EMC Glossary

Network Attached Storage (NAS)

Network attached storage (NAS) is a shared storage device that provides consolidated file-system and storage services to open system servers. Applications and users access the data over a shared IP network. Each NAS device has its own unique IP address.

How network attached storage works

A network attached storage (NAS) unit is an open-system computer system with storage capacity connected to a network that provides file-based data storage services to other devices on the network. NAS uses standard file protocols (CIFS and NFS) to allow Windows, Linux, and UNIX clients to access files, file systems, and databases over the IP network.

Benefits of network attached storage

Large numbers and various types and release levels of direct-attached storage (DAS) or internal storage can be difficult to manage and support, and costly due to very low total utilization rates.Network attached storage (NAS) provides the cost savings and simplicity of consolidating storage using the existing IP network, without requiring the cost and complexity of building and maintaining a secondary network as with SAN.

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