Thursday 29 September 2011

Network Attached Storage

Network Attached Storage

Many network servers exist solely for the purpose of making disk space available to network users. As networks grow to support more users, and users require more disk space, network administrators are constantly finding ways to add more storage to their networks. One way to do that is to add additional file servers. However, a simpler and less expensive way is to use network attached storage, also known as NAS.
A NAS device is a self-contained file server that’s preconfigured and ready to run. All you have to do to set it up is take it out of the box, plug it in, and turn it on. NAS devices are easy to set up and configure, easy to maintain, and less expensive than traditional file servers. NAS should not be confused with a related technology called storage area networks, or SAN. SAN is a much more complicated and expensive technology
that provides huge quantities of data storage for large networks.





Note that some NAS devices use customized versions of Linux rather than the Windows 2000 Server Appliance Kit. Also, in some systems, the operating system resides on a separate hard drive that’s isolated from the shared disks. This prevents the user from inadvertently damaging the operating system.

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