storage system, iscsi,file storage, NAS, SAS

02.
05.
01.
04.
File storage
ISCSI
Storage
Object storage
Table of contents
03.
Block storage
06.
NAS
07.
SAS

Types
Block Storage
File Storage Object Storage

● File storage, also called file-level or file-based storage, stores data in
a hierarchical structure. The data is saved in files and folders, and
presented to both the system storing it and the system retrieving it
in the same format.
● Data can be accessed using the Network File System (NFS) protocol
for Unix or Linux, or the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol for
Microsoft Windows.
● NFS, originally developed by Sun Microsystems, allows a client to
store and view files on a server as if they were on the client
computer. All or part of the file system can be mounted on a server,
where it is accessible by clients with assigned privileges to a file.
● SMB uses data packets sent by a client to a server, which responds to
the request. Most network-attached storage (NAS) systems support
NFS and SMB, which was formally known as the Common Internet
File System.

Google Drive
Dropbox
Examples
Microsoft one
Drive

What is Block Storage
● Block storage is an approach to data storage in which each storage volume acts as
an individual hard drive that is configured by the storage administrator. In the
block storage model, data is saved to the storage media in fixed-sized chunks
called blocks. Each block is associated with a unique address, and the address is
the only metadata assigned to each block.
● To manage block storage, a software program independent of the storage media
controls how the blocks are placed and organized across storage drives. The
software also handles data retrieval, using metadata to locate the desired blocks
and then organizing the data in them into complete files.
● Storage blocks are controlled by the server-based operating system and are
generally accessed by iSCSI, Fibre Channel or Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
protocols. Block storage is ideal for high-performing, mission-critical applications
that require consistent input/output (I/O) performance and low latency and is
often used in storage-area network (SAN) environments in place of file storage.

How Block Storage Works
1. Blocks for Data:
A block is like a small storage box that holds data. Each block has a special
size set by the system, and big files are split into many of these blocks to fit.
2. Allocation and Retrieval:
The computer decides where to put blocks and spreads them out. When
you want a file, the computer looks at addresses to find the blocks and puts
the file together for you.
3. Fast and Efficient:
Block storage is like having many paths to reach your stuff. This makes it
super fast and is great for tasks that need speed, like games or constant
data use, making it better than some other storage methods.

Use Cases
1.Database Storage
3.Enterprise
Applications
4.High-
Performance
Computing (HPC)
2.Virtual Machines
(VMs):
5.Video Editing
and Rendering
6.Backup and
Disaster Recovery
7.Content Delivery
Networks (CDNs)
8.Data
Warehousing
9.IoT (Internet of
Things) Devices
10.Financial
Services

Why Does any Organization Need Block Storage?
Block storage is relatively the most expensive storage
option for cloud servers and yet many companies reserve
a fraction of their storage for block storage as it is the
fastest cloud storage option available.
3.Scalability & Flexibility
2.Multiple OS
compatibility
1.Performance

Amazon
Elastic Block
Store
Microsoft Azure
Disk Storage
Examples
Google Cloud
Persistent Disk

What is Object Storage?
3.Scalability & Flexibility
● Object storage, also called object-based storage, is an
approach to addressing and manipulating data storage
as discrete units, called objects.
● Objects are kept inside a single repository and are not
nested as files inside a folder inside other folders.
● Object storage keeps the blocks of data that make up a
file together and adds all of its associated metadata to
that file.
● Object storage also adds extended metadata to the file
and eliminates the hierarchical structure used in file
storage, placing everything into a flat address space,
called a storage pool. The storage system software
uses a unique identifier assigned to the object to find
any particular object, like a video or a photo.

Object Storage Architecture: How Does It Work?
Object storage
Metadata Id Data
Metadata is defined as
the information that
describes and explains
data.
a unique identifying ID
number that an
application uses to
locate and access it.
Data can be anything
you want to store
from family photo to
four hundred
thousand page
manual assembling
and aircraft .

Data Storage
Layer
● The data storage layer is where the actual data
objects are stored. In an object storage system,
data is typically distributed across multiple
storage nodes to ensure high performance,
durability, and redundancy.
● Each storage node typically contains a
combination of hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-
state drives (SSDs) to provide the optimal balance
between capacity, performance, and cost.
● Data objects are automatically replicated across
multiple nodes, ensuring that data remains
available and protected even in the event of
hardware failures or other disruptions.

Metadata Index
● The metadata index is a critical component of
object storage architecture, as it maintains a
record of each object’s unique identifier, along
with other relevant metadata, such as access
controls, creation date, and size.
● This information is stored separately from the
actual data, allowing the system to quickly and
efficiently locate and retrieve objects based on
their metadata attributes.
● The metadata index is designed to be highly
scalable, enabling it to support millions or even
billions of objects within a single object storage
system.

API Layer
● The API layer is responsible for providing access
to the object storage system, allowing users and
applications to store, retrieve, and manage data
objects.
● Most object storage systems support a variety of
standardized APIs, such as the Simple Storage
Service (S3) API from Amazon Web Services
(AWS), the OpenStack Swift API, and the Cloud
Data Management Interface (CDMI).
● These APIs enable developers to easily integrate
object storage into their applications, regardless
of the underlying storage technology or vendor.

How it works
● Object storage volumes function as self-contained
repositories and store data in modular units. Both the
identifier and detailed metadata play a key role in the
superior performance of load distribution. Once you
create an object, it can be easily copied to additional
nodes, depending on existing policies. Nodes with high
availability and redundancy can be geographically
dispersed or stored in the same data center.
● Public cloud computing environments allow object
storage to be accessed via HTTP or REST API. Most of the
public cloud storage service providers usually offer APIs
they themselves build. Some of the common commands
sent to HTTP include PUT (for creating objects), GET (for
reading objects), DELETE (for purging objects), and LIST
(for listing objects).

Exabyte
scalable
Scale out
architecture
Customizable
metadata
sequential
performance
Object
storage
benefit
s
Security
Lower TCO

Aws
Google cloud
Examples
Microsoft
azure

Block Storage File Storage Object Storage
Architecture Data in blocks Data in files Data as objects
Popular protocols
used for data access
iSCSI and Fibre
Channel
NFS and SMB S3, HTTP, NFS, SMB,
REST APIs
Data Structure Volume, LUN Hierarchical Key/Value
Best use case High volumes of data
(static or unstructured)
Data-intensive
workflows with low
latency
Data backup, data
archiving, local file
sharing, and
centralized library

ISCSI
05.
Internet Small Computer Systems Interface

● ISCSI, which stands for Internet Small Computer
System Interface, works on top of the Transport
Control Protocol (TCP) and allows the SCSI command
to be sent end-to-end over local-area networks (
LANs), wide-area networks (WANs) or the internet.
● ISCSI is a transport layer protocol that describes how
Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) packets
should be transported over a TCP/IP network.
● IBM developed iSCSI as a proof of concept in 1998
and presented the first draft of the iSCSI standard to
the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in 2000.
The protocol was ratified in 2003.

How ISCSI works?
● ISCSI works by transporting block-level data between an
iSCSI initiator on a server and an iSCSI target on a storage
device. The iSCSI protocol encapsulates SCSI commands and
assembles the data in packets for the TCP/IP layer.
● Packets are sent over the network using a point-to-point
connection. Upon arrival, the iSCSI protocol disassembles the
packets, separating the SCSI commands so the operating
system (OS) will see the storage as if it was a locally connected
SCSI device that can be formatted as usual.
● iSCSI provides a way to create a Storage Area Network (SAN)
without the need for dedicated fiber channel infrastructure.
Instead, it uses standard Ethernet equipment and IP
networks, making it a cost-effective solution for connecting
servers to storage devices.

● SAN stands for "Storage Area Network." It is a specialized high-speed
network that provides centralized and shared access to storage devices
and resources for multiple servers or computers.
● In a SAN, storage devices, such as disk arrays or storage servers, are
connected to the network and made available to the servers or clients
as if they were locally attached.
● SANs are commonly used in data centers and enterprise environments
where reliable and high-performance storage solutions are essential.
They play a crucial role in providing shared storage for critical
applications, data backups, and disaster recovery solutions.
SAN

Centralized
Storage
Why SAN are used ?
Data backup &
Disaster Recovery
Data security &
Encryption
High
performance
applications
Storage
consolidation
Storage
Tiering

NAS
06.
Network Attached Storage

What is NAS?
● Network-attached storage (NAS) is dedicated file storage that
enables multiple users and heterogeneous client devices to
retrieve data from centralized disk capacity.
● Users on a local area network (LAN) access the shared storage
via a standard Ethernet connection.
● NAS devices typically don't have a keyboard or display and are
configured and managed with a browser-based utility. Each
NAS resides on the LAN as an independent network node,
defined by its own unique IP address.
● NAS handles unstructured data, such as audio, video, websites,
text files and Microsoft Office documents.

Levels of NAS
High-End NAS
Mid-market
NAS
Low-End NAS
Shared access to large volumes of files:Integrates with
SAN
Shared access to large volumes of files
Fast ,simple file storage;Extra file storage

NAS Usecases
At home, people use a NAS system to store and serve multimedia
files and to automate backups. Home users rely on network-
attached storage to do the following:
● manage smart TV storage;
● manage security systems and security updates;
● manage consumer-based IoT components;
● create a media streaming service;
● manage torrent files;
● host a personal cloud server; and
● create, test and develop a personal website.

NAS Usecases
In the enterprise, NAS is used in the following ways:
● as a backup target, using a NAS array, for archiving and disaster
recovery;
● for testing and developing web-based and server-side web
applications;
● for hosting messaging applications;
● for hosting server-based, open source applications, such as
customer relationship management, human resource
management and enterprise resource planning applications.

What is SAS?
● Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) is a method used to access
computer peripheral devices that employs a serial -- one bit
at a time -- means of digital data transfer over thin cables.
● In the business enterprise, Serial-Attached SCSI is especially
of interest for access to mass storage devices, particularly
external hard disk drives and magnetic tape drives.

How does SAS work?
● SAS is a protocol for point-to-point serial transmissions between storage
devices and the computers they are storing data for. Point-to-point
means that all data transfers across SAS are sent directly between the
two communicating entities -- storage device and computer -- which are
connected by a physical cable. Serial means that all data sent using SAS is
transmitted a single bit at a time, in sequence.
● The SAS protocol is implemented on computers to use a dedicated link
among the computer and disk drives, tape drives and any other SCSI
storage devices that are connected to the computer's host bus adapters (
HBAs) over a serial interface.

Serial-Attached SCSI vs. parallel SCSI
SAS offers the following advantages over older parallel technologies:
● Serial cables are thinner and can be longer than parallel cables, and serial
connecters are less bulky than parallel connectors.
● SAS offers higher transfer speeds than parallel SCSI standards.
● The hardware for serial interfaces is less costly than the hardware for
equivalent parallel interfaces.
● SAS supports up to 65,535 devices on an interface; parallel SCSI supports a
maximum of 16 devices attached to the HBA. Since SCSI is a peer-to-peer
protocol, at least one of the ports must be used by a host, and up to 15 of the
remaining ports can connect storage devices.
● Serial SCSI standards are more current and continue to be updated to expand
SAS capabilities.
● Problems related to crosstalk are less likely in serial interfaces than in parallel
interfaces because there are fewer conductors in the cables.

Difference between NAS &SAS
Aspect NAS (Network Attached Storage) SAS (Serial Attached SCSI)
Purpose Stores and manages files and data
for users and devices on a
network.
Connects internal storage devices
to servers, often in data centers.
Access
Method
File-level access using protocols
like NFS, SMB.
Block-level access directly to
storage devices.
Use Cases Home networks, small businesses,
offices needing file sharing.
Data centers, enterprise
environments needing high-speed
storage access.
Scalability Can be scaled up by adding more
storage devices.
Provides scalability by connecting
multiple storage devices.
Performance Emphasizes ease of file sharing
and accessibility.
Focuses on high-speed, low-
latency data access.
Connectivity Uses Ethernet for network
connection.
Uses dedicated SAS cables for
direct connections.

storage system, iscsi,file storage, NAS, SAS

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