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Storage Networking Fundamentals: An Introduction to Storage Devices, Subsystems, Applications, Management, and File Systems View Larger Image | Marc Farley
Cisco Press, Paperback, Published December 2004, 480 pages, ISBN 1587051621 | List Price: $60.00
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Customer Reviews: 3 Average Customer Rating:   Write a Review and tell the world about this title! People who purchase this book frequently purchase: Books on similar topics, in best-seller order:Books from the same publisher, in best-seller order:
An Introduction to Storage Devices, Subsystems, Applications, Management, and
File Systems
- Learn fundamental storage concepts with this comprehensive introduction
- Compare storage device technologies, including Fibre Channel, SCSI, ATA,
and SATA and understand their uses in network storage subsystems
- Learn about key storage processes such as volume management, storage virtualization,
data snapshots, mirroring, RAID, backup, and multipathing
- Clarify the roles of file systems and databases within network storage
- Take the next step—this book prepares you to become a storage networking
expert
Storage networking has become an essential ingredient in Internet information
infrastructures. Becoming competent in this new and important technology area
requires a sound understanding of storage technologies and principles. Storage
Networking Fundamentals gives you an in-depth look into the most important storage
technologies. The entire storage landscape is described, incorporating a complete
view of system, device, and subsystem operations and processes. Learn how to
protect data effectively using mirroring, RAID, remote copy, and backup/ recovery
systems. Virtual storage technologies, such as volume management, RAID, and
network virtualization, are analyzed and discussed in detail. High-availability
storage through dynamic multipathing and clustered/distributed file systems
is explained as are designs for robust storage subsystems. Finally, the confusing
and arcane worlds of file systems and SCSI are clarified, including the role
of initiators, targets, logical units, and LUNs.
Storage Networking Fundamentals is a comprehensive overview of storage technologies
that also provides insights on designing and running SAN and NAS implementations.
Table of Contents
Part I The Big Picture of Storage Networking
Chapter 1 Data Access in the Internet Era
Chapter 2 Establishing a Context for Understanding Storage Networks
Chapter 3 Getting Down with Storage I/O
Part II Working with Devices and Subsystems in Storage Networks
Chapter 4 Storage Devices
Chapter 5 Storage Subsystems
Chapter 6 SCSI Storage Fundamentals and SAN Adapters
Chapter 7 Device Interconnect Technologies for Storage Networks
Part III Applications for Data Redundancy
Chapter 8 An Introduction to Data Redundancy and Mirroring
Chapter 9 Bigger, Faster, More Reliable Storage with RAID
Chapter 10 Redundancy Over Distance with Remote Copy
Chapter 11 Connection Redundancy in Storage Networks and Dynamic Multipathing
Part IV The Foundations of Storage and Data Management
Chapter 12 Storage Virtualization: The Power in Volume Management Software
and SAN Virtualization Systems
Chapter 13 Network Backup: The Foundation of Storage Management
Part V Filing Systems and Data Management in Networks
Chapter 14 File System Fundamentals
Chapter 15 Network File Systems and Network Attached Storage
Chapter 16 New Directions in Network Filing: Clustered File Systems, Distributed
File Systems, and Network Storage for Databases
Chapter 17 Data Management
Part VI Appendixes
Appendix A Q & A Answers
Appendix B INCITS Storage Standards
Glossary
Index
About the Author
Marc Farley has more than 13 years of experience in the field
of network storage. He started working with the technology in 1991 as a systems
engineer with Palindrome Corporation, an early innovator in data management
technologies for PC LAN environments. Since 1991, Marc has worked in a variety
of marketing and strategy-related positions, covering a wide variety of storage
technologies, including storage routers, disk subsystems, file-level virtualization,
and storage switches. Marc is well-known throughout the networked storage industry
for his objective, vendor-independent, in-depth analysis of storage technologies.
His writing includes Building Storage Networks, first and second editions. He
has also written many articles, white papers, and opinion pieces that have been
published in the computer industry trade press. He regularly speaks at industry
conferences and events and participates in online seminars and discussions.
Marc holds a bachelor of science in physics from the University of Washington.
Customer Reviews
Customer Reviews: 3 Average Customer Rating: Aug 8, 2005
Great Book!!
Storage Networking Fundamentals: An Introduction to Storage Devices, Subsystems, Applications, Management, and File Systems Reviewer Name: David Hodde Reviewer Certification(s): CCIE Rating: **** out of ***** As the name indicates this book is an introduction to all aspects of storage networking. While you think it may just deal with SANs, it does not. Author Marc Farley starts with as he calls it, The Big Picture of Storage Netorking. These chapters cover basic storage principles and how storage I/O works. He then follows with a discussion of the different storage architectures available and their history. While this may not seem important, for the person entering the storage arena its valuable information to know where storage has come in the last 20 years. The next two parts cover data redundancy and storage and data management. Farley gives very good descriptions on the different redundancy options available. He also goes into an analysis of the different advantages and disadvantages of each. While its not an extensive discussion it does give an administrator a basis for an analysis. Discussions of remote file copy and multipathing, which are very important in storage networking, are described and broken down into terms that the novice storage person can comprehend. While the first three parts of the book may seem like a review and unnecessary to most. They do provide a good foundation for Parts IV and V, which deal with storage and data management. As Farley points out these two areas are important and should not book overlooked by the storage administrator. With the ever changing legal environment and governmental regulations, data management and retention looks to be the next big evolution in storage management. As advertised Storage Networking Fundamentals: An Introduction to Storage Devices, Subsystems, Applications, Management, and File Systems provides a good introduction to storage fundamentals for the person new to storage. For the person already familiar with storage it provides details that were either not know or forgotten. At the very least it provides some of the latest information in the storage arena. I would highly recommend this book for anybody involved with storage administration or storage networking.
Jun 26, 2005 Michael J. Morris (me@michael-j-morris.com) from Raleigh, NC
Storage Networking Fundamentals is a very well written book.
Storage Networking Fundamentals is a very well written book. As its title implies, it provides a fantastic introduction to Storage Area Networking, providing details from disk drive mechanics to Information Life-Cycle Management (ILM). Furthermore, this book impressed me because it consistently did one thing: it did not push or suggest Cisco products. This book very clearly at the beginning stated it was a not a networking book, but a storage book. It then sets out to explain Storage Area Networking in vendor neutral terms. If fact, it pokes fun at a few vendors because of the multitude of standards and technologies in Storage Networking. This should be commended as well as appreciated. The author does not adhere to one vendors technology, but addresses general terms and explains where differences between vendors occur. I particularly liked Part II of the book that covered the actual hardware and software that makes a SAN work. This nicely started with a detailed overview of hard drives, the building blocks of storage, and ended with technologies for connecting Storage Area Networks. Very nice growth and building on previous chapters. My only small complaint about the book was its chapter layout. It wouldve been easier to understand Part II if Chapter 14 and 15 wouldve come first. This explains file systems and how they interact with storage. Being an introduction to Storage Area Networking, it wouldve been appropriate to explain storage to the reader as they perceive storage now. And since an introductory reader understands file systems, since they interact with a personal computer daily, it wouldve been nice to include these concepts earlier in the book. However, this is a minor flaw. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking to start learning Storage Area Networking. A very well written book with easy to understand concepts. 5 Stars!
Michael J. Morris CCIE #11733
Jun 13, 2005 Fouzan Pal from USA
A Nice Introduction But Not Detailed Enough
Storage Networking Fundamentals (ISBN 1-58705-162-1) by Marc Farley is an introductory book on storage fundamentals. It does a decent job of presenting a broad range of topics in storage networking and is well suited for a reader looking to gain a high level understanding of how SAN, NAS, and other related aspects of data storage tie in together. In other words, this book is a good high-level overview of the topic (somewhat like a first-semester book in college); if someone is looking for guidance on implementation specifics related to storage area networks, this book is not for you. The book in general is readable for the most part. However, in certain sections of the book, the book loses the attention of the reader. This is primarily due to the lack of concrete, real-life examples to illustrate the concepts in the book. I have always found that the best books are those that provide real-life examples (with actual commands, output from those commands, and analysis of these outputs) to support the concepts that are being presented. Such an approach helps to keep the reader alert and not make the content so theoretical in some cases or so cursory in others, that the reader loses interest. Furthermore, real-life application of the concepts helps to understand and remember the theory as well. This book, IMHO, does not accomplish this goal very well at all. The format of the book is very well laid out. The headings are clear and delineating, allowing the reader to find the major points in the book easily. The diagrams and notes are well laid out. Each chapter concludes with a summary section and a small set of questions. Also, the writer has included the answers to these questions as a appendix at the end of the book a very helpful feature and one that adds to the usefulness of the questions at the end of each chapter. From amongst the whole book, I found Part III, Working with Devices and Subsystems in Storage Networks, to be most useful in content. This part covers the architecture for the SAN in some detail and provides the reader with a good presentation of the big picture. The high level, nonspecific approach of the book would be fine other than the fact that the author writes in the introduction that this book is written for systems, networking, and storage professionals who want to gain an in-depth understanding of the processes and architectures used in storage, So while this books presents a good overview of the technology, it is not suited for an in-depth, detailed study on the topic.
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