# LAN-free backup

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{{More citations needed|date=January 2024}}
A '''LAN-free backup ''' is a [backup](/source/backup) of server data to a shared, central [storage device](/source/Object_storage_device) without sending the data over the [local area network](/source/local_area_network) (LAN). It is usually achieved by using a [storage area network](/source/storage_area_network) (SAN).<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Preston |first=W. Curtis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6-w4fXbBInoC |title=Backup & Recovery: Inexpensive Backup Solutions for Open Systems |date=2007-01-03 |publisher=[O'Reilly Media](/source/O'Reilly_Media) |isbn=978-0-596-55504-7 |pages=210–212 |language=en}}</ref> 

Note that trivial backup to a dedicated, unshared storage device (such as local [tape drive](/source/tape_drive)) does not meet the definition.{{Cn|date=January 2024}}

==Technical aspects== 
The goal of LAN-free backup is to reduce the load on LAN and reduce the time it takes to complete the backup.<ref name=":0" /> It offers an alternative way of backup than a simple data copy to [network-attached storage](/source/network-attached_storage) (NAS) over LAN.{{Cn|date=January 2024}}

It comes in different flavours:
* with backup server:<ref name=":0" /> in addition to a shared storage device (usually a traditional [tape library](/source/tape_library)), there exists a central server arbitrating access to device (for all the other SAN servers). The central server however, does not handle data stream itself.{{Cn|date=January 2024}}
* without backup server:<ref name=":0" /> the storage facility (usually a [virtual tape library](/source/virtual_tape_library), or VTL) is smart enough to handle multiple data accesses without intermediate component.{{Cn|date=January 2024}}

==See also== 
* Data [backup](/source/backup)
* [Storage area network](/source/Storage_area_network)
* [Network-attached storage](/source/Network-attached_storage)
* [Fiber Channel](/source/Fiber_Channel) technology

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://archive.today/20130125183535/http://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21053348 Description of Lan-Free Client Data Transfer Operation]
*[http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/tips0118.html IBM Tivoli Storage Manager: LAN/WAN Backup; ServerFree Backup; LANFree Backup; and Split-Mirror Backup - What Does It All Mean?]

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Category:Backup
Category:Storage area networks

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [LAN-free backup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAN-free_backup) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAN-free_backup?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.