Types of storage virtualization

Type of virtualization  Pros  Cons Separate device; does not burden other network devices. More fully functioned version of software. Independent of storage devices. Dependent on operating system. Increased overhead on server. All servers must implement. Access to storage array is more limited than array-based systems. Gives extra functionality to switch. Management on same platform. Lets mainframe Enterprise Systems Connection or other forms of storage be added. Allows aggregation over MANs/WANs. Appliance CPU and memory latency. Limited by appliance reliance on server platform. Appliance downtime could result in failure of virtualization and access to storage. Access to storage array is more limited than array-based systems. Eliminates extra device. Adds functionality to array. Independent of operating system. Intelligence in device being virtualized allows extra functionality. Requires that all users have access to storage array. Management services are vendor-specific.

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