CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

Storage area networks primarily support which type of storage?

1. Meta

2. Object

3. Block

4. File

The correct answer is: Block

Storage Area Networks (SANs) are designed to provide high-speed, high-capacity network access to block storage. Block storage is a type of data storage where data is divided into blocks, each with a unique identifier. This allows data to be efficiently accessed and managed, making it ideal for applications that require fast and reliable storage performance, such as databases and virtual machines. In a SAN architecture, storage resources are consolidated and abstracted away from the servers, allowing for optimized performance and easier management. Block-level access enables servers to read and write data directly to the storage array without needing to deal with file systems, which enhances performance and flexibility in resource allocation. The other types of storage mentioned, such as file and object storage, serve different purposes and are typically used in other contexts. File storage involves storing data in a hierarchical structure of files and folders, which is more common in traditional network architectures and file-sharing environments. Object storage manages data as objects rather than in blocks or files, which is beneficial for unstructured data and large-scale cloud applications. Meta storage does not represent a commonly recognized category in the context of SANs. Therefore, block storage is the primary focus of SANs, providing the necessary speed and performance needed for critical high-availability applications