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Dell SAN Foundations Online Training Course
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Index
Course Overview
SAN Introduction
Storage Segments
Distributed
Consolidated
Benefits of SAN

Section Review
SAN Architecture
SAN Implementation
Course Review
Course Feedback
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Storage Area Networking

Distributed Storage

The traditional storage market primarily consisted only of distributed storage. Distributed storage is defined as storage components (either internal drives or external systems) that are attached to a particular server. This direct-attached storage method is implemented because it costs less and is a quick way to expand storage needs. Distributed storage, however, has several disadvantages:   This image shows a distributed storage solution

  • Limited Data Access/Availability - The data on any given drive can only be accessed through the specific server to which it is attached. If the server slows or become unavailable the data is inaccessible.

  • Inefficient Use of Storage Resources - Disks attached to one server may be virtually unused, while those attached to another server may be full.

  • Management Issues - Distributed storage is difficult to maintain and manage because each server or storage component must be individually managed.

  • Centralized Backup - Centralized backup is only available over the network, and bottlenecks can occur. Since more and more businesses operate 24 hours a day, these bottlenecks can make high capacity backups all but impossible.


    This image displays a direct system backup

  • Limited Backup Capabilities - Direct attached backup provides very high backup speeds, but the tape drives are dedicated to the specific servers they are attached to and may go unused for several hours each day. Furthermore, each backup job must be individually managed.


    This image shows a backup performed over a LAN

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