Storage Virtualization
Network-Based Virtualization
Network-Based Virtualization
Symmetric/In-Band
Advantages
Host Systems
• Reduced complexity
• One point of
Host access
administration for fabric
and resource allocation
Virtualization engine
• Less likely to become a
implemented in SAN
performance problem
switch or router
when implemented in an
intelligent switch
Device access
Disadvantages
• May not support all file
system types and OS
platforms
Virtual Storage Pool
The other place you can do it is on a hardware blade inside the switch.
So instead of coming into the fabric going to an N-Port, going across to
another N-Port, back into the fabric and down into the storage.
The request comes directly into the switch, it redirects you to a blade inside
the switch, that process it, issues the request, and gets the data back.
Because its hardware based it is less likely to become a performance
bottleneck.