The Bottom Line
Authoritative technical discussion of storage area network technology is a must-read for network designers and architects. Beginners or network generalists may be overwhelmed by too much detail.
Pros
- Coverage of both Fibre Channel and IP SAN angles
- Excellent detailing of Fibre Channel internals
- Very good overview of FC and IP SAN product types
Cons
- Organization of material may discourage readers
Description
- Chapters 1 and 2 introduce storage networking concepts.
- Chapters 3-5 discuss Fibre Channel internals, Fibre Channel SAN topologies and products.
- Chapters 6-7 discuss IP SAN technology and products.
- In Chapters 8-10, the author covers SAN software products, problem isolation, and SAN management.
- Storage virtualization concepts are reviewed in Chapter 11.
- SAN application studies appear in Chapter 12.
- Chapters 13 and 14 review the issues surrounding SANs and speculate on the future of SANs.
- Appendicies provide more detail and references on SAN standards and vendors.
Guide Review - Designing Storage Area Networks - 2nd Edition
Author Tom Clark has succeeded in creating a worthy replacement for the original edition published in 1999. SAN continues to evolve, and this book offers a current technical perspective for SAN architects and network administrators. It's well written, using an authoritative academic tone, with very few errors of fact or typography.
However, the book doesn't well serve the needs of beginners or casual readers. Real-world SAN application studies and industry issues, for example, are relegated to Chapters 12-13. Introductory material on basic networking and the OSI model also seem out of place; novices are unlikely to survive the dense Fibre Channel internals Chapter 3. But, be prepared to read it selectively, and this book won't disappoint.
