IP SANS: A Guide to iSCSI, iFCP, and FCIP Protocols for Storage Area Networks [Paperback]

Tom Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 6, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0201752778 | ISBN-13: 978-0201752779 | Edition: 1

Today's enterprises face unprecedented data storage and availability requirements. To meet these needs, they are increasingly turning to Storage Area Networks (SANs). Now, even more promising IP-based SANs are arriving, combining the advantages of SAN architecture with the familiarity and value of IP-based networking. Leading SAN expert Tom Clark surveys these emerging products, helping decision-makers understand the key issues, protocols, technologies, and applications. He begins with an overview of today's enterprise storage challenges and reviews existing approaches, including Fibre Channel, SCSI; and network-attached-storage solutions. He then introduces IP from the perspective of the storage professional. Clark reviews supporting technologies such as TCP offload engines; and presents in-depth coverage of security, including VLANs, encryption, and authentication. Case studies present IP SANs at work in server clustering, backup, storage consolidation, disaster recovery, and both metropolitan and wide-area IP storage networks. The book concludes with a developmental roadmap reflecting key advances such as 10 Gb Ethernet and Infiniband.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"A concise guide to an exciting new technology that is bringing SANs into mainstream IP networking."

--Jayshree Ullal, Group Vice President/General Manager, Cisco Systems

"IP SANs provides a comprehensive overview of the next-generation storage area networks, with concrete examples of how customers can deploy cost-effective and highly scalable IP storage solutions."

--Ahmad Zamer, Product Line Marketing Manager, Intel Corporation

"An essential reference for understanding the benefits that IP networking provides for SANs, including quality of service, security, and wide-area connectivity for storage."

--John L. Hufferd, Senior Technical Staff Member, IBM

IP storage and networking have traditionally resided in two distinct worlds. Networking professionals from an Internet Protocol (IP) internetworking background are usually not familiar with storage issues, and storage administrators may be unfamiliar with IP internetworking. With IP storage networking, network professionals dealing with storage area networks (SANs) now have an integrated option for improved data storage. IP SANs: A Guide to iSCSI, iFCP, and FCIP Protocols for Storage Area Networks explains these new IP technologies that enable SANs to keep up with today's networking needs, detailing the various storage solutions that are created when both disciplines are combined.

As more corporations take part in e-commerce and global data sharing, the need for more efficient data storage is increasing. SANs address this need for a more powerful means of storing and retrieving mass amounts of data. Until recently, SANs were based on the Fibre Channel technology, which, for years, has provided the industry with flexible, high-performance block data access for storage applications. However, network professionals are now looking for ways to implement SANs using the more familiar TCP/IP and Ethernet technologies. IP SANs provides an overview of these technologies, focusing on practical implementations, an understanding of existing data access paradigms, and the significant innovations of IP-based SANs. Covering the basic architecture and products, along with management strategies for professionals in IP SAN environments, this book outlines how to meet the growing data storage needs of today's marketplace.

IP SANs: A Guide to iSCSI, iFCP, and FCIP Protocols for Storage Area Networks is a targeted and timely account of the changing internetworking environment. Technology development requires both cooperation and competition. By combining storage capabilities with networking technologies, businesses will now be able to reap the benefits that only IP storage can provide.

0201752778B11262001

About the Author

Tom Clark is Director of Technical Marketing for Vixel Corporation, a manufacturer of Fibre Channel transceivers, hubs, fabric switches, and SAN management software. During his 15-year career in system engineering, he has gained extensive experience in data communications and internetworking, has published numerous articles on Fibre Channel technology, and has presented papers at several conferences, including Fibre Channel Technologies Conference and Expo.

0201752778AB12242002

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1 edition (December 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201752778
• ISBN-13: 978-0201752779
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,202,325 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riding the Waves of IP Storage, December 10, 2001

By 

Ahmad H. Zamer (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: IP SANS: A Guide to iSCSI, iFCP, and FCIP Protocols for Storage Area Networks (Paperback)

This book represents an important milestone in the development of IP Storage. Often times, technologies fail to take hold or succeed because they are never understood. Despite the benefits they offer consumers, many technologies fail because the targeted consumers were never educated about them and they never able to appreciate or take advantage of the benefits. IP Storage advocates have been working hard to ensure that consumers understand the technology and appreciate its benefits. This book is a comprehensive reference for the material needed by those working on IP Storage and those who will be using it.

Like an artist trying to paint a picture of shifting sand dunes in the middle of a storm, the author covers the subject of IP Storage very well while being mindful of the changing nature of many aspects of the covered material. The book provides a solid review of the subjects needed to create a foundation for understanding IP Storage without dwelling on the specific protocol issues that are most susceptible to change. The result is a work that will withstand the anticipated changes in the protocols and that will remain valid and valuable as the IP Storage industry matures moving forward.

IP Storage is a technology that builds on the rich heritage of the storage and networking industries. As a result, understanding IP Storage requires a good knowledge of the basics of both storage and networks. The book devotes several chapters to the task of building the knowledge foundation that is needed for one to understand and appreciate IP Storage technologies. Chapters two through seven cover the basics of storage, including SCSI and Fibre Channel (FC). The same chapters also cover the basics of networks, including gigabit Ethernet, Internet Protocol (IP) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The material is presented in a simple and easy to read manner that makes it possible for non-technical people to absorb. Many diagrams are used to illustrate the presented material in a very helpful way. The diagrams supplement and strengthen the text rather than overwhelm it or substitute for it as often the case in similar books.

After a good treatment of the basics of storage and networking, the book, in chapter eight, provides a good review of the three IP Storage technologies being considered by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The technologies, Internet SCSI (iSCSI), Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP), and Internet Fibre Channel Protocol (iFCP) are outlined in an easy to comprehend manner. Despite the dry nature of the subject, Tom Clark manages to find a way to make the material attractive and easy flowing.

Chapters nine and ten treat two basic challenges facing IP Storage technologies: discovery and security. Discovery is the process, or mechanism used by initiators to locate storage resources, or targets, on the network. The process is necessary to establish communication sessions among initiators and targets. After reviewing the pioneering Discovery work in the area of Fibre Channel, the author covers IP Storage discovery focusing on Internet Storage Name Server (iSNS).

No discussion of networking can be complete without covering data security. Chapter ten of the book is dedicated to security. The author does a good job in explaining the "physical security" used in FC. Using simple language, he clarifies the ambiguities of port zoning, world wide name zoning, and logical unit masking. Since IETF is still working on security matters related to IP Storage, the author talks about the security options in this area, including IP Security (IPSec). As the book was being printed, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced that Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) was approved on November 26, 2001 as an encryption standard for use by US government organizations to protect sensitive information. The decision should make it easier for the IP Storage community to reach an agreement of encryption and security. There is no doubt that future editions of the book will cover security more thoroughly.

In order for any technology to succeed, it must find home in applications that provide compelling reasons for users to adopt it. Chapter thirteen examines several applications for IP Storage technologies. Mindful of the nature of technology transitions and adoption curves, the author gives examples of environments where IP Storage coexists with FC and SCSI, as one would expect the case to be in the near future. Focusing more on native IP solutions, the chapter explains using helpful diagrams several scenarios for IP storage deployment using LAN-free backup and server free backup applications. The benefits of IP Storage in storage consolidation are also reviewed. More attention is given to the most compelling aspect of IP Storage, its ability to extend the reach of Storage Area Networks (SAN) over remote distances. The benefits of remote access to storage are explained using several examples. Remote backup, remote tape vaulting, and remote mirroring are illustrated. Disaster recovery is an application that assumed great importance in light of recent events and is an application that will become a true reality with IP Storage. With the right levels of security and performance, IP Storage will bring to life digital content distribution and will change the way we distribute content today. Chapter thirteen is full of good examples that explain the popularity and great promise of IP Storage.

The last chapter of the book is the one I recommend that you read first. Chapter fourteen offers a reality check for IP Storage and technology adoptions in general. The author states, "The value proposition of IP Storage networking is that it will simplify and lower the cost of acquisition, deployment, and management of shared storage solutions." He cautions against the hype that accompanies all technologies in their early stages of development. He points to the need for standardization, interoperability, and processor overhead as issues that need to be tackled to ensure the success of IP Storage. As all involved in IP Storage, the author correctly recognizes the energy surrounding it and notes that "Given the momentum behind IP networking and the engineering resources available to solve IP-related issues, it is largely a matter of when, not if, these issues will be resolved."

IP SANs is a giant step towards building the information base for IP Storage technologies. It provides comprehensive reference material for the technologies contributing to IP Storage and issues surrounding it. The author provided as complete a picture of the state of the art as possible considering the ever-changing nature of the subject matter. We recommend the book to IT managers and participants in the storage industry at large. Readers will find IP SANs easy to read and follow and would appreciate the wealth of information that it offers.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Needs an update & objectivity, September 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: IP SANS: A Guide to iSCSI, iFCP, and FCIP Protocols for Storage Area Networks (Paperback)

First off, Tom Clark's "Designing Storage Area Networks" is one of my favorite FC books. Its thorough and gives you a solid understanding of FC. Even with all the recent updates in FC, its still a good reference book.

But this book is already out of date. Most of the comparisons made between FC and IP are inaccurate (no mention of 2 Gb FC, necessity of IP HBAs) or avoid serious corporate considerations like technology availability, maturity, and cost. I hate to say it, but large portions of this book read like a product brochure (Mr. Clark is Director of Tech Marketing for Nishan Systems and he plugs them & iFCP often). If you're looking to understand IP SANs and where they will fit in your environment, This isn't it. An update may help, but it would probably be better if this book got to the brass tacks of IP SANs and avoided FC comparisons. One last point: backups aren't low priority (streaming media doesn't like intermittent data flow & data protection is high priority).

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read!, January 15, 2002

By 

George D. Marshall "george1767" (Fremont, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IP SANS: A Guide to iSCSI, iFCP, and FCIP Protocols for Storage Area Networks (Paperback)

This is a really good book on the new area of Storage Area Networking using IP network technology. It starts with a background on SAN and Fibre Channel (FC), then gets into why IP SAN products are coming onto the market, and how they compare to the older FC products. It also covers SCSI, and has several chapters on IP, UDP and TCP, including how they apply to SANs. A large part of the book is devoted to the various protocols and approaches being used to support SANs over IP, including Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP), Internet Fibre Channel Protocol (iFCP), Metro Fibre Channel Protocol (mFCP), and Internet SCSI (iSCSI). There are also chapters on security and QoS.

This book could be used by either a "storage head" or a "net head", as it has chapters to bring the reader up to speed in both storage and networking technology. Best of all, it is written in a very accessible, readable style that entirely avoids the dry textbook style some tech authors fall into. While the intro claims the book was written for IT personnel in various capacities, it would also be useful to development engineers and marketing types trying to come up to speed on the parts of IP SANs they are not familiar with.

Highly recommended.