Assignment #2

Network Attached Storage

It is a storage network that provides the member nodes with the ability to share the same
storage via an Ethernet connection. The computers that incorporate this system can access the data
without the need for intervention from the application server.

Storage Area Network.

A local network that uses Fibre Channel to connect several data storage devices. It provides a
dedicated network capable of moving large chunks of data between different servers and devices with a
high level of speed and security.

NAS vs SAN

NAS and storage area networks (SANs) are the two main types of networked storage. NAS
handles unstructured data, such as audio, video, websites, text files and Microsoft Office documents.
SANs are designed primarily for block storage inside databases, also known as structured data.
 The primary difference between a SAN and NAS is their connectivity infrastructure and how
other devices communicate with them. Basically, SAN operates over a dedicated network which
increases speed and reliability.

Folder vs. disk: Network-Attached Storage (NAS) provides a file system whereas a Storage Area Network
(SAN) provides block-based storage only.  This leads to point three below in that in the case of a SAN,
clients accessing storage must deal with their own file system management.

Performance vs. cost:  SANs are typically higher performance than NAS devices, but cost more.  Since
SANs usually use Fibre Channel, they are able to operate substantially faster than a shared Internet
Protocol (IP) networks.  Fibre Channel operates at 8 gigabit and higher speeds as compared to existing IP
networks which often run at 1 gigabit or less.

Simplicity: NAS devices tend to be simpler to manage.  Since many NAS devices support widely
supported protocols such as the Network File System (NFS) and Common Internet File System (CIFS),
they often work out of the box with minimal configuration.