Network Attached Storage
Network Attached Storage (NAS) refers to dedicated file-level computer data storage servers connected to a computer network that provide data access to a heterogeneous group of clients. NAS is specialized for serving files either by its hardware, software, or configuration. It is often manufactured as a computer appliance – a purpose-built piece of computing equipment engineered to perform only one or two functions. DAS (Direct Attached Storage) and SANs (Storage Area Network) are two alternatives to NAS architectures. A typical NAS system consists of an array of hard disk drives, a network interface, and an embedded operating system managing the file-level protocols. In essence, it is a computer that has been optimized for serving files instead of running applications; therefore it does not have a keyboard, monitor, or a mouse attached to it. Users access the shared folders on the NAS using network file sharing protocols such as NFS, SMB/CIFS, or AFP.