SAN/LAN convergence can pay dividends today

Today's workers want faster computing speeds and more storage, management wants it all under budget, and IT professionals are scrambling to save money and improve productivity. The tools of choice to achieve these goals are typically virtualization, cloud computing and data center consolidation, but IT may be overlooking a simple but effective fix: storage area network (SAN) and local area network (LAN) convergence.

If you recently upgraded your SAN or LAN switch, you probably have the capability to converge SAN and LAN. In fact, some IT shops may not be aware that their new hardware has the convergence feature built in.

Traditionally, servers are positioned with a SAN switch on one side and a LAN switch on the other. The converged setup combines the switches into one unit and enables you to remove one of the switches (most often the SAN switch).

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Today's workers want faster computing speeds and more storage, management wants it all under budget, and IT professionals are scrambling to save money and improve productivity. The tools of choice to achieve these goals are typically virtualization, cloud computing and data center consolidation, but IT may be overlooking a simple but effective fix: storage area network (SAN) and local area network (LAN) convergence.

If you recently upgraded your SAN or LAN switch, you probably have the capability to converge SAN and LAN. In fact, some IT shops may not be aware that their new hardware has the convergence feature built in.

Traditionally, servers are positioned with a SAN switch on one side and a LAN switch on the other. The converged setup combines the switches into one unit and enables you to remove one of the switches (most often the SAN switch).

SAN/LAN convergence could be right for your data center, but how do you sell the idea to management? The benefits are clear: Convergence reduces and simplifies gear while providing faster speeds in the data center.

Quick fix with great benefits

Reducing your switch count has an immediate benefit: reduced cost. It costs approximately $3,000 to maintain one switch for a year, and convergence can eliminate half that expenditure. Organizations can also save on power, cooling and management costs with SAN/LAN convergence.

PRODUCT: Cisco's Nexus brings SAN, LAN together

An often overlooked benefit: Convergence reduces the number of cables going in and out of the server, which is a real boon. Servers can have eight, 10, 12 or even more cables coming out of them due to various speed links, virtual LANs, redundancy and SAN links. With a converged setup organizations can support the same amount of traffic but with just two cables. Simplifying cables makes working with data center gear much easier.

In addition, convergence enables organizations to upgrade from 1 gigabit cables to 10 gigabit cables, providing increased speed.

Getting started: First steps for implementation

You will normally look at moving to a converged setup when one of two events occur. The first is the shift to a virtualized environment. Virtual servers perform better with a high-speed link connecting them, and since most converged switches support 10 gigabits, SAN/LAN convergence fixes the high-speed connection problem.

The second event is replacing a legacy SAN switch. This transition can be easy, as the converged switches support the normal SAN technologies of Fibre Channel and Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI). Running cables to different places can easily achieve the new design.

Once you have made the decision to converge SAN and LAN switches, you need a plan. You must know what virtualization, speed and storage requirements you have today, and it is also important to look a few years into the future and predict those needs. While many of the converged switches are scalable, you can avoid a solution that does not fit that vision.