The value of integrated, turnkey SAN and NAS solutions for data protection
Essential technologies to support small resilient storage networks
SMB environments can be at greater risk for lack of data protection than an enterprise
Is your SMB or SOHO environment at risk, and is your personal data protected?
Resilient storage networks are not just for large environments; storage networks of any size can benefit from the techniques discussed in this book. Storage networks using different interfaces (Fibre Channel, Ethernet, InfiniBand, USB, SATA) and protocols (FCP, IP, iSCSI, NAS) can be deployed in SOHO and SMB environments. Some examples of where small storage networks can be utilized include:
Satellite remote, SOHO, and branch offices
Workgroup and collaborative applications
Windows, NetWare, Linux, and UNIX Cluster environments
Small environments with a small mainframe and open systems
Small and medium businesses and small home offices
Application-specific environments where isolation is needed
Web and e-mail systems for various size environments