Storage Interfaces

text size AAA Published December 28, 2011

Overview

Storage interfaces are used to access information on disks. There are many types of standardized interfaces, which come in different forms and sizes and have diverse uses. Standardized interfaces are used to transfer information between the storage device and a computer's main memory.

An Advanced Technological Attachment (ATA), sometimes known as Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), is the most common type of storage interface. It connects the storage device to the computer. It is segregated into Parallel ATAs, where multiple devices are attached via primary and secondary controller orientations. Parallel ATAs use a master/slave orientation where each controller supports two drives. There is Serial ATA, which has a better performance and airflow than smaller cables. Here, each device connects directly to the motherboard.

A Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) provides high levels of performance for storage devices and allows peripheral devices to connect internally or externally to the computer.

Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices connect to the computer using the same port. This storage interface delivers high performance at quick speeds. You can connect your digital camera, MP3 player, and storage device to your computer using a USB port.

Choosing the right kind of storage interface for your computer depends on your needs. If you are very mobile, you might want a portable storage interfaces.

Benefits

Storage interfaces are vital for storing, using, and processing data. Storage devices allow you to maintain extensive backups of your records. You can also find portable storage solutions for your data, so you can take your data with you wherever you go.

How It Works

There are three methods that are used to configure storage interfaces. They are direct- attached storage (DAS), storage area network (SAN), and network-attached storage (NAS).

DAS is comparable to the basic building block for all storage systems and can be used with SAN and NAS. DAS has the highest storage level and provides a block level access to storage. It is the DAS that dictates what can be expected from SAN and NAS. DAS performs higher when compared to the other two, as direct attached storage devices are connected to the computer. DAS subsystems are implemented through one of several storage interfaces. They are Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Serial Attached SCSI (SAS), Fibre Channel (FC), Flash, and Random Access Memory (RAM).

A SAN is a midlevel storage layer that allows multiple hosts to access a single storage device. It is important to understand that multiple hosts cannot simultaneously access the storage device. The storage device is only accessible by one host at a time. It is perfect for clustering environments because if one host fails to connect, the other can still access the storage. Storage interfaces for SAN are provided by the Fibre Channel (FC), Internet SCSI (iSCSI), and ATA over Ethernet (AoE). NAS provides access at the file level where multiple clients can access the storage device.