What is Network Storage?

Network storage means that your data storage devices (i.e. hard drives) are accessible over a network. There is an increasing trend to store data on external disks connected only via a computer network. The storage could either be on a local home or office network, or it might be even be on the global Internet.

The ability to make your data accessible via a network used to be a technique available only to a large organization or business. In recent years this has changed so much that network storage now is easily available to the home or small business user.

The Network is the Computer

The phrase "The Network is the Computer" was popularized by Sun Microsystems in the mid-eighties. Through this slogan, they were saying that a network of computers can be viewed as a single computer. A collection of computers, when working on the same task, can accomplish a great deal more than even a supercomputer. The passage of time has only served to prove the truth of this concept.

In a similar manner, the network has enabled the concept of disk storage to expand beyond merely being tied to a single computer. By placing data storage on a network, it becomes available to many computers at the same time. It also makes it easy to replace or expand disks without shutting down a computer.

File Server

A file server is a computer dedicated to storing files and serving them over the network. This type of a server was what the designers had in mind when the Client/Server model of computing was invented. Due to the equipment and maintenance expenses of dedicating an entire computer to file storage, the file server is slowly being replaced by NAS appliances.

Cluster

The cluster configuration is a method used in reliable data centers such as banks. This form of computing allows multiple computers to share data through a reliable and high-speed network. The cluster network might be an Ethernet, but more likely, it is a proprietary interface. Computers configured as a cluster are able to continue processing even after a computer or disk failure.

Network Attached Storage (NAS)

The NAS appliance is an excellent solution for the small business or home office. It is aptly called an "appliance" because in most cases the installation is as simple as plugging it into your network router. Read more about Network Attached Storage.

Storage Area Network (SAN)

The SAN is a complex unit to manage very large amounts of disk storage. The SAN includes advanced security mechanisms and is very expensive to manage. A SAN is typically only found in data centers. Read more about the Storage Area Network.

iSCSI

This stands for Internet SCSI and as the name implies, it is the use of the SCSI protocol over an IP network.

Wireless USB

You’re likely familiar with USB devices, that connect to the front or back of your computer. This standard does away with the USB cable. The range is not very far, but it is a definite advantage for external USB devices such as your mouse or camera.

Network Protocols

TCP/IP is by far the most popular protocol used to implement network storage. Other network data transfer protocols are: HTTP, POP3, SMTP, and FTP.

Return from Network Storage to Hard Drive Help home