Along with the explosive growth of business data comes the ever-increasing need to store it. Workers generate astounding numbers of emails with attachments; IT managers install more and more storage-hogging applications; more people are demanding instant access to data, and old school, paper-based information is being converted into a digital format.
All these practices, among others, create unprecedented challenges for IT managers whose job it is to cope with data warehousing, imaging, networked storage, real-time computing, integrated audio/video, collaborative projects and CAD/CAE – all on strict budgets.
Storage Area Networks (SAN)s are life-savers for those in this unenviable position. SANs are very often based on Fibre Channel (FC), but also incorporate iSCSI and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE).
What is Fibre Channel?
Fibre Channel is a way of transporting large blocks of data between computer devices at current data rates of up to 20Gbps. It is highly efficient and reliable, and is ideal for connecting computer servers to shared storage devices that can be as far as up to six miles apart if optical fiber is used. Optical fiber is not required for shorter distances (up to 30 meters), however, as Fibre Channel works equally well using coaxial or ordinary telephone cables.
Benefits of Fibre Channel SAN
A Fibre Channel SAN has many benefits, the most significant of which are:
* Improved business continuance
* Accelerated restore and backup capabilities
* Better storage consolidation
* Boosted high availability (HA)
* Point-to-point, switched and loop interfaces
* Low latency and high throughput
In addition, the Fibre Channel Protocol is optimized to handle storage traffic. It is a single purpose protocol and is significantly thinner than protocols that run on top of TCP/IP, resulting in a lower switching latency. It also includes a built-in flow control mechanism, ensuring data isn’t sent to a storage device or server that isn’t ready to accept it.
The Ideal Solution
Fibre Channel SAN is a safe and proven solution for IT professionals looking for high-speed communication and reliable, cost-effective information storage. It’s not surprising then, to note that Fibre Channel is the foundation for over 90% of all SAN installations worldwide. It is simply the easiest, safest and most reliable solution for information storage and retrieval.