SAN/NAS

SAN (Storage Area Network) is a network specifically dedicated to the task of transporting data for storage and retrieval. SAN architectures are alternatives to storing data on disks directly attached to servers or storing data on Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices which are connected through general purpose networks. Storage Area Networks were traditionally connected over Fibre Channel networks, however many of the latest products connect via iSCSI (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface) which is a SCSI variant.

When designing centralised storage solutions, HA (high availability) and disaster recovery considerations are a must. It's not easy to separate hype from reality - consider the following questions to determine the best solution for you:

Will the HA (High Availability) storage solution:

1. Perform a failover that is transparent to the user - meaning users do not have to reboot their workstation or restart their application?
   
2. Offer complete data protection - ensure that all important information is replicated
   
3. Protect from all types of failures, for example
   

• data corruption or data loss
  
• operating system performance
  
• network issues
  
• hardware issues

1. Work in a WAN environment to protect from complete site failure?
   
2. Offer both a manual and automatic failover/switchback by the click of a single button?
   
3. Be easy to maintain - what IT resources are required during upgrades, failovers and switchbacks?
   
4. Allow for comprehensive failover testing - including your application, Active Directory, DNS updates and network connectivity?
   

Your ideal solution:

1. Performs a failover that is non-visible and non-disruptive to the end-user.
   
2. Conducts a full diagnosis on the server configuration environment and provides recommendations to ensure a reliable server environment is in place prior to installing a high availability solution.
   
3. Ensures an efficient installation process that eliminates the need to pre-configure the failover server with the same applications, directory locations and settings as the production server.
   
4. Offers data protection that not only rolls back the data but the entire application state, as "rewinding" back to a data point that is inconsistent with the registry results in unusable configuration and data.
   
5. Protects from downtime regardless of failure type.
   
6. Works in a LAN or WAN environment and offers data compression.
   
7. Allows for manual and automatic failover/failback through a single button click and does so seamlessly without disruption to the end user.
   
8. Requires minimal IT skills to manage and operate; fully automated, yet gives IT administrators control and flexibility.
   
9. Has the ability for comprehensive testing of all critical failover considerations beyond just the application.
   

Why not contact us to discuss your specific application requirements- we will be able to help.

NAS (Network Attached Storage) is a term used to describe a storage system which is designed to be attached to a traditional data network. NAS servers commonly support NFS (Network File System) and CIFS (Common Internet File System). A NAS is generally less expensive and less complex to operate than a SAN, however it may offer lower performance and be less configurable. Contact MintTec sales@minttec.com and let us help you assess your storage needs.