About Network Connectivity
SANsymphony software SANs can be Fibre Channel, native iSCSI, or a hybrid of both. Storage servers connect to application servers and storage either directly or via switches using Fibre Channel or iSCSI adapter cards.
In a basic configuration, several application servers running a variety of operating systems are connected to a switch; a storage server creates and serves virtual volumes via Fibre Channel or iSCSI; an additional storage server is used in a high availability configuration to mirror virtual volume information.
iSCSI-based SANs use standard network interface cards (NICs) or host bus adapters (HBAs) in servers and ethernet connectivity. SANsymphony software supports Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
Adapter card ports can be configured as initiator, target, or both. Initiators originate I/O commands. Targets receive I/O commands.
In the typical storage network, switches interconnect the storage network elements in a very basic and easy to manage configuration, without using any proprietary features of the switches.
Conceptually, only three zones are needed for a basic configuration. One zone is for all the application servers. A second zone is for all the storage devices. A third zone is for virtual disk mirrors. This separation prevents servers from accessing and competing for the same disk resources. SANsymphony storage servers are the only elements that participate in all zones, securely brokering all storage resource allocations, or pathways between server and disk. Most configurations include redundant switches for high availability.
SANsymphony software works with IP to Fibre Channel routers that enable IP/iSCSI connectivity to the Fibre Channel and iSCSI storage resources.
Refer to the DataCore Technical Support Web site (http://www.datacore.com/support/support_home.asp) for the latest DataCore Qualified Products List for qualified network products.
Related Topic:
Best Practices for iSCSI High Availability