Rethinking SAN Connectivity for Secondary Storage

This white paper presents an analysis of the evolving landscape of storage area networks (SANs) and the implications for secondary storage connectivity. It begins by outlining the historical reliance on Fibre Channel as the primary fabric for enterprise storage networks, particularly for mission-critical block storage. However, the paper notes a significant shift in storage architectures, with Ethernet-based solutions and InfiniBand becoming more prevalent in modern data centers. As a result, the paper questions the continued use of Fibre Channel for tape libraries, which often inherited this connectivity model without consideration of current operational needs. The document details the economic implications of maintaining inherited Fibre Channel architectures, highlighting the misalignment of costs associated with high-performance infrastructure versus the requirements of secondary storage workloads. It argues for a reevaluation of connectivity strategies, advocating for optical SAS fabrics that better align with the performance and economic realities of contemporary secondary storage environments.