Learn the Basics of SANs
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EVALUATE, STEP 2: LEARN THE BASICS OF SANs
A Storage Area Network (SAN) is a networked infrastructure connecting any server to any storage device over a high-speed network of interconnected Fibre Channel switches. These interconnected switches form the heart of the SAN — the fabric. By interconnecting multiple scalable switches together, it's possible to create SANs with several hundred ports.
Hardware and Software Components
SANs are composed of both hardware and software building blocks. Mouse over the components in the diagram or choose one from the list below to learn more about each one.
You can learn more about what to look for when choosing components in Plan and Design, Determine Your SAN Components.
On this page:

 Hardware and Software Components Demo
Additional Resources:
SAN Terminology

 Technical Glossary
SAN Evaluation Assistance

Professional Services
Safe and Intelligent Infrastructures for SANs
Brocade is the industry leader and de-facto standard for SAN infrastructures.
The Brocade family of switches scales from 8 to 256 ports to meet entry- to enterprise-level SAN requirements.
The Brocade Fabric OS and fabric software provide intelligence for SANs through security and management features.

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Next: Examine the ROI of SANs
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