The inside scoop on a leading-edge data storage technology The rapid growth of e-commerce and the need to have all kinds of applications operating at top speed at the same time, all on a 24/7 basis while connected to the Internet, is overwhelming traditional data storage methods. The solution? Storage Area Networks (SANs)--the data communications technology that's expected to revolutionize distributed computing. Written by top technology experts at VERITAS Software Global Corporation, this book takes readers through all facets of storage networking, explaining how a SAN can help consolidate conventional server storage onto networks, how it makes applications highly available no matter how much data is being stored, and how this in turn makes data access and management faster and easier. System and network managers considering storage networking for their enterprises, as well as application developers and IT staff, will find invaluable advice on the design and deployment of the technology and how it works. Detailed, up-to-date coverage includes: The evolution of the technology and what is expected from SANs Killer applications for SANs Full coverage of storage networking and what it means for the enterprise's information processing architecture Individual chapters devoted to the storage, network, and software components of storage networking Issues for implementation and adoption

Unlike networking technology, where there is already a great deal of literature available, many professionals still need to understand the basic building blocks of storage networking. This book provides vendor-neutral, independent analysis and terminology.

The superabundance of data that is created by today's businesses is making storage a strategic investment priority for companies of all sizes. As storage takes precedence, the following major initiatives emerge: Flatten and converge your network: IBM® takes an open, standards-based approach to implement the latest advances in the flat, converged data center network designs of today. IBM Storage solutions enable clients to deploy a high-speed, low-latency Unified Fabric Architecture. Optimize and automate virtualization: Advanced virtualization awareness reduces the cost and complexity of deploying physical and virtual data center infrastructure. Simplify management: IBM data center networks are easy to deploy, maintain, scale, and virtualize, delivering the foundation of consolidated operations for dynamic infrastructure management. Storage is no longer an afterthought. Too much is at stake. Companies are searching for more ways to efficiently manage expanding volumes of data, and to make that data accessible throughout the enterprise. This demand is propelling the move of storage into the network. Also, the increasing complexity of managing large numbers of storage devices and vast amounts of data is driving greater business value into software and services. With current estimates of the amount of data to be managed and made available increasing at 60% each year, this outlook is where a storage area network (SAN) enters the arena. SANs are the leading storage infrastructure for the global economy of today. SANs offer simplified storage management, scalability, flexibility, and availability; and improved data access, movement, and backup. Welcome to the cognitive era. The smarter data center with the improved economics of IT can be achieved by connecting servers and storage with a high-speed and intelligent network fabric. A smarter data center that hosts IBM Storage solutions can provide an environment that is smarter, faster, greener, open, and easy to manage. This IBM® Redbooks® publication provides an introduction to SAN and Ethernet networking, and how these networks help to achieve a smarter data center. This book is intended for people who are not very familiar with IT, or who are just starting out in the IT world.

This is a complete revision of Clark's bestseller "Designing Storage Area Networks." The new book provides guidelines for implementing SANs to solve existing networking problems in large-scale corporate networks.

Market_Desc: The book provides basic application information key for systems administrators, database administrators and managers who need to know about the networking aspects of their systems. As well as systems architects, network managers, information management directors and decision makers.This book also supports applications for graduate students and other relevant courses in the field. Special Features: · Hot topic that will become increasingly important in the coming years· First book to focus on using rather than building storage networks, and how to solve problems· Looking beyond technology and showing the With CD benefits of storage networks· Covers fibre channel SAN, Network Attached Storage, iSCSI and InfiniBand technologies· Contains several case studies (e.g. the example of a travel portal, protecting a critical database)· Endorsed by the Storage Networking Industry Association· Written by very experienced professionals who tailored the book specifically to meet customer needs About The Book: The authors have hands-on experience of network storage hardware and software, they teach customers about concrete network storage products, they understand the concepts behind storage networks, and show customers how storage networks address their business needs. They know which questions their readers will ask and what they need to know to do their day-to-day job as efficiently as possible, both those with no SAN experience and those with SAN experience.

The worldwide market for SAN and NAS storage is anticipated to grow from US $2 billion in 1999 to over $25 billion by 2004. As business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce matures, even greater demands for management of stored data will arise. With the rapid increase in data storage requirements in the last decade, efficient management of stored data becomes a necessity for the enterprise. A recent UC-Berkeley study predicts that 150,000 terabytes of disk storage will be shipped in 2003. Most financial, insurance, healthcare, and telecommunications institutions are in the process of implementing storage networks that are distributed to some degree. For these institutions, data integrity is critical, and they will spend much time and money on planning. One of the primary obstacles to implementing a storage network cited by enterprise IT managers is a lack of knowledge about storage networking technology and the specific issues involved in extending a Storage Area Network (SAN) or Network Attached Storage (NAS) over the Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN) or Wireless Area Networks (WAN). Distributed Storage Networks : Architecture, Protocols and Management addresses the "terminology gap" between enterprise network planners and telecommunications engineers, who must understand the transport requirements of storage networks in order to implement distributed storage networks. Jepsen comprehensively provides IT managers, planners, and telecommunications professionals with the information they need in order to choose the technologies best suited for their particular environment. * Addresses a hot topic that will become increasingly important in the coming years * Enables high-level managers and planners to make intelligent decisions about network needs. * Includes example network configurations providing solutions to typical user scenarios * Fills the "terminology gap" between enterprise network managers and telecommunications engineers who must understand the transport requirements of storage networks in order to implement distributed storage area networks A fundamental resource for all network managers, planners and network design engineers, as well as telecommunications engineers and engineering, computer science, and information technology students.