2 System overview This chapter explains the major concepts underlying the IBM SAN Volume Controller and  presents a brief history of the product. Also, it describes the architectural overview and the  terminologies used in a virtualized storage environment. Finally, it introduces the software  and hardware components and the other functions that are available with the current release,  V8.2. This chapter includes the following topics: All of the concepts included in this chapter are described in more detail in later chapters. GLYPH<SM590000> Brief history of IBM SAN Volume Controller GLYPH<SM590000> IBM SAN Volume Controller components GLYPH<SM590000> Business continuity GLYPH<SM590000> Management and support tools GLYPH<SM590000> Useful IBM SAN Volume Controller web links ' Copyright IBM Corp. 2011, 2019. All rights reserved. 7