Apple Xsan 2 - Manual (Page 32)

Xsan SANs
A SAN is a way of connecting computers and storage devices so computers have fast,
shared access to files while making it easy for administrators to expand storage capacity.
An Xsan SAN consists of:
Shared data volumes Â
RAID systems that provide storage space that is protected from disk failure Â
At least one computer acting as a metadata controller that combines RAID arrays Â
and presents their storage to clients as volumes that behave like local disks
Client computers that access storage in accordance with established permissions
Â
and quotas
Underlying Fibre Channel and Ethernet networks
Â
The following illustration shows the hardware components of an Xsan SAN.
Metadata
controller
Clients Standby
controller
Metadata RAID array
(LUN)
Fibre
Channel switch
Ether
net (public)
Ether
net (pr
iv
at
e)
Intranet/
Internet
RAID arrays
(LUNs)
Ethernet switches
32 Chapter 2 Overview of Xsan