NAS Concepts
NAS Protocols
Network File System
Advantages
– OS-independent
– Common in Unix environments
– Stateless connection
– Supports both TCP and UDP
Disadvantages:
– Requires additional software in PC environments
– Less secure than CIFS
• implements advisory locking only
• not enforced by File System
NFS is operating system independent, but it is most commonly deployed on
Unix servers. NFS was developed with the assumption that network
connectivity would not be robust, so it was designed to be stateless. In most
cases clients are not affected even if a server reboots (unless the client tries to
access a file while the server is down).
NFS can run over both TCP and UDP transports. TCP is ideal in WAN
environments because it is reliable. UDP is ideal for use in highly reliable
LANs where packet loss is minimal, because UDP offers better performance.
However, NFS is relatively expensive for Windows servers, and is difficult to
administer when compared to native Microsoft CIFS.
NFS relies on the client to authenticate. NFS security can easily be subverted.
NFS uses advisory locks, which are not enforced by the operating system.