
The cloud server is always available over the Internet. NAS boxes are usually located in offices and allow direct access to data via the local network. NAS deals with single file input/output requests, while SAN deals with contiguous data block input/output requests.ĭespite their differences, SAN and NAS devices are not mutually exclusive and can be combined as SAN-NAS hybrids, offering both file and block storage protocols. A SAN arranges storage resources into an independent, high-performance network. The difference between a NAS and a SAN (Storage Area Network) is that a NAS provides not only storage but a file system as well. Because the disk is accessed via a dedicated channel and network traffic is not delayed, DAS offers higher performance. It is not connected to a network, which means you must have access to the physical storage to access the data.

NAS involves the use of file protocols such as NFS, AFP, or NCP.ĭAS is an extension of an existing server drive.

NAS is managed remotely from the administrator's office PC via a Web interface or a special client. There are storages based on SDD, but their operating costs are much more due to the necessity of using additional equipment such as high-speed routers, not to mention the SSDs themselves. The number of disks in a NAS is two or more, usually HDDs. NAS helps automate data management as well as protect information from loss, natural disasters, etc. You can connect to NAS via either Ethernet or Wi-Fi, although there are models that support USB. Unlike these external drives, NAS provides granular access control for its users. Operating systems, RAM, cooling and other key components are not the only features that differentiate NAS from external hard drives, which store data passively. One of the hard drives contains an operating system, usually Linux or FreeBSD with special software. Physically, a NAS is a box with a motherboard and a RAID array of hard drives.


Network Attached Storage (NAS) components and features Organizing shared data exchange hub between devices running on different platforms, e.g. Organizing all media files and documents in a manageable form, with easy access from any network device. System administrator can configure and administer NAS with the help of browser-based utilities.īackup from all user devices on the network. The device itself has no keyboard or display and is located in the local network as an independent network node with its own unique IP-address. NAS is a kind of external storage system. A NAS server is a network storage system that enables multiple users in LAN to access files via the Ethernet connection.
