Which of the following protocols is commonly used for SAN storage environments?

Fibre Channel is a widely adopted protocol specifically designed for high-speed data transfer in Storage Area Networks (SANs). It provides substantial bandwidth and low latency, which are critical for data-intensive applications. Fibre Channel operates over dedicated networks, facilitating the effective management of storage resources and ensuring data integrity during transmission.

In the context of SAN environments, Fibre Channel's architecture allows for multiple devices to communicate efficiently. It supports various topologies such as point-to-point, arbitrated loop, and switched fabric, enhancing flexibility and scalability. The protocol’s reliability, along with its ability to handle large volumes of data with minimal overhead, makes it the preferred choice in professional storage settings.

While iSCSI and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) are also used in SAN configurations, they either rely on existing network infrastructure (in the case of iSCSI) or require some level of integration with Fibre Channel (as with FCoE). Ethernet is more general-purpose and is not primarily designed for the specific demands of SAN environments, making Fibre Channel the most suitable option for this particular scenario.