RAID and Subsystem Architectures Subsystem Architectures
Disk Subsystems Shelf No4 : 16x SATA disks ? SAN
Typically 4-64 FC or iSCSI interfaces to the SAN
(some have 200+ ports)
Shelf No1 : 16x FC disks FC Shelf No2 : 16x FC disks
FC FC
FC or iSCSI can be used to connect the storage array to the SAN while the internal connections may be FC, SAS or SATA.
The internal architecture is transparent to the SAN.
Shelf No3 : 16x FC disks
A collection of disks with a controller that provides mirroring or striping functionality.
A Disk Subsystem typically isolates the internal architecture from the outside connectivity.
For open systems connectivity the host ports will support either Fibre Channel or iSCSI, but the subsystem can also support mainframe connectivity via ESCON or FICON.
The host will see its storage presented as a Logical Unit and the physical data layout will be hidden inside the subsystem.