What are NAS servers and what are they for?

The abbreviation NAS means a repository that is connected to the network. If to speak computer language, it is a network storage of information. NAS servers are characterized by a combination of a high-capacity data carrier and a specialized hardware platform. The latter allows you to connect such a hard drive to a local computer network. Modern NAS servers use hard disks for information storage, and all thanks to their large available capacities (in comparison with other similar technologies) at a low cost of storing a unit of data volume. Moreover, hard drives are able to provide high speed in the exchange of information. These devices are used to organize home LANs.

Software

The main difference between such devices and standard file servers created on the basis of personal computers is the optimization of the hardware platform and the operating system. The latter is configured exclusively for the tasks of network storage of information, as well as management of data sets. NAS servers have a special system with an intuitive graphical interface, which greatly facilitates the user's work. The mentioned control system is in the internal memory of this platform. It is completely independent of disk drives, which provides additional reliability of the entire structure. Most network servers are equipped with an OS based on the Linux kernel and a special processor - storage with RISK-architecture. This ensures high speed and fault tolerance.

NAS Servers: Technology Description

The home NAS server has the ability to perform remote administration, this process is organized via the web interface. This allows you to manage drives from anywhere on the local network, and also - via Internet browsers - from the wide area network. In terms of access control and level of manageability, modern NAS servers are not inferior to standard file servers. They support the implementation of template group security and access policies. All this allows them to work in domains based on the Windows operating system. Protection of access to information, the ability to encrypt data, and the separation of user rights make these drives a very convenient way of storing information in a home or corporate network with a very high level of secrecy. A NAS server for a home can contain one or more hard drives. The number of disks depends on the capabilities of the hardware platform, as well as the built-in operating system. There are models that can support up to five hard drives.

Conclusion

Today, NAS technology is not only a means of storing information, but also a system of special integrated service applications and services that provide the performance of a multitude of various additional functions. This system is able to satisfy various requirements of storing information of the need, both for the home consumer and for the office. In modern network drives, such functions as web- and ftp-interface, video surveillance server and print, as well as iTunes are realized.