Storage Area Networks (SAN) is a network used in connecting all the storage devices and the servers in the networking. SAN consists of the SAN hardware and software.
The hardware is characterized with high rates of inter-connections between the storage devices while the SAN software is used for the purposes of monitoring, managing and configuring the SAN. SAN software allows the users at various terminals within the Fibre Channel (FC) and the Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) networks to have a quick access to the stored data more proficiently and securely. This software therefore, helps in expanding the computer environments to directly match with the large-scale operations of the businesses. Moreover, they assist in eliminating the downtimes that are as a result of system delays. In addition, the SAN software ought to be capable to tolerate faults and in case of a failure in the network, the software should permit continuous right of entry to the storage (Tansey, 2002). A good example of the SAN software is the starwind iSCSI software that has the capability to offer the storage enterprise with reliability at relatively low costs, minimal complexities and legacy vendor solutions. An efficient SAN software is one that abridges the operations involve in data storage within the centralized and network.
Besides, it has to have the ability to be easily configured in the Internet Protocol or Ethernet network that is existent. So as to maximize the payoff, virtualization is a vital feature for this software. This feature helps in maximally utilizing the IT resources, helps boost performance and bumps up availability (Tansey, 2002). On top of a SAN software augmenting file sharing, it should increase, to a measurable degree, the performance with load balancing. Since it is installed in the large-scale storage firms, it should protect the storage through replication and powerful mirroring.
In a SAN network, the SAN software ought to be able to improve on the utilization of the hardware and also the leverage present in the IT infrastructure.