Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Network Attached Storage

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of Database Systems

  • 200 Accesses

Synonyms

NAS

Definition

Network attached storage is a storage device which is connected to a network and provides file access services. Network attached storage is often abbreviated to NAS. Although the term NAS refers originally to such a storage device, when the term is used in the context of explaining and comparing storage network architectures it sometimes refers to a storage network architecture in which NAS devices are mainly implemented.

Key Points

A NAS device is basically comprised of disk drives which store files and controllers which export access services to the files. A file sever which runs network file system (NFS) and/or common internet file system (CIFS) to export file sharing services is a type of NAS implementation, but recent NAS products are sometimes implemented using dedicated hardware and software to increase reliability and performance. A diskless NAS device which contains only controllers is sometimes referred to as a NAS gateway or a NAS head. A NAS...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 2,500.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Recommended Reading

  1. Storage Network Industry Association. The Dictionary of Storage Networking Terminology. Available at: http://www.snia.org/.

  2. Troppens U., Erkens R., and Müller W. Storage Networks Explained. Wiley, New York, 2004.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Kazuo Goda

Authors
  1. Kazuo Goda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 266 Ferst Drive, 30332-0765, Atlanta, GA, USA

    LING LIU (Professor) (Professor)

  2. Database Research Group David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, N2L 3G1, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    M. TAMER ÖZSU (Professor and Director, University Research Chair) (Professor and Director, University Research Chair)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this entry

Cite this entry

Goda, K. (2009). Network Attached Storage. In: LIU, L., ÖZSU, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-39940-9_1330

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation