What is a Virtual Storage Area Network (VSAN)?
Enterprise Storage Forum, Friday, October 6,2023
A virtual storage area network, or vSAN, is a storage area network with a layer of abstraction between the physical hardware and the software that runs it. Traditional SANs connect physical storage devices to a standalone network-users save and access data as if the drives were local, or connected directly to their computers, allowing for a more centralized approach to data storage.
In a vSAN, the storage related operations are abstracted from the actual physical storage using virtualization, allowing for more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective data storage.
How Does a VSAN Work?
Virtual storage area networks work by bringing together all of the traditional hardware components found in a data center into a virtualized appliance controlled by software. That software might be an application running on a virtual machine (VM) or rolled up with a storage vendor's firmware and sold as a consolidated solution. vSAN architecture includes several key components essential to the functioning of the technology: