# storage area network

> network which provides access to consolidated, block level data storage

**Wikidata**: [Q237576](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q237576)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storage_area_network)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/storage-area-network

Here’s the structured knowledge entry for **storage area network**:

---

## Summary  
A storage area network (SAN) is a specialized network that provides consolidated, block-level data storage to multiple servers. It enables high-speed access to shared storage devices, such as disk arrays, while abstracting physical storage management. SANs are distinct from network-attached storage (NAS) due to their block-level access and lack of integrated file systems.

## Key Facts  
- **Type**: Technical system ([source](https://www.lenovo.com/de/de/c/servers-storage/storage/storage-area-network/))  
- **Subclass of**: Computer network, data storage medium (block-level), and distributed block storage  
- **Uses**: Disk arrays (systems with multiple disk drives)  
- **Different from**: Network-attached storage (NAS), due to differences in abstraction layer and file system integration  
- **Aliases**: SAN, Storage Area Network, Redes de almacenamiento, Speichernetzwerk, and others  
- **GND ID**: 4658854-1 ([source](https://www.dnb.de/))  
- **Library of Congress ID**: sh2001003093 ([source](https://github.com/JohnMarkOckerbloom/ftl/blob/master/data/wikimap))  
- **Freebase ID**: /m/01ngrk ([source](https://www.freebase.com/))  
- **Sitelink count**: 35 (across Wikipedia languages including en, de, es)  

## FAQs  
### Q: What is the difference between SAN and NAS?  
A: SAN provides block-level storage access without a file system, while NAS offers file-level storage with integrated file systems. SANs are typically faster and used for enterprise applications, whereas NAS is simpler for general file sharing.  

### Q: What are common uses of SANs?  
A: SANs are widely used in enterprise environments for high-performance applications like databases, virtualization, and centralized storage management. They enable efficient data sharing across multiple servers.  

### Q: Who manufactures SAN solutions?  
A: Companies like Hewlett Packard Enterprise (founded 2015) develop SAN technologies, alongside proprietary types such as VSAN and Z-SAN.  

## Why It Matters  
Storage area networks revolutionized enterprise data storage by enabling centralized, high-speed access to block-level storage across multiple servers. They solve critical challenges in scalability, performance, and reliability for large-scale applications like databases and virtualized environments. By separating storage management from individual servers, SANs reduce costs and simplify maintenance. Their impact is particularly notable in industries requiring robust data infrastructure, such as finance, healthcare, and cloud computing.  

## Notable For  
- **Block-level access**: Unlike NAS, SANs operate at the block level, enabling direct storage control for high-performance applications.  
- **Enterprise adoption**: Widely used in large-scale environments due to scalability and speed.  
- **Proprietary variants**: Includes specialized types like VSAN and Z-SAN.  
- **Global standardization**: Recognized with identifiers like GND ID and Library of Congress ID.  

## Body  
### Technical Classification  
- **Instance of**: Technical system ([source](https://www.lenovo.com/de/de/c/servers-storage/storage/storage-area-network/))  
- **Subclass of**: Computer network, data storage medium (with block-level qualifier), and distributed block storage  

### Components  
- **Uses**: Disk arrays (multi-drive storage systems)  
- **Does not include**: File systems  

### Identifiers  
- **GND ID**: 4658854-1  
- **Freebase ID**: /m/01ngrk  
- **Library of Congress ID**: sh2001003093  
- **ACM Classification**: 10003109  

### Variants  
- **VSAN**: Subclass of SAN  
- **Z-SAN**: Proprietary SAN type  

## Schema Markup  
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "storage area network",
  "description": "A network which provides access to consolidated, block-level data storage.",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1067692",
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storage_area_network"
  ],
  "additionalType": "Technical system"
}

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lenovo.com/de/de/c/servers-storage/storage/storage-area-network/)
2. [Source](https://github.com/JohnMarkOckerbloom/ftl/blob/master/data/wikimap)
3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
4. National Library of Israel
5. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)