The application should also provide a hierarchical user interface to ensure scalability as the SAN grows. If the abstraction levels are not built into the software from the beginning, problems with scalability are probable later on. If the application only supports in-band discovery, then the application could be disabled when a major SAN problem occurs. The custom appearance and ease of use of the SAN management application user interface can have a significant effect on the way a SAN is managed. Generic software, not dedicated to SAN support, does not provide the most helpful visual representations of the devices in the SAN, the way they relate to each other and the way the SAN relates to the enterprise.
Safety goes beyond the protection of data.
It should include protection of the network itself. For example, the SAN management application should allow the display of all information that is discovered, but restrict the user's ability to change those items that can negatively impact the network. By implementing role-based security, a user can only perform those functions that they are qualified to perform. Managing the SAN At a minimum, the SAN management application for tying diverse SAN devices together must offer automatic device discovery, topology mapping, persistence, status monitoring and event logging and notification. Organizations often need to support multiple subnets.