Put simply, SMI-S standardizes storage management into a common set of tools that address the every day tasks of the IT environment.

SMI-S is a standard that defines attributes for each data storage component in an SAN. It is platform independent and is extensible, which means that new devices may be easily added to the SAN. Managers can also access and control all aspects of a network remotely.

Other SMI-S functions include automated discovery (a process that relies on collecting data over time) and resource locking (a synchronized methodology for putting limits on a resource, in this case a storage solution).

At a very basic level, SMI-S entities can be classified into two categories: clients and servers. Clients manage software applications residing anywhere on the SAN, but they must have a communication link to providers (sources of data). Servers are managed devices like host bus adapters, switches, disk arrays, virtualization engines and magnetic tape drives.

SMI-S was developed in 2002 and is maintained by the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA).