Storage Virtualization and the Evolution of Storage Networking

This session looks at the evolution of storage networking from its origins in primitive disk drives and file servers up through elaborate virtualized storage solutions. We explore how new storage functionality comes to market by inserting itself into the appropriate layers in a stack-like architecture called the Storage I/O Path, which originates with an application and ends on a piece of storage media.

The storage I/O path has been evolving quite rapidly in the last few years. New layers are appearing in the form of inline network devices, hypervisors, and object-based storage models. Meanwhile, traditional layers like logical volume managers and RAID arrays are being collapsed into all-in-one file systems. This lecture sets the stage for the remaining 3 talks at LISA Data Storage Day. It provides the foundation for understanding the various ways to integrate solid state storage, data tiering and life-cycle management, and data protection into existing storage environments.

Topics include:

• The storage I/O path
• Storage virtualization
• The evolution of SAN and NAS solutions
• Virtual I/O
• LAN-based storage virtualization and virtual file systems
• Logical volume management
• Principles of object-based storage