NAS (network-attached storage)
Network-attached storage is one way around the slowdowns and service interruptions that occur in a conventional file server model.
NAS effectively moves storage out from behind the server and puts it directly on the transport network. Unlike file servers that have SCSI and LAN adapters, a NAS appliance uses a network interface card to transmit LAN and storage communications.
These specialized storage devices bring with them some major benefits over file server systems. Because they don't require a file server, any user with access rights, anywhere on the network, can directly access stored data. This removes any delay posed by slow file server hardware or operating systems. NAS devices are also optimized to process storage I/O transactions much faster than conventional parallel SCSI schemes.
NAS appliances use a common file server access protocol, so they can process requests from systems around a network, running multiple types of operating systems. Any system, whether it is a Windows NT server or a Unix box, can access the NAS device. This solves cross-platform issues that arise frequently in today's heterogeneous enterprises.
NAS also mitigates the physical complexity associated with file servers that use parallel SCSI buses to connect servers to storage disks. NAS alleviates the awkward setups of parallel cabling, host bus adapters, and termination that are part and parcel of a file server implementation. Companies simply plug the system into the network and it is ready to go. Many NAS appliance vendors claim an installation takes less than an hour.
Yet for all its advantages over a file server model, one drawback of NAS is that it shifts storage transactions from parallel SCSI connections to the production network. This means the LAN has to handle both normal end-user traffic and storage disk requests, including backup operations.
Thus, NAS doesn't resolve one of the core issues associated with file servers - bandwidth consumption during backups. Unlike storage-area networks, which remove back-up traffic from the LAN, NAS still uses the production network for backup and recovery.
From The case for network-attached storage, Network World on Storage, 03/20/00.
Additional resources
NAS research center
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Comments:
Network attached storage
by Mike MacKenna
Blah. Doesn't tell me anything. I was looking for the steps to actually use NAS. I.E. how to use DFS to move files to NAS? Am I missing something?
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