The Storage Area Network (SAN) infrastructure facilitates storage consolidation, data sharing, server clustering, LAN-free and server-less backup across heterogeneous host server platforms. This course focuses on the planning and implementation considerations associated with establishing that SAN infrastructure. Functions provided by SAN fabric components, such as Fibre Channel host bus adapters (HBAs), Fibre Channel switches and directors, and SCSI to Fibre Channel protocol converters are discussed, and the interdependencies of these components are examined. Mechanisms to implement resource access control for data access integrity among heterogeneous hosts in a storage networking environment are also examined.

Course objectives:

• Examine Fibre Channel services such as login processes, name server, addressing, loop initialization and arbitration, frame routing, and registered state change notification as they relate to configuring the SAN infrastructure.
• Plan for the implementation of SAN interconnect components, such as Fibre Channel HBAs, the IBM TotalStorage SAN Switches, the McDATA directors and switches and the INRANGE director by reviewing their default configurations and assessing tailoring options.
• Plan for the Implementation of resource access control to ensure data integrity by using zoning interfaces in the IBM TotalSTorage SAN Switches, the McDATA directors and switches, and the INRANGE director and the IBM SAN Data Gateway module.
• Interpret topology, routing, and trunking data displayed by switch management interfaces.