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What Is Basic Difference Between NAS And SAN?

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Question added by MOHAMMED RABBANI FAROOQI , Sr. ELV Security Systems Engineer , Leonardo KSA
Date Posted: 2016/05/18
Mubbashar Ahmad Nazer Nazer
by Mubbashar Ahmad Nazer Nazer , Consultant , HASOUB

both are the storage solution however here is list of differences

NAS is Network attached Storage and SAN is Storage Area Network

A SAN is storage connected in a fabric, usually through a switch, that allows many different servers to easily access the storage. From a server application and operating system (OS) standpoint, there is no visible difference between accessing data storage in a SAN or storage that is directly connected. A SAN supports block access to data just like direct-attached storage.

NAS is a method of remote file serving. Rather than using the software on your own file system, file access is redirected to another device using a remote protocol, such as CIFS or NFS -- operating as a server of some type with its own file system -- to do the file I/O on your behalf. This enables file sharing and centralized data management.

From a NAS vs. SAN system standpoint, NAS is for file I/O and SAN is for block I/O. One additional thing to remember when comparing NAS vs. SAN is that NAS eventually turns the file I/O request into block access for the storage devices attached to it.

NAS works on files & SAN works on blocks or raw.  

While using the NAS there is an OS who is managing the files in the network and follow the OSI rules hence it's slow as compared to the SAN. 

In second hand SAN is designed is that way there is no OS comes in the picture, so no OS no OSI rules, therefore, its faster.

SAN is the advance version of DAS.

NAS or Network Attached Storage is best at severing up files where as SAN or Storage Area Networks accesses data as blocks.

Jamil Muhammad
by Jamil Muhammad , IT Pre Sales Manager , AL munir Computers

NAS is network attached storage and it is not controlled by OS Disk manager but SAN is a network storage device that connects like internal storage and is managed by OS Disk Manager.

Manaf AlShafai
by Manaf AlShafai , Systems Engineer , Dell EMC

Network Attached Storage is a File-based connectivity to the servers through IP, which you connect different file shares protocols (CIFS, NFS, etc...). Storage Area Network is Block-based connectivity to the servers through FC, which servers treat storage through SAN just like a local disk and transfer SCSI commands.

Rameez Shaik
by Rameez Shaik , Team Member , Accenture

NAS is a file level  access and SAN is block level access

Nissar Ummer
by Nissar Ummer , System Administrator , Seven Seas Computers

SAN - Storage Area Network which is related to block level functions.

NAS - Network Attached Storage which is related file level functions.

Sabir Hussain
by Sabir Hussain , Senior System/System Engineer , King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy(K.A.CARE)

NAS is a file level storage with NFS/CIFS protocol while SAN is a block level storage with SCSI protocol.

Meeravali Shaik
by Meeravali Shaik , Infrastructure Senior Storage Lead , Tech Mahindra

storage area network (SAN) is storage connected in a fabric (usually through a switch) so that there can be easy access to storage from many different servers. From the server application and operating system standpoint, there is no visible difference in the access of data for storage in a SAN or storage that is directly connected. A SAN supports block access to data just like directly attached storage.

Network-attached storage (NAS) is really remote file serving. Rather than using the software on your own file system, the file access is redirected using a remote protocol such as CIFS or NFS to another device (which is operating as a server of some type with its own file system) to do the file I/O on your behalf. This enables file sharing and centralization of management for data.

Saloni Suri
by Saloni Suri , Subject Matter Expert , Hitachi Systems

NAS - HDD drives in an enclosure connected to a Network port.

SAN - A network of Drives connected using FC/iscsi connectivity to be able to handle block data (Common language Databases)

Shaik  Javeed
by Shaik Javeed , Storage Consultant , HP

SAN is block level storage NAS is net file level storage we us in NAS is IP protocol 

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