Praise for the first edition of "Building Storage Networks": 'This book is the Bible of storage networking' - Dave Hill, Senior Storage Analyst, the Aberdeen Group. Now more than ever, especially in the age of e-commerce, data must be available and accessible 24x7 on a network. This easy-to-understand book clearly explains all the latest methods of storing data on a network, including updated coverage of Internet storage service providers.

Average Customer Review: ( 11 customer reviews )
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The 'Blueprint' section is somewhat confusing, especially if you are not storage savvy. I have been building storage systems for several years now and had to read the blueprints several times to fully understand them. They could have been done better.

Overall the book is good reference material, but it was not what I was expecting. To me, it appears the author started out with good intentions, but could not decide what 'extra' information could/should be left out. He could have just summarized some topics. There are numerous books on RAID, SCSI, etc that the author should have just referenced at the end of each chapter. This would have cut the size of book down considerably.

11 of 11 found the following review helpful:

Solid Performance in Every WayFeb 23, 2000
By Mike Hardy
Where does one get started in understanding the impact of storage area networks on conventional direct attach and network attach storage architectures? How are they similar, can they be combined, or are they different all together? As a professional in the storage industry with responsibility for answering these questions to those around me, I have found this book to be the ultimate resource. Not only does it describe in detail what today defines a storage area network, but it also fills in areas relating to network topologies, protocols, and general server I/O while giving a complete context in which decisions can begin to be formed.If you are in any way responsbile for storage infrastructure, or in planning products to enable networked storage, this is the first book you should buy. It has the breadth to provide your foundation, and suffucient depth to allow questions to be asked. You'll read other books, but like a good textbook, this is the reference you want on your shelf while you explore this complex and rewarding topic.Mike HardyVP Business DevelopmentChaparral Network Storage

14 of 16 found the following review helpful:

Building Storage NetworksFeb 01, 2000
By Mike Downing
The storage industry is colliding with the networking industry. And while the collision is providing lots of opportunity for both industries, it's also leaving much confusion in its wake. For example, What's the difference between SAN and NAS? What is the role of Fibre Channel? How does Ethernet fit into storage networks?

I found that Marc Farley's Building Storage Networks provides answers to these questions. The book is written for IT administrators, and covers such additional topics as network I/O, RAID, and network backup.

The book is half resource manual and half textbook, meaning that certain topics can be looked up in the index--like a resource manual. At the same time, the book can be read like a textbook, with the reader moving from point to point without becoming completely baffled by jargon.

I would say that anyone interested in building and maintaining storage networks should read this book.

Mike Downing, Editor, Mass Storage News

10 of 11 found the following review helpful:

SAN and NAS BeginningsOct 09, 2000

Nicely written material for the beginner to the SAN and NAS areas, but ultimately falls short of the depth that I was looking for in understanding SAN and NAS technologies. Covers the networking, protocols, and basic SAN and NAS architectures well. If you have a fairly good idea of the SAN and NAS solutions available today, than this book doesn't provide anything you haven't already been exposed. If your looking for a book that explains how and where SAN and NAS solutions might fit into your organization, than this is the book for you.

10 of 12 found the following review helpful:

Building Storage NetworksFeb 14, 2000
By Marc Staimer "Dragon Slayer Consulting"
Every storage, SAN, and NAS executive, engineer, marketeer, sales person, administrator, Wall Street analyst, and investor should read this book. It is easy to read and comprehend while conveying remarkable depth of knowledge. The reader need not have a EE degree to understand how this technology works and is applied. The illustrations are crisp, clear, and easy to follow. Marc Farley cuts through the market hype and clearly articulates the facts about storage networking. "Building Storage Networks" is an outstanding resource for both the novice and the expert. I strongly recommend this book!

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