Web based Storage & Virtualization Training

NOTE: this blog post is borrowed from other sites. just for the sake of readers request " FAQ: any training centers available in storage in Bangalore?".
Learning through Videos is the fastest & most effective method after learning from an instructor or a personal trainer. Cost of a personal trainer is high to learn Storage technology hence a team I know very well is developing a website for Storage fundamentals + SAN training using Videos. Learning from Videos that too Web based videos has advantages like
- you learn at your own pace,
- you replay the video & see it number of times to perfect the concept or technology

A separate website is being developed by a team of Storage professionals who will be Sharing some of their industry experiences,
Giving you tips for a Career in Storage technology
But main focus will be to give you a Strong Fundamental knowledge on Storage technology

The topics covered will be around(This is just the initial list I got they promised that it will grow more soon, lot more will be covered)
Storage Basics
SAN(Storage Area Network): SAN components
SAN Hardware
SAN Software
SAN Configuration & Troubleshooting overview
iSCSI (SCSI over IP)
FC (Fibre Channel)
Storage connectivity & interfaces:SCSI,SAS,SATA & more.


There will be huge bonus additional Videos & materials like
- What to expect in Storage job interviews
- Tips to prepare your resume to get more interviews from Storage companies
- Tips for interview preparation for Storage technology job openings
- Tips for prioritizing what to give importance & which topics you need to perfect
- You will receive 300+ interview questions from different Storage company interviews which itself is valued at $100. You get this free when you join for this Video training membership website.

Cost for this web based training access will be $500 (USD) payable through paypal or credit card. Those who are interested please email semiconsys@gmail.com today & confirm your interest. The access to this membership based website will be limited only to few since the website development team wants to work more closely with the members & provide some additional value adds, hence I would recommend you to email today & confirm your interest to join.

You will soon get to see a preview Video from their list of Storage Technology Videos on this blog. You will also see lot more updates about this new website being developed soon on this blog.May be I will post some of the reviews or Videos from members who joined & benefited from this web based training website.

Host Bus Adapter [HBA]

* HBA is an important component of Storage networks, especially in SAN architecture.
* HBA is usually host-side component & can be connected to PCI or PCI-X or PCI-E slots on the host or servers. it provides the crucial connectivity between Hosts-StorageSubsystems in Direct attached setup, provides connectivity between Host-FabricSwitches-StorageSubsystems in SAN environment.
* HBA vendors are very few, some vendors provide HBA management software & drivers along with HBA (ex: Qlogic, Emulex, Brocade etc).
* HBAs available in market may be of Fibre Channel (FC), SCSI, SAS and iSCSI interfaces.
* HBA comes in different priceband and the difference in price band is largely driven by the number of ports. HBAs are available in the market with single port, dual(2) Ports, Quad(4) ports, octa(8) ports etc. Depending on the number of Ports & the type of interfaces, the HBA cost varies from 500$ to 5000$ or even more.

Storage Networks - FAQs

* What Is a Storage Network?
Storage Nework Is the networking of Storage devices & Host/servers, designed & implimented to provide pool of Storage resources mainly to fullfill the exponential need of storage backbone for small & medium offices, Mid-range & large Enterprises.
in other words any network designed to provide Storage solutions to the perticular organizations.

* What are the main technical architectures a storage network may comprise of?
A typical Storage Network may comprises of one or many of the following architectures designed & implimented;
* Direct Attached Storage Architecture (DAS)
* Storage Area Network Architecture (SAN)
* Network Attached Storage Architecture (NAS)

What are the main Physical Components of DAS in storage network?
* SCSI based DAS: Host/Servers, SCSI HBAs/RAID Controllers, SCSI Storage Subsystems (Disks & JBOD).
* SATA based DAS: Host/Servers, SATA HBAs/RAID Controllers, SATA Storage Subsystems (Disks & JBOD).
* SAS based DAS: Host/Servers, SAS HBAs/RAID Controllers, SAS Storage Subsystems (Disks & JBOD).
* FC based DAS: Host/Servers, FC HBAs/RAID Controllers, FC Storage Subsystems (JBOD).

What are the main Physical Components of SAN in storage network?
* FC based SAN: Host/Servers, FC HBAs, FC Switches, FC Storage Subsystems, SFPs/GBICs, FC Cables & Connectors.
* iSCSI based SAN: Host/Servers, iSCSI HBAs, Ethernet Switches, iSCSI Storage Subsystems, ethernet Cables & Connectors.

What are the main Physical Components of NAS in storage network?
* Ethernet/NIC, ethernet Switches, NAS Filers or Appliances (storage subsystems).
* Software File system is important component in NAS & CIFS is used for Windows, NFS is used for Unix flavours.

List some of the advanced storage technologies being designed & implimented currently relevent to Storage Networks?
* SAS Technology - mainly as Drive-side interface for Hard disks, Enclosure/JBODs & storage subsystems(used in SAN). Complimentory to SCSI technology.
* iSCSI Technology - mainly designed as Network-side & Host-Side transport media and connectivity. Complimentory to Fibre Channel technology (FC) in SAN architecture.
* Virtualization Technology - Mainly virtualizing every possible physical resources into logical resources in Storage Networks.
Note:- Host-based Virtualization (ex: Xensource, VMWARE), Network-based Virtualization (ex: SVM appliance), Storage-Based Virtualization (ex:Snap copy, Mirror copy).
* Infiniband technology - entirely new I/O architecture, new standards based & predicted as the most dominent Storage technology in the future.
* FCOE Technology - Mainly Fibre Channel Over Ethernet (FCOE) technology, expected to be complimentory technology to SAN Architecture.
* other Technologies.

Do you think diverse multiple technology in Storage networks leads to confusion to customers?
* yes, Because customer's need for storage infrastructure may not be fulfilled by any perticular technology & Customer might end up with wrong selections due to confusion.
* yes, Because Customer might not be having enough knowledge of different available technologies & customer might end up selecting insufficient technology due to technical limitations of specific technology.
* No, Because Customer with enough storage knowledge will have multiple solutions/options to fulfill his needs by using diverse technologies.
* No, Because Diverse multiple technologies compete each other in terms of providing Cost effective solutions & inturn reduces customer's expenditure on storage infrastracture.
Hence, i belive its better to have multiple solutions rather than not having solutions.