Would you consider this a SAN? an openSUSE iscsi target built with a PC, with four nics, connected to its own switch isolated from the LAN, with iscsi initiators with two nic set up with multipath?
note that the iscsi target is a PC, not a storwize like device.
thanks.
The definition of a SAN is pretty loose, but a commercial SAN typically also implements a mesh network connecting its storage to further shorten the high speed paths between.
But yes,
If you build as you describe and then various machines connect to it, typically using high speed “local” type connections (ethernet connections generally considered slow and subject to congestion), then your machine can be considered a SAN.
TSU
typically using high speed “local” type connections (ethernet connections generally considered slow and subject to congestion)
using this type of NIC for isolated iscsi traffic “Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I350 T4”
this for RAID 10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816115205
and a dedicated gigabit ethernet switch
You can do quite a bit creating a small capacity “home SAN” but to handle the possibly enormous capacities of a commercial solution which would be at least the size of an apartment-sized refrigerator (and possibly a lot larger) other technologies would be needed to maximize speed, access and management of so much storage.
And, more or less the same can be said about your choice to use network connections, set up whatever is sufficient for your needs.
TSU