What is network-attached storage?

This tutorial on network-attached storage explains what NAS technology is, how NAS hardware from various vendors differs and defines NAS protocols.

Network-attached storage features:

1 - 3 of 3

  • Understanding NAS interconnects: Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet

    Tip -  Understanding interconnects like Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet, which are used to integrate NAS devices into networks, can help you make better decisions on NAS deployments.

  • NAS system planning strategies

    Tip -  Implementing a NAS environment requires a lot of planning. This tip tells you why location, power and allocation are vital to consider when installing a NAS.

  • NAS devices remain simple and cost effective

    Tip -  Despite the lack of some features, NAS continues to gain in popularity because users like the concept of just plugging a device into their Ethernet network and having storage available a few minutes later.

Network-attached storage hardware:

1 - 3 of 4

  • NAS appliance specifications

    Buying Guide -  NAS appliances are noted for their convenience, offering dedicated internal storage that is relatively straightforward to identify and manage. The biggest issue for NAS appliances is avoiding network bottlenecks and supporting expansion without having to...

  • Migrating data in NAS gateway configurations

    Tip -  There are four approaches for migrating data between NAS gateway systems. For storage administrators, the problem is how to maintain data availability during the migration.

  • NAS appliance purchase considerations

    Buying Guide -  NAS appliances are frequently touted for bringing convenience and simplicity to network storage. Appliances include their own dedicated disks for storage and RAID, and most NAS appliances can be upgraded with more or larger disks for additional storage...

VIEW ALL IN THIS CATEGORY

Network-attached storage overview:

1 - 1 of 1

  • Tutorial on network-attached storage

    02 Jan 2008

    Article -  The primary advantage of NAS devices is that network storage is no longer limited to the number of disks in a local server. With storage no longer limited by the number of disks that a server can hold, a NAS product can hold numerous disks (and can...

Network-attached storage protocols:

1 - 3 of 4

  • NICs in NAS systems

    Ask the Expert -  NAS expert Randy Kerns answers the question: "Is it typical, when using a NAS appliance, that a host/server would have 2xNICs installed?"

  • NAS checkpoints for NFS and CIFS file systems

    Ask the Expert -  NAS expert Randy Kerns discusses NAS checkpoint best practices for NFS and CIFS file systems.

  • Why NAS protocols are the language of NAS

    Tip -  NAS protocols are the language of your NAS system, and understanding how they work is the key to operating a storage network. The main NAS protocols are CIFS and NFS, but iSCSI is gaining ground, and FCoE may be just around the corner.

VIEW ALL IN THIS CATEGORY