A: It's not clear whether network-attached storage (NAS) blades in director- class switches will be popular, but I would say no for several reasons.

NAS devices are typically self-contained, and aren't widely used in enterprise data center environments where you find director-class switches. NAS gateways are the preferred method for getting NAS access to SANs.

Putting a NAS blade in a switch is effectively making the switch act as a gateway. Combining a switch with a NAS gateway can lead to vendor lock-in, administration issues, organizational tension for the person in charge of a resource and reduced ability to change the topology over time. The negatives outweigh the positives.

As for technology, it's relatively simple. You put a server (a processor with memory) on a card and plug it into the backplane of a switch/director. The blade server has a NIC for network access and connects to the switch ports for storage access just like it would if it were external. LUNs are allocated to the NAS blade just like for a gateway.

--Randy Kerns, partner, the Evaluator Group Inc.

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