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.