How to choose the right network attached storage System

How should small and medium-sized enterprises choose a suitable NAS (network attached storage) system? To explore this issue, we have listed the key points involved and divided into several major categories. You may not need to take into account all the issues mentioned below, but we still hope that this will help you and your business in making the final NAS purchase decision.

NAS Hardware

When you choose to buy a new NAS system, the first problem you face is clearly focused on the expected storage capacity, which is closely related to the number of hard drives (HDD) that will be supported. Note that some of the NAS options may be an additional drive carrier expansion chassis upgrade. Also, be aware of using USB or eSATA ports to support external storage devices as a temporary repair capability or may be useful when performing backups.

Remember to make sure that NAS supports the most current capacity of the hard drive, which will be 3TB for 3.5-inch SATA hard drives when the burn is performed. Some NAS devices are compatible with 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch form factors, although the latter's utility may be limited unless there is a plan to deploy a solid-state drive (SSD). The hard drive (HDD) should also be the most flexible to support hot-swappable, although today only the most basic models of NAS do not support this feature.

In terms of network connectivity, the common denominator now seems to be gigabit storage

Ethernet, although dual Gigabit Ethernet ports are increasingly common in mid-range models. However, do not assume that unit links and dual Ethernet ports are automatically aggregated because some work exists only in failover mode. Some NAS can also be upgraded to 10G Ethernet with add-on cards, which can be an important reference if your organization eventually plans to upgrade its core network to 10G networks.

It is also important for the enterprise to consider whether the NAS provides a redundant power supply device (PSU). In addition to individual drives, PSU power failure is the most likely hardware component to encounter a serious failure, and depends on the instant availability of spare parts, which can result in a lengthy downtime.

Hard Drive performance

The speed of transmission over the network is a major performance metric for NAS. This transmission speed is usually measured by uploading or downloading large files from the device using a file-based protocol. The importance of metrics depends, of course, on the expected use of NAS AAA better file access speed, the key is the enterprise deployment of NAS as a user repository, and a good block access speed to facilitate its deployment to the server.

Some high-end NAS can support more high-performance SSD automatic tiering, but the exact performance is not easily evaluated here. Given that the capacity of the gigabit connections for most intermediate NAS systems currently being sold is saturated, it is best to avoid overly emphasizing absolute performance data. Unless performance is particularly bad, an enterprise should assess the performance characteristics of a particular NAS along with its overall capabilities.

File storage Capabilities

In terms of file storage capabilities, you may want to highlight the NAS brand and support major file transfers, such as CIFS, NFS, AFP (Mac OS), and even the FTP protocol. More advanced NAS also supports iSCSI in the local area network block-level storage LAN. Being able to perform an automated, streamlined configuration is a related ability to build capacity larger than the existing available physical space when deploying a block-level storage capacity. Finally, if NAS can communicate with an uninterruptible power supply, it can significantly reduce the risk of disk corruption and help secure downtime during a prolonged outage.

Non-core NAS capabilities

In order to be able to compete in such a competitive field, NAS-provided manufacturers have begun to incorporate a long list of non-core capabilities into their storage devices. These basic features include the ability to send email notifications, such as the local time machine support, at the high-end features of some system events.

Other common Non-core features, including network services that do not involve storage, such as supporting print servers, NTP servers, and system log servers. Some manufacturers even provide remote monitoring of mobile device applications such as smartphones and tablets, which may include some simple parameter tuning capabilities. While these additional features are beneficial, be careful not to overlook the critical functional standards that are necessary for your business because of these insignificant features.

Security and user Management

Some high-end NAS models may contain the ability to encrypt data on hard drives. Encryption is clearly an additional feature, especially if the system is deployed in the branches of the enterprise, which may be difficult or unsafe for NAS. However, it is important to note that, unless NAS uses dedicated hardware encryption, encryption has always had a significant negative impact on performing write performance. In addition, using encryption can slow down the time required to rebuild a failed hard drive.

User management which involves the user account management, usually extended to the creative group of ease of use, user management, is closely related to the security function. Midsize enterprises may need to support active catalogs or LDAP, while Soho users and small businesses may be satisfied with simpler controls. Because bulky user-management tools may be a big taboo for large enterprises, they must be cautious and careful, in which case there needs to be an evaluation unit. In this process, be sure to check the maximum number of supported user accounts or shared folders, and verify that they are sufficient to meet the needs of your business.

Data Backup and synchronization

To address backup requirements, some NAS products may have the ability to perform data backups to external storage media or networks. The most basic approach is to connect external storage drives via USB or eSATA. For companies with low critical data volumes, batch processing can be used to regularly back up the data, prevent accidental deletion, or use rugged hard drives to withstand local disasters such as fires or floods.

Using the network for data synchronization between two NAS devices is a more advanced feature. For example, Iomega recently announced the launch of the Storcenter ix2 NAS support for easy installation of devices to the data replication network. This actually allows SMEs to create private clouds by deploying two NAS devices in different locations. Of course, the actual feasibility of spanning WAN replication will depend on a number of factors, including the importance of its data to the enterprise, and the large amount of data being replicated requires a great deal of cost and bandwidth. However, this provides an alternative that once the most expensive sans are not the only alternatives.

Finally, NAS vendors are also starting to add online storage services to support sophisticated cloud services such as Amazon S3 is the most common support platform. As all data are stored in the cloud, individual companies exercise caution to ensure that all uploaded data is encrypted. Given the current Internet environment, cloud storage should not be the only backup target: When attempting a disaster recovery, recovery time objectives may not be met.