A storage area network (SAN) is a dedicated high-speed network that provides access to block-level storage devices like hard drives and tape drives (https://globalnettech.com/dell-emc-san-storage/). SANs are primarily used to enhance storage devices’ accessibility for servers so that the devices appear to be locally attached to the operating system.
Dell EMC offers a comprehensive portfolio of SAN storage solutions including all-flash, hybrid, and entry-level options. Key product families include PowerMax, PowerStore, Unity, SC Series, and others (https://www.rklesolutions.com/services/dell). Dell EMC SANs provide high performance, scalability, reliability, and data services capabilities for a wide range of workloads.
The key benefits of SAN storage include:
- Centralized storage accessible by multiple servers
- Improved scalability and flexibility
- High availability with redundancy features
- Advanced data services like snapshots, replication, encryption
- Consolidated storage management
Dell EMC SAN Architecture
Dell EMC SAN architectures consist of three main components: servers, storage, and networking. Servers provide compute power while storage systems provide capacity for data. These components are connected together through a high-speed network, commonly using Fibre Channel, iSCSI, or FCoE protocols (Nikos Haberlah).
Fibre Channel is a common storage networking protocol that provides high bandwidth and low latency connectivity between servers and storage arrays. Storage traffic is carried over a dedicated Fibre Channel network. iSCSI is an IP-based standard that allows block-level storage to be accessed over standard Ethernet networks. This provides more flexibility and lower costs. FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) combines Fibre Channel and Ethernet, encapsulating Fibre Channel frames over Ethernet networks (Accenture).
Dell EMC SAN solutions are designed for performance, scalability, and reliability. They offer tiered storage with flash, disk, and tape; data reduction technologies like deduplication and compression; and advanced data management features.
Dell EMC SAN Products
Dell EMC offers a comprehensive portfolio of SAN storage products to meet various enterprise needs. Some of their major SAN product lines include:
PowerMax
PowerMax is Dell EMC’s flagship enterprise storage system, optimized for mission-critical workloads. It provides high performance, resilience and scalability with features like NVMe flash drives, inline data compression, and machine learning-driven automation.
PowerStore
PowerStore is a midrange SAN designed for versatility across traditional and modern workloads. It delivers performance and adaptability with support for block, file and vVOLs storage. PowerStore offers built-in machine learning and a simplified management experience.
Unity
Dell EMC Unity is a midrange unified storage platform that consolidates SAN and NAS environments. Unity systems provide efficient all-flash or hybrid configurations optimized for affordability and ease of use. Unity includes cloud integration and built-in data reduction capabilities.
SC Series
The Dell EMC SC Series is an affordable, high performance SAN designed for small to mid-sized deployments. SC Series arrays offer consistent, low latency block storage with dual controller availability. The SC line provides organizations with fully featured SAN capabilities in a streamlined package.
Dell EMC PowerMax
The Dell EMC PowerMax is Dell Technologies’ high-end flagship SAN storage system. It is an enterprise-class all-flash NVMe storage array designed for mission-critical workloads that require massive scale, ultra-low latency, and six-nines availability.
Some key features of the PowerMax include:
- End-to-end NVMe architecture – Offers sub-100 microsecond response times and up to 350GB/s bandwidth for the most demanding workloads like real-time analytics and high frequency trading.
- Storage Class Memory (SCM) support – Combines NVMe SSDs with Intel Optane persistent memory to accelerate storage performance and lower latency.
- Non-disruptive upgrades – Allows seamless scaling and tech refreshes of capacity and performance.
- Data-at-rest encryption – Secures data on every drive without impacting performance.
- PowerMaxOS – Provides advanced data services like snapshots, replication, data migration and QoS controls.
- Integrated machine learning – Predicts and prevents disruptions to optimize performance.
The PowerMax line includes the PowerMax 2000, 4000, 8000 and 10000 models scaling from 400TB to 4PB of effective capacity. It is ideal for core business applications, database virtualization, real-time analytics, and high performance compute. With its combination of high performance, availability and enterprise data services, the PowerMax delivers a future-proof foundation for mission-critical storage environments.
Dell EMC PowerStore
The Dell EMC PowerStore is a midrange SAN ideal for mixed workloads like virtualized applications, databases, and file storage. It provides impressive performance, flexibility, and scalability in a compact 2U form factor.
Some key features of the PowerStore SAN include:
- Anytime upgrades for capacity and performance without disruptions
- AppsON capability to run apps and containers directly on the array
- Built-in machine learning to optimize resources and performance
- NVMe flash drives and storage class memory for low latency
- High availability with dual active controllers
- Seamless scalability up to 2PB raw capacity in a cluster
The PowerStore family includes the T models optimized for capacity (500T, 1000T, 1500T, 3000T) and the 2000T model focused on performance. Organizations can start small and scale up or out non-disruptively as needs grow over time.
PowerStore supports block, file, and vVol storage with concurrent support for FC, iSCSI, SMB 3.x and NFS. Intelligent load balancing and quality of service controls automatically optimize workload performance.
PowerStore can help simplify operations with integrated automation, monitoring, and analytics powered by machine learning. AppsON makes it easy to deploy containerized applications directly on the PowerStore system.
With its modern hardware, comprehensive data services, cloud-like agility, and intelligent operations, the Dell EMC PowerStore delivers an advanced midrange storage solution ideal for mixed, multi-protocol workloads.
Dell EMC Unity
Dell EMC Unity is an economical midrange unified storage solution that offers all-flash and hybrid storage options. Unity arrays are designed to deliver high performance and efficiency at a lower cost than other Dell EMC midrange storage offerings like PowerMax.
Key features of Dell EMC Unity include:
- Unified block, file, and VMware VVOL support
- All-flash and hybrid flash options
- Dual active-active controller architecture
- Inline data reduction with deduplication and compression
- Hybrid cloud support and data mobility
The Dell EMC Unity product line ranges from the affordable Unity 300 to the high performance Unity XT. Unity XT arrays scale up to 2500 drives and 64PB of effective capacity. According to Dell EMC, Unity delivers up to 5:1 data reduction while maintaining high performance and sub-millisecond response times.
With its balance of affordability and enterprise-class features, Dell EMC Unity is a popular choice for mid-sized organizations and remote/branch offices looking to consolidate block, file, and VMware workloads onto a unified midrange storage platform.
Dell EMC SC Series
The Dell EMC SC Series is an entry-level SAN that is optimized for cost. It is designed for small and midsize businesses that require enterprise-class storage features at an affordable price point. The SC Series arrays leverage flash, spinning disk, and automated tiering to deliver high performance and efficiency.
Some key features of the Dell EMC SC Series include:
- Hybrid storage with SSD, SAS, and NL-SAS drives
- Built-in automated tiering for optimized performance
- Comprehensive data services like deduplication and compression
- Intuitive management through Unisphere
- Expandable up to 640 drives
The SC Series starts at under $10k, making it one of the most affordable SAN solutions available. Organizations can start small and scale up as needed while maintaining enterprise capabilities. The SC Series models include the SCv2000, SCv2020, SCv3000, and SCv3020 arrays.
Overall, the Dell EMC SC Series delivers robust SAN capabilities with advanced features at a reasonable price point for budget-conscious businesses. Its hybrid architecture balances performance and capacity effectively.
Dell EMC SAN Management
Dell EMC provides a unified management interface called Unisphere for administering and monitoring its SAN storage systems. Unisphere enables managing multiple Dell EMC SAN arrays through a single interface, regardless of the underlying hardware [1].
Some key capabilities of Unisphere include:
- Manage storage provisioning, QoS policies, snapshots, replication, and more
- Monitor storage system health, capacity, performance, and alerts
- Integrate with orchestration platforms like VMware vRealize and Kubernetes
- Automate storage provisioning and data services workflows
- Provide self-service access to storage resources
Unisphere aims to simplify SAN management by providing a consolidated dashboard view into Dell EMC storage systems. It can help IT administrators maximize productivity through automation and integration with virtualization platforms [2].
[1] https://software.fujitsu.com/jp/manual/manualfiles/m230005/j2ul2827/01enz201/j2827-00-06-01-03.html
[2] https://software.fujitsu.com/jp/manual/manualfiles/m200000/j2s21591/04enz204/j1591-a-02-29.html
Dell EMC Data Services
Dell EMC provides a number of advanced data services enabled through their storage operating systems like PowerMaxOS and PowerStoreOS. These services help optimize storage efficiency, availability, and flexibility. Some key data services include:
Data reduction – Technologies like deduplication, compression, and pattern removal help reduce data footprint and maximize effective capacity.[1]
Data protection – Snapshots, clones, replication, and backup/recovery protect data from loss and disruption. PowerProtect software integrates with Dell EMC systems for comprehensive data protection.[2]
Data mobility – Live migration and volume movement facilitate non-disruptive data transfers between arrays and sites. This enables workload balancing, tech refreshes, and storage transformations.[3]
Storage virtualization – Abstracts physical storage into logical pools and enables heterogeneous storage consolidation and automated tiering. Dell EMC solutions like PowerMax use virtualization to optimize performance and efficiency.
These advanced data services add significant value on top of the raw storage capacity, helping organizations extract more benefit from their storage infrastructure.
Conclusion
In summary, Dell EMC SAN provides numerous key benefits for organizations looking to consolidate storage and enhance data accessibility. With high-speed Fibre Channel and iSCSI connectivity, Dell EMC SAN enables simplified data management across both block and file storage in a single platform.
By consolidating storage into a unified pool with multi-protocol access, organizations can achieve greater efficiency and agility. Dell EMC SAN solutions like PowerMax, PowerStore, Unity, and SC Series offer enterprise-class availability, performance, scalability, and data services.
Automated tiering and seamless scalability allow optimal utilization of flash, HDD, and SCM drives. Comprehensive data protection and disaster recovery capabilities ensure business continuity. Centralized management streamlines monitoring and maintenance.
Dell EMC SAN is ideal for large enterprises that need highly flexible and resilient storage infrastructure to support mission-critical applications. The SAN architecture helps organizations maximize resources, reduce costs, and strategically align storage with evolving business goals.
Companies with demanding workloads like databases, virtualization, analytics, and high-performance computing can benefit greatly from implementing a Dell EMC storage area network.