SAN hints and tips
Problems with a SAN (storage area network) might be with software on the computer trying to use the device, connections to the device, or the device.
Whenever a SAN problem is encountered, ask Has anything
been changed?
Any kind of changes might be suspect, from the computer
trying to use the device to the device itself, especially if the device
worked prior to a given change, then stopped working after that change.
To
better understand how to diagnose problems with a SAN, review the
following terminology and typical abbreviations:
- Fibre channel
- Fibre channel denotes a fibre-optic connection to a device or component.
- Host bus adapter
- A host bus adapter (HBA) is used by a given computer to access a SAN. An HBA is similar in function to a network adapter in how it provides access for a computer to a LAN (local area network) or WAN (wide area network).
- SAN
- A SAN is a network of shared devices that are typically accessed using fibre. Often, a SAN is used to share devices between many different computers.