At 17:46 28/04/2004, you wrote:

>What's a SAN, and what's a NAS...?
>
>Thanks!
>Jonathan Neve.

A Server Attached Network (SAN) is a RAID in an external box attached to
the server typically via a fibre optic network. This network is used just
for the servers storage hence the name.

For example, where i work we have two RAID 5 arrays each with 1TB, a
external controller mirrors the Array Boxes. The SAN Controller is then
connected to the server, which just sees a 1TB SCSI Hard Drive on its system.

The main advantage to a SAN is huge storage (up to 32TB), redundancy using
extra controllers (very expensive) and off site storage. Here the mirriored
Array boxes are stored at different ends of the building in case of file.
In fact the controller, server, and array boxes can be up to 3Km from each
other.


A Network Attached Storage (NAS) is connected to the LAN and thus share
bandwidth with everything else. The NAS box shares its files like a
FileServer, multiple computers can access the same partition at the same
time. It can also act like a SAN in that the drives appear to be local on
the computers connected to the NAS.

Basically the NAS is a quick way to share storage between computers without
the need of a file server.


Regards


Damian Dowling
IT Manager
Pallas Foods Ltd

Phone: + 353 69 20200
Fax: + 353 69 20201