NAS (network-attached storage) and SAN (storage area networks) were created to address making stored data accessible to many users at the same time. Each of them provides storage for a set of customers, but their approaches to accomplishing their goals could not be more dissimilar.
A NAS is dedicated storage of basic instrument data via Ethernet and is affordable and simple to set up. In contrast, a SAN is a closely linked network of several machines that is more costly and difficult to set up and run. From the user’s perspective, the primary distinction between NAS and SAN is that NAS devices supply storage devices as network-mounted volume and then use technologies including NFS and SMB/CIFS, whereas SAN-connected discs look like local discs.
This post will go through the distinctions between NAS and SAN and the kind of applications they’re best suited for to help you decide which is ideal for you.
What Is NAS and What Does It Mean?
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A networked storage area network (NAS) is a computer that delivers folder file storage capabilities to other networked devices. The ease with which NAS may be set up and deployed is its primary advantage. The user sees NAS volumes as network-mounted volumes. The files to be delivered are usually stored on one or all of the system’s hard drives, which are often organized in RAID arrays. The more drive ports a NAS has, the more storage space and flexibility you’ll have.
The device is a network node, similar to laptops and other TCP/IP devices, which all have their IP address, and the NAS file service sends and receives files via the Ethernet network. NAS manufacturers and third – parties are starting to offer other software to give server-like capabilities on a NAS, even though a NAS is often not intended to be an overall server.
Whenever users work on things or share information, NAS devices provide an easy approach for many users in different places to access data. NAS supports collaboration by offering quality access controls and security and allowing non-IT professionals to administer and manage data access via an on-board web server. It also provides strong fundamental data resiliency by using redundant data structures—often RAID—to make numerous drives appear as a single, huge volume capable of withstanding the breakdown of a few of its drives.
NAS Advantages
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NAS is often the next level up for an office or a local company currently employing external drives or direct-attached at storage, both prone to drive failure. The wish to share files local and remote, to have files available 24/7, to achieve data redundancy, to be able to replace and update hard disks in the system, and, most importantly, to support connectivity with cloud services that provide a position for necessary fully automated backup data are all driving factors for upgrading to NAS.
Benefits of NAS in Brief:
- It’s a rather low-cost option.
- A self-contained solution.
- Administration is simple.
- Data is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can be
- There is a large selection of technologies and sizes to pick from.
- Drive storage volumes that can withstand failure.
- Backup tapes to additional devices and the internet are done automatically.
NAS’s Limitations
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A NAS’s flaws are connected to its size and performance. The server may not even be capable of keeping up as more people request access. You could extend the storage at this point. Still, you’ll almost certainly need to replace it with a more powerful machine with a quicker onboard processor, greater memory, and larger internet connectivity. The other flaw has to do with Ethernet’s inherent nature. Ethernet is designed to carry data from one location to another by splitting the source into many data packets and delivering them to their destination. Depending on network traffic or difficulties, any of the packets could be postponed or sent out the order.
What Is SAN and What Does It Mean?
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A storage area network (SAN) provides users with high-performance, low-latency shared storage. A storage area network (SAN) comprises servers and storage connected by a high-speed, low-latency interconnect that permits immediate Fibre Channel connection from the customer to the storage volume for the best performance. The SAN may require a different, dedicated Ethernet network between both the server and clients to keep file request traffic separate from other traffic. For small files, the delay has generally been unnoticed by users, but in demanding environments like videography, where files are incredibly large, and a delay of more than a few microseconds can disrupt manufacturing such as video editing, the latency of moreover a few microseconds can be a major problem.
Getting more performance out from the Fiber Channel network in demanding applications such as video editing or several application servers, a SAN provides a flexible approach to deliver cloud service for many users. SAN volumes look like a directly linked hard drive by connecting the users and SAN server and are stored on the Fibre Channel network. Fibre Channel storage traffic avoids TCP/IP packetization and delays concerns.
