BASIC CONCEPTS OF STORAGE

DAS NAS SAN

TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE
SERVICES
Author

Joshua

Team

TIS

Date of Creation

May 20, 2005

Wipro email id

Joshua.micheal@wipro.com

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Overview :

DAS NAS - SAN

BASIC CONCEPTS
SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE
MERITS AND DEMERITS

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Storage Area Network

Architectures & Technology

Businesses and other organizations require

effective way to store and maintain data.

The following discussion examines three

categories of data storage technologies including
1.Direct Attached Storage - DAS
2.Network Attached Storage - NAS
3.Storage Area Networks - SANs
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Direct Attached Storage

Storage is directly attached to a standalone PCs,

Workstations and Servers.

DAS configuration can be one or several hard disk

drives or disk arrays

Data is transferred using SCSI commands

Standard buses are used between the HDDs and

the computers, such as SCSI, ATA , SATA and FC

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Direct Attached
Storage

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DAS Software Architecture

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The DAS disk system is managed by the client OS.

Software applications access data via file I/O system calls into the
OS.

The file I/O system calls are handled by file system, which
manages the directory data structure and mapping from files to
disk blocks in an abstract logical disk space.

The volume manager manages the blocks resources that are

located in one or more physical disks in the disk system and maps
the accesses to the logical disk block space to the physical
volume/cylinder/sector address.

The disk system device driver ties the OS to the disk controller or
HBA hardware that is responsible for the transfer of commands
and data between the client computer and the disk system.

The file level I/O initiated by the client application is mapped into
block level I/O transfers that occurs over the interface between
the
client computer and the disk system

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Merits of DAS Approach :

Ease to implement and manage on a small

scale.
cost effective on a small Scale.

Demerits of DAS Approach :

High Cost of Management.

Distance Limitations.
Limited Availability.
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High Cost of Management.

1.

The storage capacity of the DAS is limited by

the number of HDDs supported by the bus. In
order to increase storage capacity enterprises
must purchase more servers.

2.

To protect the data on the DAS systems,

backup/recovery of data is required for each
computer,
since it is a time consuming process that
effects the performance of the computers.

3.

Repairing the failures on the individual

computers requires even more manual work.
All these factors increase the total cost of
ownership of DAS systems.
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Distance Limitations : Storage device must be

located close to the server since SCSI devices are
designed to work over parallel cable with max
length of 12 meters.
Limited Availability :

1.

Adding/Removing a disk drive may disrupt access

to all the disk s on the SCSI Chain.

2.

Any server failure results in the content on the

attached storage resources becoming in
accessible. If the storage server is decoupled
from the server, then backup server can be used
to take control of the storage and provide access
to data.

3.

The efficiency of the storage resource is low ,

as storage capacity is bound to a given server.
Sharing storage resources over the network is
not recommended in DAS model.
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Network Storage
Attached

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NAS is a file based storage architecture with

resources
attached directly to the LAN.

NAS is a storage appliance that consists of a high

performance file server that plugs into a LAN and
optimized for file serving, i.e., storing, retrieving
and serving files.

NAS device use file- sharing protocols such as NFS Network File System , Common Internet File System
- CIFS and Internet Protocol Exchange IPX to
manage data request.

NAS use various network protocols such as HTTP,

FTP and TCP/IP.

NAS I/O requests are called file I/Os

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NAS Software Architecture

The NAS storage system involves two types of devices: the client computer system and
NAS devices. The NAS devices present storage resources onto the LAN network that
are shared by the client computer systems attached to the LAN. The Client Application
accesses the Virtual storage resource without knowledge of the whereabouts of the
Resources.

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The application File I/O access request are

handled
by the client OS in the form of system
calls.

The system calls are intercepted by an I/O

redirector
layer determines if the accessed data is
part of the remote file system or the local
attached file system.

The data is part of the remote file system,

the file director Passes the commands onto
the NFS protocol stack that maps the file
access system calls into command message
for accessing the remote file
servers in the form of NFS or CIFS
messages.

These remote file access messages are

then passed onto the TCP/IP protocol stack,
which ensures reliable transport of The
message across the network. The NIC driver
ties the TCP/IP stack to the NIC. The
Ethernet NIC provides the Physical interface
and MAC function to the LAN network.

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In the NAS device, the NIC receives the Ethernet

Frames Carrying the remote file access commands.
The NICdriver Presents the datagram's to the TCP/IP
stack.
The TCP/IP stack recovers the original NFS or CIFS
Messages sent by the client system. The NFS file
Access Handler processes the remote file commands
from the NFS/CIFS messages and maps the
commands into file Access system calls to file
system
of the NAS device.
The NAS file system, The Volume Manager and disk
System device driver operate in a similar way as the
DAS file system, translating the file I/O commands
Into block I/O transfers between the Disk controller
/ HBA and the disk system that is either part of the
NAS device or attached to the NAS device externally.
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Merits of NAS Approach:

Providing data access to clients and backing up data,NAS

devices handle tasks such as proxy, Firewall, tape backups
and audio/Video streaming.

Advantage of Implementing NAS solutions on a network.

Improved server Performance:

Data is stored separately from the server, the strain of file
processing is eliminated from the server. As a result, the
server only needs to process request from its clients.

Increased Reliability and data availability:

NAS device operate independently of servers, even if a server
down data is available to the client through other servers

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Easy Scalability:
NAS devices can be attached to a network during working hours, without
having to interrupt the normal functions of a network.

Easy Manageability:
Administering a NAS device is easy because it configures itself
dynamically after being connected to the network.
NAS device can be access remotely either with the help of Standard
Web browsers or Third-party management tools.

Support to heterogeneous networking

environment

Transparent Backups:
Data stored on the NAS devices can be backed up without
affecting other servers
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Increased Network Productivity:

The implementation of NAS solutions increases the productivity
and the efficiency of the entire network.
Reliable access to the data at all times improves client
productivity.
Servers show a marked improvement in their performance as the
CPU-intensive I/O activities are performed by the NAS devices.
Implementation of the NAS device also simplifies the job of
network
Administrators by allowing them to add additional storage to the
network on-the-fly without having to bring down the entire
network.

Reduced TCO:
By bringing down administrative and productivity costs, NAS
solutions result in a marked reduction TCO.Business can also
reduce expenditures on skilled IT staffs that would be required
for less effective systems of Storage

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Demerits of NAS Approach:

NAS works well in small to medium-sized networks, it can prove to be
highly insufficient in the case of large networks.

Excessive Network Traffic:

A request from a client is targeted at the server, which then passes it
on to the corresponding NAS device. The NAS device then returns the
requested data to the server. The server consequently forwards the
data to the client. This is a long procedure and both the client/server
interaction and server/NAS device interaction use network bandwidth.

Slow Transactions :
Although NAS devices function at high speeds, the response time to
client request can increase during speak hours when the number of
clients requesting information is high.

Increased Vulnerability:
Because NAS device are directly attached to the network and can be
easily accessed, they are vulnerable to malicious attacks. As a result
there is a great chance that confidential business data can be
compromised

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Storage Area Networks

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SAN provides block-orient I/O between the computer systems

and the target disk systems.

SAN may use Fibre Channel or Ethernet (iSCSI) to provide

connectivity between hosts and storage

SAN is often built on a dedicated network fabric that is

separated from the LAN network to ensure the latencysensitive block I/O SAN traffic does not interfere with the
traffic on the LAN network

The SAN fabric ensures a highly reliable, low latency delivery

of traffic among the peers.
SAN are optimized for high volume block oriented data

SAN support a board range of application including providing

storage for NAS application.

I/O request to disk storage on a SAN are called block I/O S

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SAN Software Architecture

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SAN software Architecture is same as the software Architecture

of DAS system, the key difference is that disk controller driver is
replaced by either the Fiber channel protocol or the iSCSI/TCP/IP
Stack that provides the transparent function for block I/O
commands to the remote disk system across the SAN Network.

The block I/O SCSI commands are mapped into FC frames at

the FC-4 layer.

The FC-2 and F C-1 layer provides the signaling and physical
transport of the frames VIA the HBA driver and the HBA
hardware.
AS the abstraction of storage resources is provided at the block
level, the application that access data at the block level can
work in a SAN environment.
SAN storage model, the operating system view storage
resources as SCSI devices. Therefore, SAN infrastructure can
directly replace DAS without significant changes to the
operating system.

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Fibre channel Structure

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Merits of SAN Approach:

Scalability
Network Performance
Data Availability
Fast data Transfer Rates
Reliable
Transparent backup and restore
SAN support cross Platform
Security
Reduced TCO
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Scalability :

Adding new storage resources to network dynamically. Storage

device is not associated with any server, adding a new Storage device
doesnt lead to adding a corresponding server. This is a boon in mask for
the most Network administrators Because they have to manage fewer
devices. This brings down the TCO of the network.

Network Performance:

Network performance also improves with SANs. Server/storage

interactions do not use network bandwidth, which reduce network traffic
considerably. This is because bandwidth intensive bulk-data transfers such
as backups and database updates ,occurs with the SAN as a result, traffic
On the LAN, Which is attached to the SAN, is not affected and user can
Continue with normal work without having to feel the bandwidth pinch.
so Server performance is improved. Servers become free from data I/O
Activities, which are highly CPU-intensive. As a result servers can process
Client response time.

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Data Availability :

In a SAN setup, multiple servers share access to the same data

Simultaneously. If a server becomes unavailable, other server can
take over, which results in improved data availability to the clients and
high failovers. This helps in eliminating data-accessibility problem that
arise due to SPOF.

Fast data Transfer Rates :

The FC infrastructure , which forms the base of the SAN, guarantees fast
Data transfer rates (from 100 Mbps to 1.0625Gbps). This data rate is faster
than data exchange rates in LANs to which the SAN is connected. This is
especially beneficial in the case of E-commerce where fast data transaction
to online companies that are aiming to gain favor from user.

Reliability :

SANs are based on Fibre channels and Switched Fibre technology and can
be accessed from any where in the network, there is a low probability of a
SPOF also being separate from the primary networks, SANs are less
susceptible to data corruption. These factors make them highly reliable.

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Transparent backup and restore :

In a SAN Setup, the storage devices that needs to be backed- up are

separate from the primary LAN. This externalization of storage makes
Backup activities faster and transparent to the user who can continue
their normal operation without feeling a bandwidth pinch. Similarly
data can be restore quickly and easily while primary network still
Operational.

SAN Supports Variety of cross Platform Data

Sharing :

( Windows, UNIX, Linux, Macintosh, OS/390. and so on) and support

Multiple protocols like TCP/IP and IPX. SANS supports storage
Protocols such as Storage IP, Fibre Channel and Infini Band.

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Security :

In a SAN setup Storage are not visible to users. So resources can be

accessed only through network servers. Moreover SANs support
auditable
Security mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access to the data. If
servers
are Properly configured for secured access to storage resources,
The probability of malicious, Unauthorized access can be reduced
Substantially.

Reduced TCO :

Finally, centralized management is far less expensive than the traditional

model that consists of standalone servers and storage devices. Improved
performance, high data availability and easy backups and restore also
Contribute to a reduces TCO. Obviously SANs meet the requirement of
their development goals

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THANK YOU

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