Generally, the people who talk storage and data are different from the people who talk network and systems management. SANs combine these concepts, this presents a challenge and an opportunity. Also, SANs use a separate, discrete network between the servers and the storage devices as well as between the devices themselves. This high-speed network is optimized for data traffic, and separated from the LAN traffic. The power of these capabilities is significant, but so are the challenges.
SANs involve changing storage devices, network infrastructure and software.
The more sophisticated SANs involve Fibre Channel switching, with a combination of switches, hubs and routers. All of this raises interoperability issues, particularly across products from different vendors. This has been one of the issues creating skepticism amongst users and slowing SAN implementations. This year has seen vendors stepping up to that challenge by creating interoperability labs. Md. Significant dollars have been spent in these facilities, with an invitation to other vendors and users to take advantage of the labs.