Servers manage traffic into the SAN Server 1 Figure 2-6 A storage area network. www.TechnicalPDF.com The Fibre Channel group of SAN open protocols was designed for the heavy traffic generated in data-intensive networks. It is a point-to-point protocol, wherein data is transferred directly from one point (a computer) to another point (disk storage). Because of its capability to transfer large amounts of data at high speeds, large companies use Fibre Channel. It is the costliest SAN option. The Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) protocol was approved by ANSI in 2009. It was developed SO that Fibre Channel SANs could communicate with Gbps Ethernet networks without translating between Ethernet and Fibre Channel protocols. The goal is to simplify structures and communications in data centers. Other, less costly, SANs include: iSCSI (Internet small computer system interface), which is a newer, less costly all-IP protocol suited for small and medium sized companies NAS (Network attached storage) systems, which are connected to devices via a specialized server containing file sharing software. NAS is compatible with Ethernet protocols Hyper-Converged Infrastructure Hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) in data centers simplifies data center infrastructure and provides the ability to manage storage, computing, development and testing, remote offices, and other services from a single point by combining storage, applications, and networking on commodity, off-the shelf appliances. HCI is available from most equipment manufacturers. If not using off the shelf servers, HCI requires that all the data center hardware be from the same manufacturer. HCI is software-controlled infrastructure. Centralized software is used to manage the entire HCI infrastructure and prioritize streams of data. The software application (the controller) monitors and controls the data center and creates logs of traffic, and outages. The error reporting software is centralized. www.TechnicalPDF.com The goal of hyper converged infrastructure is to provide 