Good for a HP Shop
The book is good for learning about SAN if you know nothing about it right now. But it has a lot of HP product marketing in it. It is also quite theoretical for example, does not tell me anything about cost of implementing a SAN.
Nice introduction for beginners
This book has a nice overview and is certainly interesting if you never had to do with SANs before. Like its predecessor, FibrChannel for Mass Storage, the book is VERY HP oriented and most useful if you live in an HP farm. Otherwise, I'd recommend the Clarks Book as well.
Good entry level book, look elsewhere if your experienced
If you have never spent much time with SANS this is a good place to start. Gives good explainations on why SANs are used and the various alternatives. The HP slant is a little bothersome without information on competitive comparisons. Illustrations are so-so, but suffice. Gives some history of storage, explainations on Fibre Channel, and insite into SANs. Again, if you have exposure to this stuff it will be mostly review. The book by Clark is probably just as good and half the price.
Mediocre Introduction to SANs - Lacks Much Needed Detail
While this book presents a readable introduction to SANs, the level of detail is too simple. An annoying aspect is the constant reference to HP products and solutions. While HP is a player in SANs, there are many other vendors that provide equal or superior alternatives - but of course they are not mentioned. This book could have been summed up in 3 chapters max. A better option would be any of the books on SANs by Clark.
A Highly Recommended Book
After reading this book, I find it to be highly informative and educational yet easy to follow. Considering the complex subject, it is refreshing to read in such level of detail without becoming bored. Hats off to the authors for doing an outstanding job of hitting the ever changing target of digital technology. In an age of constant technical evolution, it's nice to find a book which allows for these changes without becoming obsolete itself. Highly recommended reading for the seasoned veteran or as a textbook for budding engineers. Brian York / Senior Product Engineer, Mitsubishi Electronics
(8 reviews)
