Storage Networking Architectures
Comparing Solutions
SNIA Shared Storage Model
Applications
d Files/Databases
or
File System
Database
“Packing many
ec
e
r
/r (FS)
(dbms)
smaller things into
lay
ile
a few larger ones..”
F
omain
Block Layer
Host
D
k
o
c
e
g
a
t
i
o
n
Network
Block Aggregation –
address mapping,
y
e
r
Bl
g
r
concatenation,
Ag
Device
striping, mirroring
c
k
la
e
Blo
Storage Devices –
c
e
s
disk drives, tape
Storage
o
r
a
g
v
i
St De
drives, solid state
disk
A simple model for shared storage architectures.
The SNIA has developed a Shared Storage Model to help create a common
vocabulary:
The Shared Storage Model describes storage networks in terms of the
functions they provide, rather than which products are providing those
functions.
It is not a specification for a "right" or "wrong" way to design a particular
network architecture.
One of the biggest problems facing the storage networking industry today is
vocabulary:
Each vendor uses their own terms, defined in different ways, to describe
their views of what storage networks can and should do.
The resulting confusion makes it hard for vendors to differentiate their
products and for customers to compare them.