Storage Networking Fundamentals: An Introduction to Storage Devices, Subsystems, Applications, Management, and Filing Systems

Subsystem Architecture

Most subsystems share the following functional elements:

• Controller hardware and logic— Performs most of the storage functions in a subsystem, including the execution of storage commands received from host systems as well as subsystem-based storage applications

• External storage network ports— Connects to host systems as well as optional data network ports for management connections

• Memory— Used for caching storage data

• Internal connection technology (including the bus or network technology)— Used to connect network ports with controllers and memory, as well as the device interconnect technology used to connect storage devices

• Storage devices— Where data is eventually stored

Sometimes the term front end is used with storage ...