network-attached storage

Crafting a NAS Consolidation Plan -- Click here to listen to the podcast

Network-attached storage consists of hard disk storage, including multi-disk RAID systems, and software for configuring and mapping file locations to the network-attached device. Network-attached storage can be a step toward and included as part of a more sophisticated storage system known as a storage area network (SAN).

NAS software can usually handle a number of network protocols, including Microsoft's Internetwork Packet Exchange and NetBEUI, Novell's Netware Internetwork Packet Exchange, and Sun Microsystems' Network File System. Configuration, including the setting of user access priorities, is usually possible using a Web browser.

Getting started with network-attached storage

To explore how NAS is used in the enterprise, here are some additional resources:

High-performance NAS: Learn the advantages and disadvantages of high-performance NAS, including the effect it has on both storage technologies and solution providers.

Moving from DAS to NAS: In this tip, Rick Cook discusses how SMBs can benefit from adding NAS to their existing networks .

Small-midsized business NAS product evaluation: This article compares and contrasts four very different NAS systems: the Buffalo TeraStation Pro II Pro, the Reldata 9240, the Synology RS407, and the Western Digital MyBookWorld Edition WDG1NC5000N.

NAS FAQ: In this FAQ, Ashish Nadkarni, Principal Consultant with GlassHouse Technologies, Inc., answers today's most common NAS questions.

Read more about network-attached storage: - SearchStorage.com features a buying guide for NAS, including insights into NAS appliances, management software, gateways, and the specifications of key vendor. - Network Appliance one of the largest sellers of NAS systems. - Another NAS provider, Connex, offers a Guide to Storage Expansion - SearchStorage.com is a storage-specific portal with information about network-attached storage.

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RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary direct-attached storage  (SearchStorage.com) Direct-attached storage (DAS) is computer storage that is directly attached to one computer or server and is not, without special support, directly... NAS accelerator  (SearchStorage.com) A NAS accelerator (network-attached storage accelerator) is a printed circuit card that offloads TCP/IP processing from a microprocessor.