Storage Area Network (SAN) Definition and Working.
                     Storage Area Network (SAN): 
Definition and Working
What is SAN?
A storage area network 
(SAN) is a dedicated, 
independent high-speed 
network that interconnects 
and delivers shared pools of 
storage devices to multiple 
servers.
Source: www.vmware.com
Shared Storage
Each server can access 
shared storage as if it were 
a drive directly attached to 
the server. 
Each switch and storage 
system on the SAN must be 
interconnected.
Source: www.vmware.com
Structure
A SAN is typically assembled 
with cabling, host bus 
adapters, and SAN switches 
attached to storage arrays 
and servers.
Source: www.vmware.com
SAN vs. NAS 
A SAN and network-attached 
storage (NAS) are two 
different types of shared 
networked storage solutions. 
While a SAN is a local 
network composed of 
multiple devices, NAS is a 
single storage device that 
connects to a local area 
network (LAN). 
Source: www.vmware.com
What is a SAN switch? 
A SAN switch is hardware 
that connects servers to 
shared pools of storage 
devices. It is dedicated to 
moving storage traffic in a 
SAN. 
Source: www.vmware.com
Protocols of SAN
Following are the most 
common protocols of SAN 
(Storage Area Network):
• FCP (Fibre Channel 
Protocol)
• iSCSI
• FCoE
• NVMe
Source: www. javatpoint.com
Advantages of SAN
• It is more scalable. 
Security is also a main 
advantage of SAN. 
• If users want to secure 
their data, then SAN is a 
good option to use. Users 
can easily implement 
various security measures 
on SAN.
Source: www. javatpoint.com
Advantages of SAN Cont.
• Storage devices can be 
easily added or removed 
from the network. If users 
need more storage, then 
they simply add the 
devices.
• The cost of this storage 
network is low as 
compared to others.
• Another big advantage of 
using the SAN (Storage 
Area Network) is better 
disk utilization.
Source: www. javatpoint.com
How it work?
• It is a network of storage 
devices that can be 
accessed by multiple 
servers or computers, 
providing a shared pool of 
storage space. 
• Each computer on the 
network can access 
storage on the SAN as 
though they were local 
disks connected directly 
to the computer.
Source: www. javatpoint.com
Backup and recovery
• SAN is a short form of 
Storage Area Network.
• It uses block by block 
copying technique for 
backup and recovery.
• The capacity of SAN is 
more than the 1012 
bytes.
Source: www. javatpoint.com