Editing Network-attached storage (section)

== History ==
In the early 1980s, the "[[Newcastle Connection]]" by [[Brian Randell]] and his colleagues at [[Newcastle University]] demonstrated and developed remote file access across a set of UNIX machines.<ref name="Newcastle_1982">{{cite journal|title=The Newcastle connection|author-last1=Brownbridge|author-first1=David R.|author-last2=Marshall|author-first2=Lindsay F.|author-last3=Randell|author-first3=Brian|author-link3=Brian Randell|journal=Software: Practice and Experience|volume=12|year=1982|doi=10.1002/spe.4380121206|pages=1147–1162|s2cid=1840438 |url=http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/publications/articles/papers/399.pdf|access-date=16 August 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816184205/http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/research/pubs/articles/papers/399.pdf|archive-date=16 August 2016}}</ref><ref name="Callaghan_2000">{{cite book|author-last=Callaghan|author-first=Brent|title=NFS illustrated|publisher=[[Addison-Wesley]]|year=2000|isbn=0-201-32570-5}}</ref> [[Novell]]'s [[NetWare]] server operating system and [[NetWare Core Protocol|NCP]] protocol was released in 1983. Following the Newcastle Connection, [[Sun Microsystems]]' 1984 release of [[Network File System|NFS]] allowed network servers to share their storage space with networked clients. 3Com and [[Microsoft]] would develop the [[LAN Manager]] software and protocol to further this new market. [[3Com]]'s [[3Server]] and [[3+Share]] software was the first purpose-built server (including proprietary hardware, software, and multiple disks) for open systems servers.

Inspired by the success of [[file server]]s from Novell, [[IBM]], and Sun, several firms developed dedicated file servers. While 3Com was among the first firms to build a dedicated NAS for desktop operating systems, [[Auspex Systems]] was one of the first to develop a dedicated NFS server for use in the UNIX market. A group of Auspex engineers split away in the early 1990s to create the integrated [[NetApp FAS]], which supported both the Windows SMB and the UNIX NFS protocols and had superior [[scalability]] and ease of deployment. This started the market for [[Proprietary hardware|proprietary]] NAS devices now led by NetApp and EMC Celerra.

Starting in the early 2000s, a series of startups emerged offering alternative solutions to single filer solutions in the form of clustered NAS{{snd}} Spinnaker Networks (acquired by [[NetApp]] in February 2004), [[Exanet]] (acquired by [[Dell]] in February 2010), [[Gluster]] (acquired by RedHat in 2011), ONStor (acquired by LSI in 2009), [[IBRIX Fusion|IBRIX]] (acquired by [[Hewlett-Packard|HP]]), [[Dell EMC Isilon|Isilon]] (acquired by EMC{{snd}} November 2010), PolyServe (acquired by [[Hewlett-Packard|HP]] in 2007), and [[Panasas]], to name a few.

In 2009, NAS vendors (notably CTERA networks<ref name="cdr">{{cite web|url=http://cdrlab.pl/article_strona_9571_1.html|title=CDRLab test|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017224312/http://cdrlab.pl/article_strona_9571_1.html|archive-date=17 October 2010|url-status=dead|language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/age_of_computing_diversity/q/id/56888/t/2|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926105633/http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/age_of_computing_diversity/q/id/56888/t/2|archive-date=26 September 2010|title=The age of computing diversity|author=Frank E. Gillett|website=Forrester research|date=16 September 2010|page=12|quote=CTERA’s C200 provides a better take on network-attached storage (NAS) [...] with local Mac and PC backup built in and automated hooks to an online backup service for offsite backup in case of site disaster.}}</ref> and [[Netgear]]) began to introduce [[Remote backup service|online backup]] solutions integrated in their NAS appliances, for online disaster recovery.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS130761+02-Mar-2009+PRN20090302|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908050357/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS130761+02-Mar-2009+PRN20090302|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 September 2012|publisher=Reuters|title=Netgear launches first NAS-linked online disaster recovery for consumers and SMBs|access-date=21 October 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS125181+06-Jan-2009+PRN20090106|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307115844/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS125181+06-Jan-2009+PRN20090106|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 March 2009|title=CTERA networks launches, introduces cloud attached storage|publisher=Reuters|access-date=21 October 2009}}</ref>

By 2021, three major types of NAS solutions are offered (all with hybrid cloud models where data can be stored both on-premise on the NAS and off site on a separate NAS or through a public cloud service provider). The first type of NAS is focused on consumer needs with lower-cost options that typically support 1–5 hot plug hard drives. The second is focused on small-to-medium-sized businesses – these NAS solutions range from 2–24+ hard drives and are typically offered in tower or rackmount form factors. Pricing can vary greatly depending on the processor, components, and overall features supported.  The last type is geared toward enterprises or large businesses and are offered with more advanced software capabilities. NAS solutions are typically sold without hard drives installed to allow the buyer (or IT departments) to select the hard drive cost, size, and quality.