Storage networks

Storage Patterns

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DAS vs NAS vs SAN

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NFS and SMB are protocols of NAS

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NAS

The NAS device itself is a network node—much like computers and other TCP/IP devices, all of which maintain their own IP address—and the NAS file service uses the ethernet network to send and receive files.

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Components of NAS

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This system employs protocols like

enabling seamless data exchange between multiple users.

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NFS

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NFS protocol

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Ref: https://pk.org/assets/files/classes-417-notes/06c-nfs-slides.pdf

In Linux systems, when you mount a remote NFS share (e.g., via the mount command or /etc/fstab), the NFS client (implemented in the kernel) automatically translates standard file system operations—initiated by shell commands into the corresponding NFS protocol RPC (Remote Procedure Call) functions. This happens transparently through the Virtual File System (VFS) layer.

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NFSv3 vs NFSv4

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SMB

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NAS

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NAS, SMB, AFS, Coda

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Thick provisioning vs Thin provisioning

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Thin provisioning can introduce higher latency compared to thick provisioning due to the on-the-fly allocation of storage space and potential need for zeroing out blocks before writing data.