Storage area network is a specialized, high-speed network that provides block-level network access to storage. SAN is a dedicated, independent network that interconnects and distributes a shared pool of storage devices to multiple servers. Storage area networks are mostly used to access large data storage devices, including tape libraries and disk arrays, from multiple servers, so that the devices appear as if they are directly connected to the operating system. SAN is a modular computer network that provides centralized, file-level access to multiple, fixed-size block storage.
Most people are familiar with a traditional local area network (LAN), in which every computer connects to every other computer on the LAN. With a storage area network, however, each computer is connected only to its own storage area. This means that each computer on the network does not need to connect to other computers on the LAN, which can save space and money. Moreover, unlike a conventional file server or workstation that requires a connection to the Internet, a logical SAN requires no connection to the Internet to access its data.
In a SAN, each computer on the network can act as a server, meaning it will accept requests for data and return them to a central server. The central server can respond to these requests using either one of several forms of virtualization, or a layer of memory within the SAN that replicates data throughout the network. Storage area networks are composed of switches, hosts, storage devices, and storage elements that are interconnected using a variety of protocols, topologies, and technologies.
Moreover, instead of having multiple servers with different levels of hard drive usage, a storage area network allows users to pool storage and allocate exactly what each server requires. Each server can access shared storage as if it were a drive directly attached to the server. SAN is the most common storage network architecture used for business-critical applications. Thus, small, medium and large-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly adopting storage area networks for business-critical applications.
For example, in March 2020, Xilinx, the United States-based Technology Company, announced the industry’s first SmartNIC platform delivering true convergence of network, storage, and compute acceleration functions on a single device.