Deploying a NAS (Network Attached Storage) Gateway is the intelligent approach to solving a broad range of network-based file-serving issues that enterprise customers are facing, especially in large Windows environments. These users are challenged by the inherent limitations of the traditional approach of deploying dozens of servers or forced to utilize appliances that don't offer optimal NAS functionality. As a result, administrators are faced with multiple storage management issues, including:

* Proliferation of File Servers

* High acquisition, deployment, support and management costs of standard servers

* Inefficient usage of available storage resources

* Low availability of server and data (non-clustered)

* Difficult and cumbersome backup and restore

* NAS appliances running proprietary operating systems not optimized for specific OS environments

* Standalone solutions with built-in storage leading to vendor lock-ins for storage upgrade

New NAS Gateways versus Traditional Filers and Appliances

The traditional NAS server is simply a general-purpose application server based on a PC-class architecture running an operating system with a file system that supports Windows or Unix clients. The hardware platform provides no special capabilities or advantages for running storage applications--such as NAS--more efficiently than any other host-based applications--such as database or messaging software. These standard servers require highly skilled IT resources for maintenance, upgrade and troubleshooting, thereby dramatically increasing the cost of operating these systems. Most enterprises have invested in a variety of storage arrays; however, traditional NAS solutions are designed only to work with the respective vendor's own storage. This not only results in under-utilization of existing investments, but also in vendor lock-in that reduces the users' ability to select the best storage resource that fits their needs in the future.

NAS appliances were designed to eliminate the high cost of managing general-purpose servers, but have the same pitfall of poor storage resource utilization. SANs (Storage Area Networks) were designed for the dual purpose of improving performance during storage and retrieval of data and also of reducing traffic over a LAN. Since NAS appliances are deployed as independent storage devices, they do not take advantage of SANs, making backup and convergence of storage networks more complex. And because NAS appliances are based on a proprietary OS that has not been optimized for large Windows environments, they do not provide sufficient native support for devices to become full members of existing domains.

A simple yet high-value NAS solution must start with a versatile hardware platform optimized for running storage applications as an appliance. An enterprise-class solution must also address the requirements of data centers that need scalable NAS solutions to connect to a heterogeneous SAN, as well as departmental requirements for the system to connect to lower cost storage resources. NAS Gateways were developed to address all of the limitations of traditional approach with fully integrated solutions that deliver high-performance, high-availability file serving, NAS-SAN integration and server consolidation. Enterprise-class NAS gateways enable customers to achieve improved ROI by increased utilization of existing Fibre Channel SAN storage. Consolidating NAS files onto SAN-based storage can significantly reduce storage TCO (total cost of ownership) by enabling centralized management of all storage assets.

Highly Available, Interoperable Solutions for Heterogeneous Storage

Users can simplify the installation process with NAS Gateways that are fully preintegrated with the NAS software and required system-specific middleware software layer for a plug and play exper-ience. Customers are better served with NAS systems designed and tested for compatibility with third-party SAN products and are interoperable with most storage networks. These NAS Gateways connect to heterogeneous disk array systems, preventing vendor lock-in and giving customers the freedom to choose the vendor and class of storage that best fits their specific requirements.

The ideal NAS systems are designed for maximum availability and reliability, including redundant hardware architecture and the additional availability functions that provide hardware and software monitoring. NAS gateways can be easily deployed as clustered systems to protect against the complete failure of any individual system. Dynamic multi-pathing of Fibre Channel ports and link aggregation on Ethernet ports provides redundant connections between the appliance and storage or the appliance and the host. The system, while optimized to exclusively run network storage applications, must also meet the 99.999 percent uptime demands of enterprise storage environments. Built-in middleware software layer provides hardware and software monitoring and a set of utilities to ensure that the system operates at enterprise-class availability.