Storage Area Network (SAN)

In a storage area network (SAN), different storage components, such as hard disks and tape systems, can be interconnected. The storage space then available can be distributed variably over a single or multiple servers. This approach makes the storage area network an extremely flexible and powerful network with high performance. Data in a SAN is accessed on a block basis. The structure of a SAN network is similar to that of a normal LAN network. A SAN runs parallel to a LAN and is responsible for the data transfer of the storage media.