Introduction to SAN and NAS Storage

Everything you need to understand and work with centralised storage – Fast!
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Today’s data center and cloud environments have converged infrastructures and management tools, and with the advent of virtualization technologies like VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V, external SAN and NAS storage is becoming a standard. It’s no longer possible to get by as an IT professional by knowing only servers, networking or storage, you need an understanding of all three for your career to thrive.

This course will give you the knowledge you need to understand SAN and NAS storage. You’ll learn the theory of the CIFS (SMB), NFS, Fibre Channel, iSCSI and FCoE protocols, and see how to configure the storage system and connect from the client with hands-on lab demonstrations.

The lessons are vendor agnostic so they’re suitable no matter who the manufacturer of your storage system is. I’ve used NetApp as the storage system in the live demos but the information is relevant to all vendors.

A verifiable course certificate stating you have completed this training will be provided at the end of the course. This will prove to potential future employers that you have the basic storage knowledge necessary to be an effective member of their IT team, and the motivation to complete further training and be a real asset to their company.

Thank you for taking the time to read about the course. I hope you now have enough motivation to get into the learning right away. If so, click the green ‘Enroll in Course for FREE’ button to get started!

This course has achieved a stellar 4.6 out of 5 average rating from over 5000 public reviews.

Steve Charl Tolmay

“Great course, I gained so much understanding on this subject. It was fun to listen to and the real world examples are greatly appreciated.”

– Steve Charl Tolmay

What Are The Requirements?

  • A basic knowledge of computer networks
  • No previous storage experience is necessary

What will you be able to do after taking this course?

  • Understand the basics plus more of Storage Area Networks and Network Attached Storage 
  • Understand why we use centralised storage
  • Understand the difference between SAN and NAS
  • Understand the theory of the NAS protocols – SMB, CIFS and NFS
  • Perform a basic configuration of SAN and NAS storage on a Storage System
  • Connect to CIFS (SMB) NAS storage from a Windows client
  • Connect to NFS NAS storage from a Linux client
  • Connect to iSCSI SAN storage from a Windows client 

You can take the ‘Introduction to SAN and NAS Storage’ course from home or anywhere in the world.

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You have permanent lifetime access to all the course material so you can go at your own pace and do the lessons on your schedule. You can work through the entire program from start to finish, or pick and choose individual tutorials and configuration demos as and when you need them. 
Neil Anderson

Your Instructor

Hi, I’m Neil Anderson. My main focus since 2007 has been development and delivery of technical training for large enterprise and service provider customers such as NetApp, Cisco, Verizon and IBM. I train the engineers who design and implement the largest Cloud and Data Center deployments throughout Asia Pacific and the rest of the world. 

Prior to focusing on training I worked in the field for over 10 years in a variety of systems engineering roles. I love sharing my knowledge and can’t wait to help you take your career to the next level.

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Some of the companies who’ve chosen me to train their engineers:

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Course Curriculum


  • 01 Storage Foundations

     What is Centralised Storage?
     The Benefits of SAN and NAS Storage
     Storage Media Types
     RAID
     Comparing SAN and NAS Storage

  • 02 NAS Protocols

     SMB and CIFS: Overview and Configuration
     NFS: Overview and Configuration

  • 03 SAN Protocols

     Fibre Channel Part 1 - FCP and WWPN Addressing
     Fibre Channel Part 2 - Security: Zoning and LUN Masking
     Fibre Channel Part 3 - The Fabric Login
     Fibre Channel Part 4 - Redundancy and Multipathing
     FCoE Overview
     Fibre Channel and FCoE Configuration
     iSCSI Overview
     iSCSI Configuration
     NVMeOF Overview

  • 04 Object Storage

     Object Storage Overview

  • 05 Converged and Hyper Converged Infrastructure HCI

     Converged and Hyper Converged Infrastructure HCI Overview

  • 06 Wrap-Up

     QUIZ!
     SPECIAL OFFER - NetApp Complete Course
     Thank You!

Frequently Asked Questions


  • When does the course start and finish?

    It's self-paced training -- you can watch the videos and do the lab exercises whenever and wherever is best for you.

  • How long does it take to complete the course?

    The course is an hour long, students typically complete it in one sitting.

  • How long do I have access to the course for?

    Your enrollment never expires. You have permanent and unlimited access across all devices you own.

  • Can I access the course material offline?

    Yes, you can install the Teachable app on your tablet or mobile (or using an emulator on your PC) to download the videos and quizzes and watch them offline. All of the study notes and lab exercise guides are provided as downloadable PDFs.

  • Is a course certificate provided?

    Yes, you will receive a verifiable course certificate upon course completion.

  • Can I ask questions about the course lessons?

    Yes, I'm always happy to help with any questions about the course content. You can email me at

  • Do you offer a consultancy service?

    I'd love to be able to provide consultancy for individual production environments but I'm unable to take on new clients right now sorry.

  • What if I'm unhappy with the course?

    I go above and beyond to make sure you are more than happy with the course. If however you are unsatisfied with any purchase, contact me in the first 30 days and I will give you a full refund.

Money Back Guarantee

All flackbox.com courses come with an unconditional risk-free 30 day money-back guarantee. If you are unsatisfied with any course then email me within 30 days and I will issue a full refund – that’s my personal promise of your success.

Ready to Get Started?

Any questions? Drop me a line, I’m here to help: neil@flackbox.com