Storage Networks Explained: Basics and Application of Fibre Channel SAN, NAS iSCSI and InfiniBand [Hardcover]

Ulf Troppens (Author), Rainer Erkens (Author), Wolfgang Müller (Author), Rachael Waddington (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0470861827 | ISBN-13: 978-0470861820 | Edition: 1st

“Storage Networks Explained has much to recommend it.
…a rarity in the literature of digital data storage – a complete exposition of both the base subject matter and its applications, which at the same time offers a level of readability making it suitable as an introduction to the subject. Storage Networks Explained is also flexible. It can be read cover-to-cover, browsed, or used as a reference. I recommend Storage Networks Explained as an essential component of any active information technology library.”

Paul Massiglia, Technical Director, VERITAS Software Corporation

Storage networks will become a basic technology like databases or local area networks. According to market research, 70% of external storage devices will be connected via storage networks in 2003. The authors have hands-on experience of network storage hardware and software, they teach customers about concrete network storage products, they understand the concepts behind storage networks, and show customers how storage networks address their business needs. 

Storage networks provide shared access to stored data from multiple computers and servers, thus increasing storage efficiency  and availability. They permit information management functions such as backup and recovery, data mirroring, disaster recovery, and data migration to be performed quickly and efficiently, with a minimum of system overhead.

This book explains how to use storage networks to fix malfunctioning business processes, covering the technologies as well as applications. A hot topic that will become increasingly important in the coming years.

•  One of the first books to focus on using rather than building storage networks, and how to solve problems.
•  Looking beyond technology and showing the true benefits of storage networks.
• Covers fibre channel SAN, Network Attached Storage, iSCSI and InfiniBand technologies.
• Contains several case studies (e.g. the example of a travel portal, protecting a critical database)
• Endorsed by the Storage Networking Industry Association.
• Written by very experienced professionals who tailored the book specifically to meet customer needs including support with supplementry material on Troppens website and Preface written by Tony Clark.

Provides basic application information key for systems administrators, database administrators and managers who need to know about the networking aspects of their systems. As well as systems architects, network managers, information management directors and decision makers.
This book also supports applications for graduate students and other relevant courses in the field.

Awarded Best System Administration Book 2005 by the Linux Journal

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Stored data and information is the biggest asset of any company.

If stored data is lost, getting it back is expensive and time-consuming – if at all possible. Data networks must, therefore, be designed with built-in redundancy and for high availability. Storage networks permit information management functions such as backup and recovery, data mirroring, disaster recovery, and data migration to be performed quickly and efficiently, with a minimum of system overhead. Consequently, anyone who is involved in the planning or the operation of IT systems requires a basic knowledge of the principles and the use of storage networks.

After reading Storage Networks Explained you will be familiar with

• The basic concepts of storage networks like I/O-techniques, disk subsystems, virtualization, NAS, and SAN file systems.
• The design of storage networks to provide flexible, high-available, and scaleable IT-systems.
• The use of storage networks for data sharing, device sharing, and data protection.
• The management of storage networks using SNMP, SMI-S and IEEE 1244.

Storage Networks Explained provides system administrators and system architects as well as students with the tools they need for the optimal selection and the cost-effective use of storage networks, an indispensable technology in view of our ever-growing storage quantities.

"Storage Networks Explained has much to recommend it …a rarity in the literature of digital data storage – a complete exposition of both the base subject matter and its applications, which at the same time offers a level of readability making it suitable as an introduction to the subject. I recommend Storage Networks Explained as an essential component of any active information technology library."

Paul Massiglia, Technical Director, VERITAS Software Corporation

"Storage Networks continue to proliferate, and newer technologies now enable their deployment in small business environments through enterprise data centers. This text is a ‘must read’ for all IT users involved in these exiting new technologies and solutions."

Sheila Childs, Chair, Storage Networking Industry Association

"Comprehensive. Thorough. Easy to read. Well worth the time…"

Jai Menon, IBM Fellow, Director and Chief Technologist, Storage Systems Architecture and Design

About the Author

Ulf Troppens and Rainer Erkens are employed at IBM TotalStorage Interoperability Center in Mainz, a testing, development and demonstration laboratory for storage products and storage networks. Both authors work at the interface between technology and customers. Their duties include the testing of new products and the validation of concepts on the basis of customer environments set up in the laboratory. They present the latest hardware and software products in the field of storage networks to customers and discuss the set up test environment with them.

Ulf Tropes studied Computer Science at the University of Karlsruhe until 1995. Since 1989 he has been primarily involved in the administration of Unix systems, storage systems, data and storage networks and distributed applications. In April 2004  Ulf joined Wolfgang's team to help with the roll-out of a software for tape library virtualization.

Rainer Erkens studied Mathematics at the University of Mainz until 2000. His experience in the management of computers and the management of distributed applications goes back to 1992. Since 2000 he has been working primarily with storage systems and storage networks. In February 2004 he was appointed to Chairman of the SNIA Europe Solutions Committee.

Wolfgang Müller is currently working as a software architect in the Storage Software Development Department at IBM in Mainz, Germany, where the focus is on software development projects supporting open standards such as SMI-S/CIM/WBEM and IEEE 1244. He received his Dipl.-Inform. (FH) degree in computer science from the University of Applied Sciences, Darmstadt, Germany, in 1993.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (September 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470861827
• ISBN-13: 978-0470861820
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,486,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Succinct overview of Storage Networks, October 18, 2004

By 

Thomas Lee (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Storage Networks Explained: Basics and Application of Fibre Channel SAN, NAS iSCSI and InfiniBand (Hardcover)

A very good translation of the german text. There are a few areas where the translation falters but overall excellent. This is not an implementation book. It's meant to be a general overview of the Storage Network universe. The authors focus on Fibre Channel SAN which is still dominant in large corporations and gaining popularity among mid level companies. The book does a good job of explaining the plus/minus of all the competing standards as well as giving an infrastructure map of each of the technology setups. If you want to understand the ABCs of Storage, your journey should start with this book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of storage networking, February 12, 2006

By 

R. Prakash "rprakash" (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Storage Networks Explained: Basics and Application of Fibre Channel SAN, NAS iSCSI and InfiniBand (Hardcover)

This is one of the best books I've encountered in many years. What I like about it:

- Describes everything (using illustration) from file-systems and volume managers down to transport concepts like fibre channel, iSCSI, infiniband, VI

- Goes into concepts like mirroring, snapshots and other technologies in an easy to relate manner.

Despite the relatively high price, I give this book an A and would heartily recommend it. However this book is not for programmers or those intending to design things. Neither is it for sales/marketing folks who just want to know key buzzwords. Its more for technologists, CTOs and others interested in how things work with regards storage networking.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good content, if somewhat dated, substandard translation, May 12, 2007

By 

R. Shapiro - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Storage Networks Explained: Basics and Application of Fibre Channel SAN, NAS iSCSI and InfiniBand (Hardcover)

As a reader of Wiley books since my undergraduate days, many years ago, I have come to respect and enjoy their high quality, and have, over the years, purchased and recommended quite a few, both for the companies I've worked with and for my personal professional library.

It is therefore a deep disappointment for me to read "Storage Networks Explained", originally published in German, and translated to English in 2004.

My disappointment is not with the technical contents - the book was obviously written by experts in the field, and give a complete (if slightly dated) review of the field of storage networks. In terms of contents, my expectations are fulfilled. However, the translation of the book from the original was done in a sub-standard manner, resulting in an uncomfortable reading experience. All too often, my concentration was broken by having to re-read sentences and trying to understand what the original authors were trying to say in German, as the phrasing in English is awkward and unnatural at best, and ofter plainly wrong.

The information I needed was there, but getting it was made harder than necessary due to the poor translation and editing. A newer book that's up-to-date and even a bit better in terms of style and ease of reading will well-deservedly remainder all the copies of this work. Until such a book is out, non-German speakers who wish to get a decent overview of the field will have to struggle with this.