Network Attached Storage - Under the hood

A Network Attached Storage (NAS) is a type of storage space system that may be attached with a data network. A NAS is effective for storage relevant to non mission-critical data. It's less expensive and easier to look after over a Storage Area Network (SAN) but doesn't quite deliver the performance a good enterprise can obtain from a SAN.

File transfer protocols supported by NAS consist of Network File System, Common Internet File System, File Transfer Protocol, etc. NAS machines offer you flexibility in terms of attachment to the network; you can do this either via the Ethernet or a fiber channel network. Nowadays you can even get wireless 802.11 NAS devices. The best thing about NAS devices is in their simplicity, they are often created utilizing any kind of drive technology although they're usually developed using Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI). NAS units could also be used for many other storage methods such as magnetic tape, CD, and DVD.

NAS offers the following benefits -

1.Faster access to stored data via the LAN.

2.Lower costs because the RAID arrays are a part of the LAN.

3.Straightforward to setup, is usually installed and operating inside of thirty minutes.

These kinds of properties of NAS storage plus its low-cost of ownership make it perfect for SMBs. A dual benefit of Raid 5 NAS is that it enables administrators to either improve or combine the storage system. Storage growth will be essentially unlimited as one is freed from the restriction of storage capabilities of individual servers as well as the amount of hard disks they can hold. At the same time, a single NAS set-up is good enough to replace many file servers that are running individually, this may lead to consolidation. NAS can be run on commonly accessible operating systems for example Windows. NAS status can be checked out from anyplace on the LAN, this gives storage administrators the ability to identify issues and change NAS configurations when required.

NAS system efficiency depends upon the drive support, how many hard drives being used and also the overall capacity. SATA hard drives that provide superb low-cost mass storage tend to be most favored. SCSI hard disks are also available. Since the NAS utilizes the LAN for data transfer often there is a chance of a bottleneck developing somewhere across the LAN, usually it's the network interface that causes problems. If utilizing a NAS, search for products that support Gigabit Ethernet for quick data transfer as well as several connections to ensure that network load is spread and interface redundancy is given.

When pruchasing a NAS solution keep security in mind and look for suppliers that provide native encryption using the system.