KJSCE/IT/TE/SEMVIII/SNMR/2015-2016

Experiment No. 03
Title: Case study on Storage Area Network.

(Autonomous College Affiliated to University of Mumbai)

KJSCE/IT/TE/SEMVIII/SNMR/2015-2016

Batch:

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Experiment No.:

Aim: To provide solution for the problem specified in the case study based on Storage Area
Networks.
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Resources needed: Microsoft Word / Open office Writer
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Theory
A storage area network (SAN) is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated,
block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk
arrays, tape libraries and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear
like locally attached devices to the operating system.
Benefits of a Storage Area Network:
A storage area network can be easier to manage than other storage systems. By
consolidating information into one easily accessible place, it becomes easier to access
information while also making it simple to increase capacity as and when required.

Automation of routine tasks. Routine tasks such as a backup can be automated so that
administrators do not have to schedule their own time in order to make sure that
backups are completed.

Increased efficiency. Organisations with a number of locations and data storage

locations can maximise the storage according to who needs it rather than where the
information is stored. This means that storage can be used more efficiently as
resources can be allocated where they are need most. The information can be made to
appear as if it is in one, single repository.

Storage can be increased easily. It is possible to increase storage without it impacting

an organisations network performance. Often, upgrades can interfere with the
network performance or even lead to an element of down-time meaning that upgrades
need to be conducted late at night or at weekends.

Better performance. Storage devices are purely dedicated to storing information,

leaving the servers within a network to be used solely to process information and
applications.

Speed of access. Storage area networks are specifically designed for one purpose to
provide storage and fast access to this data. As a result, SANs are far faster than
typical servers and storage facilities. It is not necessary to purchase a server with a
SAN because they are a stand-alone system, so this once again potentially reduces the
cost.

Data can be passed from one source of storage, e.g. disk and tape, across to a SAN
directly rather than across a network. This means that less data is sent across the
network and is therefore a more efficient way of using the servers or a networks
computing power.
Maintenance. Because SAN work independently of the organisations servers, it
means that if there are server issues or if maintenance is being carried out on the
server(s), personnel can still access critical data on the SAN, and independently of the
network, i.e. any work carried out will not impact the users of the network.

Availability. Because data can be replicated easily, should one server or element of
storage fail, the data will still be available to users. This increases the resilience of the
network and is especially important in computing environments where data is viewed
(Autonomous College Affiliated to University of Mumbai)

KJSCE/IT/TE/SEMVIII/SNMR/2015-2016

as mission critical.

Better manageability. Because the storage area network can be seen easily, it
becomes much easier to manage because other storage systems are hidden by the
servers thereby making the visibility of data difficult. This is not the case with a SAN.
Management tools. Monitoring tools can automatically find and fix any faults without
the need for specialist technical personnel to be involved. Some can even alert the
support department that there is a problem. Many systems are even able to remove
duplicate information, e.g. a number of copies of the same word document. These
duplicates can takes up a large amount of storage and as a result can have an
expensive overhead.

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Procedure:
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Study the given Case study.

Draw an appropriate diagram for existing scenario specified in case study.
Provide an appropriate solution
Justify your solution along with a proper diagram.

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Results: (Document printout as per the format)
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Questions:
Case Study 1:
A mid-size publishing house has a centralized IT department located in Vashi,
New Mumbai. connected to 3 branch offices in Panvel, Chembur and Thane. Recent
analysis of the storage environment suggests that they are getting poor ROI(Return
On Investment) in their storage infrastructure.
The companys current infrastructure consists of several storage arrays directattached to a heterogeneous mix of 90 servers. All servers are dual-attached to the
arrays for reliability and redundancy. Since each storage device has 32 connectivity
ports, each could support a maximum of 16 servers. The company sees the 32-ports as
a limitation. Each storage device has the disk capacity to support more than 16
servers. However, there was no way to add a 17th server to make use of that capacity
and support future growth.
Q1. How would you suggest that the company restructure their environment? List the
advantages and disadvantages of your proposed solution.
(Note: Suggest updation in the existing infrastructure so as to serve the requirements. Justify
your choice based on scalability, performance, and availability of the new solution.)
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Outcomes:
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(Autonomous College Affiliated to University of Mumbai)

KJSCE/IT/TE/SEMVIII/SNMR/2015-2016

Conclusion: (Conclusion to be based on the outcomes achieved)

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Grade: AA / AB / BB / BC / CC / CD /DD

Signature of faculty in-charge with date

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References:
Books/ Journals/ Websites:
1. Richard Barker and Paul Massiglia, Storage Area Network Essentials: A Complete
Guide to Understanding and Implementing SANs, Wiley India.
2. Robert Spalding, Storage Networks: The Complete Reference, Tata McGraw Hill
Osborne, 2003.
3. Marc Farley, Building Storage Networks, Tata McGraw Hill, Osborne, 2001.
4. Meet Gupta, Storage Area Network Fundamentals, Pearson Education Limited, 2002.

(Autonomous College Affiliated to University of Mumbai)