 SAN volume
Xsan allows you to consolidate data into a single storage volume that’s accessible to all systems on the storage area network (SAN). Adding capacity is as easy as attaching more RAID storage systems to your Fibre Channel network. |
 Xsan clients
Mac desktop or Xserve systems running Xsan have direct block-level access to files stored on the SAN volume and full read/write capability. As performance needs grow, Xsan allows you to add servers and computers to the SAN. With Xsan, one SAN can handle hundreds of clients. |
 Fibre Channel network
The SAN volume connects to the Xsan metadata controller and all Xsan clients through a high-speed Fibre Channel switch. Apple has qualified many popular third-party switches for use with Xsan. |
 Ethernet network
File system metadata is handled “out of band” over a private Ethernet network shared by all systems connected directly to the SAN. This frees up Fibre Channel bandwidth for high-performance storage throughput. |
 Xsan metadata controller
Xsan includes software called the “metadata controller”, which acts as the traffic cop for the SAN. When an Xsan client attempts to read or write to a file, it gets permission from the metadata controller, then accesses the data directly on the SAN over high-speed Fibre Channel. Any Xserve or Mac Pro running Mac OS X Server can be an Xsan metadata controller. |
 Network clients
An Xserve with Mac OS X Server and Xsan can share data from the SAN volume with an unlimited number of networked computers over the Ethernet network using file-sharing protocols, such as AFP, SMB/CIFS and NFS. |
