NAS solutions are typically configured as file-serving appliances accessed by workstations & servers through a network protocol such as TCP/IP & applications such as Network File System (NFS) or Common Internet File System (CIFS) for file access. NAS enables multiple computers to share the same storage space at once, which minimizes overhead by centrally managing hard disks. NAS can deliver significant ease of use, provide heterogeneous data sharing & enable organizations to automate & simplify their data management.

Products offered from vendors such as Intel, Seagate, Qnap, Iomega, Synology & others. Capacities start from sizes as small as 1-8 TB for small businesses & higher capacity solutions for larger needs.

SAN technology is conceptually a combination of DAS & NAS. SAN storage allows multiple servers to have access to the same storage resources. Using a block-based protocol (like DAS), SAN environment is also particularly good at sharing database resources (unlike NAS). Sharing storage offers several benefits including improved scalability, more efficient use of disk space, & easier management & maintenance due to consolidation of storage resources.

Traditionally, SAN storage has used Fibre Channel (FC) interface. FC-SAN are expensive and complex and primarily used by large enterprises. But as SME organizations application needs became more demanding, specialized technology like iSCSI appeared on the scene. This technology is designed to provide the same block-level access as DAS & SAN, but over a LAN infrastructure. The idea is to provide all the benefits of a SAN, but without the additional investment in SAN infrastructure.

Almost all the major storage vendors have the SAN or iSCSI storage devices in their product portfolio.

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