Tag Archives: Ethernet Switch

Things You Should Know about IP SAN vs FC SAN

Now, data has become the most valuable asset since the Internet and e-commerce are growing at an explosive rate. How to store, protect and manage vital data in an effective way is a big challenge for IT technicians. Here, SAN, storage area network, has been developed to provide a creative model for data storing in the data center. Within its development, two types of IP SAN vs FC SAN has gained enough discussion. Today, we’ll talk about IP SAN vs FC SAN.

SAN

Figure 1: SAN Diagrammatic Drawing

What Is IP SAN

From IP SAN wiki, we know it means internet protocol storage area network. It’s a SAN that uses iSCSI protocol, a transmission standard over TCP/IP, to transfer block data over an Ethernet network. IP SAN allows different servers to access pools of the shared block storage devices by storage protocols. Besides, IP storage network can be extended to Wide Area Network via IP router or Gigabit Ethernet switch, which is good for synchronous applications like remote disk copy.

Advantages:

In addition, IP SAN brings several advantages.

  • Low cost. Ethernet, switches and IP network exist almost everywhere. There’s no need to buy extra equipment for connectivity. You can use the existing network to build a SAN.

  • Easy access. The IP technology makes it easier to achieve remote storage. Also, there’s no distance limitation over LAN/WAN connectivity.

  • Competitive speed. Thanks to the advent of 10G Ethernet and 10gbe switch, the transmission bandwidth has been increased. This leads to an improvement of the overall performance.

What Is FC SAN

FC SAN is a fiber channel network in which the SCSI-FCP protocol runs. Based on fiber channel technology, technicians use fiber switch to connect the storage devices and the servers, so as to build a regional network dedicated to data storage. Within FC SAN, the data will be transferred directly at an extremely high speed.

Advantages:

As an open, high-speed serial interface, FC SAN has some advantages.

  • High transmission bandwidth. Due to the design of fiber channel, it can deliver data at 1Gb/s, 2Gb/s, 4Gb/s, 8Gb/s and more. Also, the fiber channel can provide excellent redundancy.

  • Flexibility and extensibility. FC SAN has overcome the traditional cable limits that are associated with SCSI. Thus it greatly expands the distance between servers and storage devices, in order to increase the possibility of more connections,

  • Wide application. As the technology matures, FC SAN is widely used in big IT User Base.

IP SAN VS FC SAN

Figure 2: IP SAN and FC SAN

IP SAN vs FC SAN: What Is the Difference?

Here is a table shows the differences of IP SAN vs FC SAN.

IP SAN
  FC SAN
 Network  Gigabit Ethernet network  fiber channel network
 Cost  Low  High
 Transmission speed  Fast  Extremely fast
 Transmission protocol  fiber channel TCP/IP
 Extensibility  More easier to extend  Easy to extend

IP SAN vs FC SAN, IP SAN is generally regarded as the lower cost, simpler to manage than the FC SAN. FC SAN needs special hardware like fiber switches or host bus adapters, while the IP SAN just requires the existing Ethernet networking hardware. Therefore, FC SAN is the ideal storage platform for many business-critical applications. And IP SAN is the suitable choice for those organizations that want a cost-efficient solution.

Conclusion

IP SAN vs FC SAN, it’s important to know their advantages and differences when you decide to build a SAN. Make a suitable choice based on your unique demands and knowledge. Any questions about SAN setup on switches, contact us via sales@fs.com.

How Much Do You Know About Gigabit Ethernet Switch?

In computer networking, an Ethernet switch connects multiple devices, such as computers, servers, or game systems, to a Local Area Network (LAN). Small business and home offices often use an Ethernet switch to allow more than one device to share a broadband Internet connection. A gigabit Ethernet switch operates in the same way, only differentiating in data rates. Gigabit Ethernet is much greater than standard or Fast Ethernet. People can use these switches to quickly transfer data between devices in a network, or to download from the Internet at very high speeds. Gigabit Ethernet transmits at approximately one gigabit per second. That is at speeds nearly 10 times those of Fast Ethernet, which transfers data at approximately 10 megabits per second. The gigabit Ethernet switch is designed to work at these increased speeds, without signal loss or transfer rate reduction.

Gigabit Ethernet Switch

Gigabit Ethernet Switch: Managed or Unmanaged?

Gigabit Ethernet switches are either managed or unmanaged. Usually an unmanaged switch is referred as a “dumb switch”, which can be easily operated by every noob. It behaves like a “plug and play” device. A basic unmanaged gigabit Ethernet switch has no user configuration. It is placed in the network with the cables plugged in and the unit turned on, and there is nothing else to do. In contrast, a mangaed gigabit switch can be configured, and can be monitored and adjusted at your discretion, such as adjust speeds, combine users in subgroups, monitor traffic and report network activity. Although a managed switch is typically more expensive than an unmanaged switch, it offer much greater flexibility.

Gigabit Ethernet Switch or Ethernet Hub?

Although an Ethernet switch is sometimes called a hub, because a switch performs the same job as a hub, there is a huge difference between a true hub and a gigabit Ethernet switch. An Ethernet hub is a device that connects multiple Ethernet devices to a single network. A hub does not gather information and input in one port results as an output in all ports on the network. While a gigabit switch is considered as a more intelligent hub, because it gathers information about the data packets it receives and forwards it to only the network that it was intended for.

Gigabit Ethernet Switch Recommendations

A gigabit Ethernet switch can be an inexpensive and easy way to expand your network in your home or small business. After probing into some parameters like brand, popularity, reviews and performance, here is a list of network switches including Ethernet switches for home, port gigabit Ethernet switches, cost-effective gigabit switches etc.

FS.COM S1130-8T2F 8-Port Gigabit PoE+ Managed Switch NETGEAR GS116Ev2 16-Port Gigabit Smart Managed Plus Switch Cisco SG 300-20 (SRW2016-K9-NA) 20-Port Switch
Dimensions 11 x 8.3×1.7 in 16.9 x 6.6 x 2.8 in 17.32 x 7.97 x 1.75 in
Ethernet Ports 8 16 20
Switching Capacity 20Gbps 32Gbps 40Gbps
PoE Standard Compliant with IEEE802.3af/at × ×
Enclosure Type Rack mount – 1U Desktop Desktop, Rack-mount – 1U
Power consumption 15.4W 10W 16.26W
Price $159.00 $156.88 $184.95

Conclusion

A gigabit Ethernet switch enables devices like computers and printers to connect directly to the internet instead of relying on Wi-Fi. It can speed up data transfers, resulting in faster response times and better frame rates. Additionally, a gigabit switch expands network capacity via the extra ports. Some Ethernet switches with different ports are recommended for your reference, such as FS.COM 8-port PoE switch, NETGEAR 16-port smart managed switch and Cisco 20-Port Ethernet Switch. If you need any 24 Port gigabit switch and 48 Port gigabit switch, or any equipment related to your network,visit www.fs.com for help.