Specifications

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Network Attached Storage (NAS) Server
Evolving Network Storage
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n this era of information explosion, countless Gigabytes of
electronic data are generated every second, in form of text,
image, audio and/or video, passing through the Internet or
other types of communication networks. Whether for personal
or business use, total data volume is increasing year on year at
nearly 100%. With this huge amount of data growth, how to  nd an
easily-managed shared storage solution that can provide adequate
growth and scalability for the future has become one of the most
critical challenges for all IT users, from home right up to enterprise
level.
Conventional storage, usually a sub-system attached to  le
server, has until recently been recognized as AS (Direct Attached
Storage). Available with either IDE or SCSI RAID interface, data
in the disk array is accessed via  le server. Until recently many
enterprises have been attaching network disk volume
to  le servers, and sharing the data via the LAN (Local Area
Network). But this left the question of how to achieve multi-
platform data sharing and access control. Building several share
folders in Windows NT/2000/2003 servers, and then setting up the
access permission for different users is one of the most popular
ways. However, this traditional structure fails to meet new storage
demands due to rapid data growth and well-established network
environments. Excessive data transfer to/from  le servers causes
bottlenecks, decreasing the ef ciency and performance of both
server and network. Additionally most Windows NT/2000/2003
servers need a high level of professional IT administration, and
do not fully support other operation systems, such as Unix/Linux,
Mac and Novell. Also, many data backup jobs are done by tape
drives or libraries, but the drawbacks to this system are that the
speed is slow and capacity limited. The most troublesome is that
IT personnel usually needs to change the tapes on a daily basis.
Should the data be destroyed, then it takes a long amount of time
to recover all data from the tapes. Severe loss may occur if the
operation is interrupted and can not resume on time.
To ensure that modern-day demands for data storage are not only
met, but in fact exceeded, NAS offers not only ample storage,
but also fast, reliable, and easy-managed solution at affordable
costs. Add to that a level of scalability that is unsurpassed in the
storage segment, and you can see why many are predicting NAS
to become the most in uential star in the industry of storage and
data backup.
NAS de ned
The SNIA (Storage Network Industry Association) de nes NAS
(Network Attached Storage) as a storage device providing  le
access services through the network. By special distributed
structure, NAS easily offers unlimited and expandable storage
to anyone on the network. When connecting to any node on the
network, computers with all kinds of operation systems can access
 les or documents via NAS right away.
Advantages of NAS
One of the major advantages of NAS is effectively lowering the TCO
(Total Cost of Ownership) on the user’s storage system:
1. Centralized Resources & Remote Access
Since NAS can be added to a network and provides additional
storage at any time, other servers on the network will be able to
continue services without space or performance issues. Resources
on the network can therefore be centralized and shared by either
local or remote clients.
2. Easy Setup & Low Administration Cost
NAS supports multiple network protocols (TCP/IP, IPX, NetBEUI
and AppleTalk), which allows immense  exibility. With the ability to
adapt to  xed or dynamic IP addresses, installation, operation and
management of NAS are both quick and simple.
3. Cross Platform & More Purchase Options
With inter-operability over multiple Operating Systems (OS)
and platforms, different departments need no longer worry
aboutcompatibility issues of different servers or workstations.
Businesses have more purchase options and a better chance of
acquiringhigh quality equipment that will meet their requirements
exactly.
4. Flexible & Cost-effective Backup
Most NAS devices offer a built-in backup feature, and are usually
compatible with third-party backup software. Backup jobs can
bedone on-line with no down time. Tremendous operational costs
and system shutdown loss can therefore be easily saved.
Where and how to use NAS?
QNAP NAS provides a complete series of storage solutions for
Personal / SOHO, SMB (Small Medium Business), and Enterprises,
aswell as industrial applications. Each of them offers unbeatable
levels of:
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Fast-established, Unlimited and Expandable Shared Storage
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Cross Platform Support
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Remote Replication
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Remote Data Access
Why QNAP?
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Complete Product Line: 20 models introduced within there year
half
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IPC Expert: Good at customization for valued OEM/ODM clients
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Global products with 16 languages built-in all user interfaces
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Total Solution Provider:
-Self-developed software and hardware by experienced R&D team
-In-house system integration
-Own production capability
-Own testing facilities for quality assurance
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Over3-yr experience on NAS software development: Highly
 exible for customizations
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More than competitive pricing strategy
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Cost-down plan by in-house designed SOC solutions