Network attached storage architecture
Garth A. Gibson, Rodney Van Meter · Communications of the ACM · 2000
The article focuses on how emerging technology may blur the network-centric distinction between Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Storage Area Networks (SAN). For example, the decreasing specialization of SAN protocols promises SAN-like devices on Ethernet network hardware. Alternatively, the increasing specialization of NAS systems may embed much of the file system into storage devices. For users, it is increasingly worthwhile to investigate networked storage core and emerging technologies. The growing market for networked storage is a result of the exploding demand for storage capacity in the increasingly Internet-dependent world and its tight labor market. SAN and NAS are two proven approaches to networking storage. Technically, including a file system in a storage subsystem differentiates NAS, which has one, from SAN, which doesn't. Storage systems are becoming the dominant investment in corporate data centers. In order to satisfy user needs, storage systems should consolidate resources, deploy quickly and allow data sharing.