Storage Networking Protocol Fundamentals

Storage Networking Protocol Fundamentals

by James Long
Released May 2006
Publisher(s): Cisco Press
ISBN: 1587051605

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Book description

A comparative analysis of Ethernet, TCP/IP, and Fibre Channel in the context of SCSI

  • Introduces network administrators to the requirements of storage protocols

  • Explains the operation of network protocols to storage administrators

  • Compares and contrasts the functionality of Ethernet, TCP/IP, and Fibre Channel

  • Documents the details of the major protocol suites, explains how they operate, and identifies common misunderstandings

  • References the original standards and specifications so you can get a complete understanding of each protocol

  • Helps you understand the implications of network design choices

  • Discusses advanced network functionality such as QoS, security, management, and protocol analysis 

    • Corporations increasingly depend on computer and communication technologies to remain competitive in the global economy. Customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, and e-mail are a few of the many applications that generate new data every day. Effectively storing, managing, and accessing that data is a primary business challenge in the information age. Storage networking is a crucial component of the solution to meet that challenge.

    Written for both storage administrators who need to learn more about networking and network administrators who need to learn more about storage, Storage Networking Protocol Fundamentals is a concise introduction to storage networking protocols. The book picks up where Storage Networking Fundamentals left off by focusing on the networking protocols that underlie modern open systems: block-oriented storage networks.

    The first part of the book introduces you to the field of storage networking and the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model. The second part compares networked storage technologies, including iSCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface over IP) and Fibre Channel. It also examines in detail each of the major protocol suites layer-by-layer within the OSI reference model. The third part discusses advanced functionalities of these technologies, such as quality of service (QoS), load-balancing functions, security, management, and protocol analysis. You can read this book cover to cover or use it as a reference, directly accessing the particular topics of interest to you.

    “Storage networking is a critical concept for today’s businesses, and this book provides a unique and helpful way to better understand it. Storage networking is also continuously evolving, and as such this book may be seen as an introduction to the information technology infrastructures of the future.”

    —from the foreword by Claudio DeSanti, vice-chairman of the ANSI INCITS T11 Technical Committee

    Table of contents

    1. About This eBook
    2. Title Page
    3. Copyright Page
    4. Contents at a Glance
    5. Table of Contents
    6. About the Author
    7. Dedication
    8. Acknowledgments
    9. Icons Used in This Book
    10. Foreword
    11. Introduction
    12. Part I: Storage Networking Landscape
      1. Chapter 1. Overview of Storage Networking
        1. Brief History of Storage
        2. Drivers for Change
        3. What Is a Storage Network?
        4. Block Storage Protocol Review: ATA, SCSI, and SBCCS
        5. Mainframe Storage Networking: ESCON and FICON
        6. File Server Protocol Review: CIFS, NFS, and DAFS
        7. Backup Protocols: NDMP and EXTENDED COPY
        8. Optical Technologies: SONET/SDH, DWDM/CWDM, and RPR/802.17
        9. Virtualization Implementations: Host, Storage Subsystem, and Network
        10. Summary
        11. Review Questions
      2. Chapter 2. OSI Reference Model Versus Other Network Models
        1. OSI Reference Model
        2. SCSI Bus Interface and the ANSI T10 SCSI-3 Architecture Model
        3. Ethernet and the IEEE 802 Reference Model
        4. TCP/IP Suite and the ARPANET Model
        5. Fibre Channel Architecture and ANSI T11 Model
        6. Summary
        7. Review Questions
      3. Chapter 3. Overview of Network Operating Principles
        1. Conceptual Underpinnings
        2. SCSI Parallel Interface
        3. Ethernet
        4. TCP/IP Suite
        5. Fibre Channel
        6. Summary
        7. Review Questions
      4. Chapter 4. Overview of Modern SCSI Networking Protocols
        1. iSCSI
        2. FCP
        3. FCIP
        4. iFCP
        5. Summary
    13. Part II: OSI Layers
      1. Chapter 5. OSI Physical and Data-Link Layers
        1. Conceptual Underpinnings
        2. SCSI Parallel Interface
        3. Ethernet
        4. Fibre Channel
        5. Summary
        6. Review Questions
      2. Chapter 6. OSI Network Layer
        1. Internet Protocol
        2. Fibre Channel
        3. Summary
        4. Review Questions
      3. Chapter 7. OSI Transport Layer
        1. TCP/IP Suite
        2. Fibre Channel
        3. Summary
        4. Review Questions
      4. Chapter 8. OSI Session, Presentation, and Application Layers
        1. iSCSI Operational Details
        2. FCP Operational Details
        3. FCIP Operational Details
        4. Summary
        5. Review Questions
    14. Part III: Advanced Network Functionality
      1. Chapter 9. Flow Control and Quality of Service
        1. Conceptual Underpinnings of Flow Control and Quality of Service
        2. Ethernet Flow Control and QoS
        3. IP Flow Control and QoS
        4. TCP Flow Control and QoS
        5. iSCSI Flow Control and QoS
        6. FC Flow Control and QoS
        7. FCP Flow Control and QoS
        8. FCIP Flow Control and QoS
        9. Summary
        10. Review Questions
      2. Chapter 10. Routing and Switching Protocols
        1. Conceptual Underpinnings of Routing and Switching Protocols
        2. Ethernet Switching Protocols
        3. IP Routing Protocols
        4. FC Switching Protocols
        5. Summary
      3. Chapter 11. Load Balancing
        1. Conceptual Underpinnings of Load Balancing
        2. Load Balancing with Networking Technologies
        3. Load Balancing with Session-Oriented Technologies
        4. End Node Load-Balancing Techniques
        5. Summary
        6. Review Questions
      4. Chapter 12. Storage Network Security
        1. Conceptual Underpinnings of Storage Network Security
        2. AAA Protocols
        3. Management Protocols
        4. Ethernet Security
        5. IP Security
        6. TCP Security
        7. iSCSI Security
        8. Fibre Channel Security
        9. FCP Security
        10. FCIP Security
        11. Summary
        12. Review Questions
      5. Chapter 13. Storage Management Protocols
        1. Conceptual Underpinnings of Storage Management Protocols
        2. TCP/IP Management
        3. FC Management
        4. SCSI Management
        5. Summary
        6. Review Questions
      6. Chapter 14. Protocol Decoding and Traffic Analysis
        1. The Purpose of Protocol Decoding
        2. Methods of Traffic Capture
        3. Types of Protocol Decoders
        4. Protocol Decoder Screenshots
        5. Purpose of Traffic Analysis
        6. Types of Traffic Analyzers
        7. Summary
        8. Review Questions
    15. Part IV: Appendixes
      1. Appendix A. Standards and Specifications
        1. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS) T10
        2. ANSI INCITS T11
        3. Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF)
        4. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
        5. Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
        6. Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA)
        7. Direct Access File System (DAFS) Collaborative
        8. International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
        9. International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T)
        10. Vendor Documents
      2. Appendix B. Acronyms and Abbreviations
      3. Appendix C. Answers to Review Questions
        1. Chapter 1
        2. Chapter 2
        3. Chapter 3
        4. Chapter 4
        5. Chapter 5
        6. Chapter 6
        7. Chapter 7
        8. Chapter 8
        9. Chapter 9
        10. Chapter 10
        11. Chapter 11
        12. Chapter 12
        13. Chapter 13
        14. Chapter 14
    16. Glossary
    17. Index

    Product information

    • Title: Storage Networking Protocol Fundamentals
    • Author(s): James Long
    • Release date: May 2006
    • Publisher(s): Cisco Press
    • ISBN: 1587051605