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Storage area networks (SANs) have the ability to save a company money, hasten backups and help consolidate the data center. But a SAN is not to be left alone. It's a complex, growing, breathing entity that constantly needs to be tweaked and upgraded.

So what is SAN School? If this is the first time you are asking yourself, "What's a SAN?" -- SAN School is for you. If you are implementing your first SAN and need implementation and migration help -- SAN School is for you. If you are far along in the SAN process and need to extend your SANs or connect SAN islands -- SAN School is for you. The authors of "Storage Area Networks for dummies",

Christopher Poelker and Alex Nikitin, are your SAN School professors. In each of these 20-minute lessons they'll walk you through what a SAN is, all the way through connecting those last nodes for optimal performance. School is in session -- enjoy!

 

Part I: The storage area network

Lesson 1: The Storage area network
Do you need a SAN? Lesson one explores what a SAN is, the basic benefits of a SAN and which applications are best suited for a SAN.
Listen to Lesson 1
Get the worksheet, follow along with class
Get "extra help" -- your Lesson One questions answered.
Sponsored by: StorageTek

Lesson 2: SAN building blocks
Now that you know why you may need a SAN, this lesson explains the parts of a SAN. Chris also talks about modular versus monolithic, enterprise versus departmental, a look at RAID levels and LUNs.
Listen to Lesson 2
Get the worksheet, follow along with class
Get "extra help" -- your Lesson Two questions answered.
Sponsored by: StorageTek

Lesson 3: What makes a SAN go
Understanding the performance aspects of a SAN can help you begin to see where the benefits lie. This lesson is devoted to the inner workings of a SAN, such as latency issues, Fibre Channel protocols, WWN and how the SAN fabric works.
Listen to Lesson 3
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Sponsored by: StorageTek

Lesson 4: What makes a SAN stop
Because SANs need to be tailored to one's environment, choosing the right gear can make all of the difference between a successful SAN and a dud. Take preventive steps to make sure your SAN isn't doomed from the design. This lesson looks at avoiding poor SAN design and choosing the right hardware and software for the job.
Listen to Lesson 4
Get the worksheet, follow along with class
Sponsored by: StorageTek

***TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF PART 1 -- TAKE OUR QUIZ***
Once you've viewed lessons 1-4, test your skills by taking the SAN School Quiz 

 

Part II: Designing and building a SAN

Lesson 5: SAN loops and the SAN fabric
This lesson aims to help you design your SAN for maximum performance and availability. It uncovers SAN network topology, designing for high availability, zoning basics and using fault-tolerant connections.<
Listen to Lesson 5
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Sponsored by: StorageTek

Lesson 6: Disaster recovery planning
Many IT folks implementing SANs are using them for backup. This lesson delves into disaster recovery planning and the costs associated with downtime, how to use a SAN for recovery and choosing a remote site. It also looks at remote copy techniques, using clusters and the importance of testing your plans.
Listen to Lesson 6
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Sponsored by: StorageTek

Lesson 7: Putting it all together
If you are ready to implement your SAN, this lesson is for you. The lesson covers how to choose which applications/servers belong in your SAN, installing HBAs, loading firmware, starting drivers, setting the topology, testing for connectivity and zone types.
Listen to Lesson 7
Get the worksheet, follow along with class
Sponsored by: StorageTek

***TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF PART 2 -- TAKE OUR QUIZ***
Once you've viewed lessons 5-7, test your skills by taking the SAN School Quiz 

 

Part III: Using advanced SAN features

Lesson 8: Tying your SANs together
To create a full scale network you will probably have to tie your SANs together. Lesson 8 of SearchStorage.com's "SAN School" looks at how to extend the SAN, connectivity between SANs and SAN islands, IP storage, virtualization (in-band, out-of-band) and SW/HW pooling.
Listen to Lesson 8
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Sponsored by: IBM TotalStorage

Lesson 9: SAN backup, The killer app
The killer app for implementing a SAN has been and will continue to be backup. In lesson nine of SearchStorage.com's "SAN School", professor Christopher Poelker discusses the merits of backup over the SAN. Chris will discuss the options associated with SAN backup including backups over a dedicated LAN, tiered backups, LAN-less backup, serverless backup and more. He'll also touch upon snapshots and give you exact formulas to calculate backup window. This lesson also offers tips and tricks on how to find and rectify backup bottlenecks.
Listen to Lesson 9
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Sponsored by: IBM TotalStorage

Lesson 10: Booting into your SAN
Why should you boot from a SAN? In lesson ten of SearchStorage.com's "SAN School" Christopher Poelker gives you a number of different reasons why booting from a SAN is beneficial. Chris also looks at which HBAs are available and might be the right fit for your organization. This lesson also walks you through the nine step process for booting a SAN -- complete with code and screen shots.
Listen to Lesson 10
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Sponsored by: Cisco

Lesson 11: Using point-in-time copies
What are point-in-time copies? What types of point-in-time copies are there? Lesson 11 of SearchStorage.com's SAN School dissects point-in-time copies and snapshots. Co-author of "Storage Area Networks for Dummies" Alex Nikitin explores some real world examples of where point-in-time copies should be used -- and how. He'll also show you the process for setting up the most efficient point-in-time copy environment.
Listen to Lesson 11
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Sponsored by: Storage Decisions

***TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF PART III -- TAKE OUR QUIZ***
Once you've viewed lessons 8-11, test your skills by taking the SAN School Quiz 

 

Part IV: SAN management and troubleshooting

Lesson 12: Approaches to SAN management
There are lots of management considerations you need to be aware of when running your SANs. Who is in charge of the SAN, how to properly document your cables, managing tools and fabrics. This is a top down look at SAN management.

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Sponsored by: Brocade

Lesson 13: Storage Outsourcing
Trusting your mission-critical data to a third party provider isn't a decision you can take lightly. In Lesson 13 of SearchStorage.com's "SAN School" Alex Nikitin takes a look at your primary SAN management options. One, to completely manage all of your data in-house. Two, to completely outsource all of your data. And, three, to use consultant or vendor partners to accomplish data management. Alex states the pros and cons of each method.
Listen to Lesson 13
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Sponsored by: Brocade

Lesson 14: Troubleshooting your SAN
"If anything can go wrong, it will." We all know this to be Murphy's Law -- and when it comes to SANs it applies 100%. At some point, trouble will arise with your storage area network. Here to help diagnose the problems that you may want to look for first is co-author of "SAN for Dummies" Alex Nikitin. Alex helps you check for connectivity problems, using system error logs and using switch logging.
Listen to Lesson 14
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Sponsored by: Brocade

***TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF PART IV -- TAKE OUR QUIZ***
Once you've viewed lessons 12-14, test your skills by taking the SAN School quiz, part four 

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