Network Storage The Latest In Information Storage

If information

storage and network throughput gives you headaches, then it's time

for network attached storage thin servers.

Network Attached

Storage (NAS) is one of the latest innovations in the computer informa



tion storage world. It provides a simpler, more reliable, and more
cost-effective way to add shared storage to your network. NetworkAttached

storage gives departments and work-groups a quick way to access

data over a network. NAS requires very little setup and is easy

to maintain. This is achieved by using a streamlined technology

called a thin server, which also allows the NAS device to be completely

independent of the general-purpose file server.

Why use a NAS

device? As networks continue to grow and evolve, network administrators

are looking for ways to improve their efficiency. Areas they look

to improve include:

• Faster product
  
  installations.
  
  
  
  
• Cheaper network
  
  maintenance.
  
  
  
  
• Improved
  
  data accessibility.
  
  
  
  
• Management
  
  of increased information storage needs.
  
  
  
  
• Reduced network
  
  throughput.
  
  
  
  

As data access

needs increase, it is critical to be able to easily add storage

capabilities for departments and workgroups over the network with

minimal impact to both administrators and end-users. Network attached

storage allows network administrators to add this data storage simply

and cost-effectively without having to disrupt existing general-purpose

server operations.

Thin

server technology



A thin server is a specialized component that is optimized to perform
a reduced set of server functions. Thin servers are comprised of

a microprocessor, an operating system compatible with most major

networking topologies, a built-in web interface or man-agement utility,

and Flash memory for easy upgrades.

A NAS thin server

enhances the productivity of existing general-purpose servers by

providing additional dedicated storage and information access to

a department or workgroup at a much lower total cost of ownership.

For instance, a department or workgroup might have their own NAS

thin server device ex-clusively for their data storage. By placing

NAS thin servers directly on an ethernet or token ring network in

various locations, an administrator can use consistent software

to manage departmental as well as company-wide data storage systems.

NAS thin servers

can be centrally located alongside general-purpose servers, or distributed

throughout a network depending on an organization's preference.

It is important to note that regardless of the method used, NAS

devices provide administrators the flexibility to achieve optimal

productivity.

The first-generation

thin server that HP developed was the print server. A print server

connects a printer directly to a network for convenient access and

offloads the task of printing from the general-purpose server. As

thin servers continue to evolve, more and more shared devices will

use various types of thin server technologies, such as fax servers,

scan servers, web servers, CD-ROM servers, email servers and hard

disk storage servers.

A thin server

can be installed onto a network without impacting the existing general-purpose

server operations. Within minutes you can install a thin server

so that users can access various peripherals and information, such

as CD-ROMs, printers and hard disks, just as they did when these

functions were part of the general-purpose server. This provides

a seamless extension, improved performance and easy access to storage

capacity over a network.

The benefits

of thin servers are that they:

• can be used
  
  in multiple environments, including environments that don't have
  
  a general-purpose server.
  
  
  
  
• are self-sufficient
  
  and reliable, leading to more uptime for users.
  
  
  
  
• do not require
  
  costly network operating system licenses.
  
  
  
  
• can be placed
  
  anywhere on the network.
  
  
  
  
• have efficient
  
  software and hardware architectures to support their specialty
  
  functions, providing faster access times.
  
  
  
  
• can be installed
  
  quickly and easily by someone with little networking experience.
  
  
  
  
• typically
  
  have a built-in, easy-to-use management interface that allows
  
  network administrators to remotely access thin server capabilities
  
  using a web browser.
  
  
  
  
• provide security
  
  that is equivalent to that of general-purpose servers, making
  
  them the convenient and safe networking choice for important data.
  
  
  
  
• use established
  
  industry standards, making thin servers fully compatible with
  
  existing operating
  
  systems and networking topologies, such as Microsoft Windows NT
  
  and Novell NetWare.
  
  
  
  

As thin servers

continue to evolve, more and more shared devices will use thin server

technologies.

Improving

IT efficiency