Also known as: NAS
Network-attached storage (NAS) is a dedicated file-storage device that connects to a network and lets multiple clients read and write shared files over standard protocols.1
Overview
A NAS is a small, specialized server whose job is storage: a handful of drive bays, a modest CPU, and an operating system tuned for serving files over protocols such as SMB and NFS. Drives are usually combined into a RAID array for capacity and redundancy, so a single disk failure does not lose data. This contrasts with storage-area network (SAN) hardware, which serves raw block devices rather than files. Consumer NAS boxes from vendors like Synology and QNAP have made the form factor common in homes and small offices.
Where it fits
A NAS is the natural shared-storage tier behind a home server or in a data center rack, built on ordinary hard disk drives. It is a good home for GopherTrunk’s bulk output — days of decoded calls and recordings can sit on a redundant NAS volume rather than the capture node’s local disk, keeping the node lean.
Sources
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Network-attached storage — Wikipedia, on NAS devices and protocols. ↩