The Case For Optical NAS Solutions.

Network Attached Storage (NAS) is quickly becoming the next wave of storage and optical NAS devices are not being left out. The focus of this article is to outline the uses of optical NAS devices and provide an overview of the technology and its advantages.

NAS devices are becoming more popular as a result of some of their basic features and the underlying enabling technology. NAS devices are intended to attach to a network directly without being attached to a server, providing a number of advantages. First, it relieves the already overworked servers, which, in turn, eliminates the need to upgrade or augment with additional units. Adding server-based storage is particularly wasteful, considering there are less expensive solutions available on the market such as NAS devices. Second, since the unit is not attached to the server, it provides access to the data even if the server is down. This offloads file serving from the general-purpose server, which improves server performance and response. The NAS device itself does a much better job of serving the data, as it has been optimized to perform as a data pump. Finally, the advent and developmental strides that have been made in providing a true appliance-level product that attaches to the network in minutes with lit tle networking skills makes these products the perfect solution to adding more storage devices to a network without stretching the overburdened MIS department.

Why optical NAS devices? They provide a quick, easy, and cost-effective way to allow users to access data on optical media, while providing a protected environment for the media itself. Optical media has quickly become the most cost-effective method of distributing data today. The relative low cost of the media along with its data capacity has led to the replacement of the floppy disk. Optical I/O devices are inexpensive and more widespread than many of the other removable solutions such as super high-capacity floppies and the performance is generally better. DVD's higher data density will likely make it the next general-purpose distribution media as the standards become more widely accepted and the recording technology comes down in cost. The media itself is relatively durable and easy to transport and store. Couple this with a caching feature, like that found in Procom Technology's DataFORCE line, and you now have the data fed to users at hard disk speeds--the best of all worlds. There are three types of ap plications that comprise the bulk of uses for these devices: training and education content serving, record maintenance and provision, and database reference access.

Today in our highly digital age, advances in communications technology and rapid changes in informational content are not unheard of, especially when dealing with information in the high-tech sector. Version control is of the utmost importance to companies and schools alike. The centralized location of the media when using optical NAS devices makes this a much simpler task. Administrators only have to check one location and verify all the material at once. There is no need for time-consuming programs to manage the return and redistribution of material. All the content disks are in one location which is centrally located and can be accessed quickly and efficiently, further reducing the administration burden on an entity when it chooses to use an optical NAS device.

The concept of using optical NAS for record backup or data migration from an HDD system brings up t he point of data availability. There are a number of different RAID solutions based on HDD technology that provide high availability of data online. With optical media, there has not been an efficient way to provide high availability without going to a relatively expensive jukebox-type device like those offered by other vendors. These devices offer access to many discs at a sing1e time, but the access speed is often not very good, as the data is usually being streamed off of the disc. Depending on how many users are logged in at once physical drives can become a limitation--not to mention the wait as the robotics locate and retrieve the required disk.

The second large area of use of optical NAS devices that we have seen is in the area of critical documentation storage. Many organizations have taken to using optical media to keep records of material that was previously held on paper or they use it to provide quick access to backed-up material. The stability of the optical media makes it a good choice for backing up important data that must be maintained for extended periods of time. Optical media offers one key advantage over that of other types of backup media such as tape, which is its random access feature. Material backed up to optical media such as CDs or DVDs can be randomly accessed, allowing quick searches and retrieval of data. The cost of using optical media is also considerably less than that of hard drive media and makes it ideal for material that may not be accessed frequently, yet accessed in discrete amounts and non-sequentially from the media.

The caching modules provided by some of the newer NAS devices solve the title issue, as well as access time issues. The higher-end Procom DataFORCE 1000, as an example, offers a unique solution to the high availability issue by integrating RAID 5 units into the device as part of the caching system. The unit provides a number of features that move it out of the pure appliance level class of products, but it still retains the ease of setup and network attachment that is associated with NAS appliances. The RAID capability of the unit allows it to be used in some environments in which data availability is critical, such as medical applications. Medical records may not be accessed for extended periods of time, but it is critical, in some cases, that they be easily and reliably accessible. This is also true for drug databases in which certain medications may not be used often, but it is critical that the data on the drugs be readily available--especially when checking for interactions with other medications.

The third major area of optical NAS devices is, perhaps, one of the most basic and is one of the areas that optical media was first used: reference material. The sheer capacity of optical media has long made it an attractive alternative to printed material for large reference works. Law offices were one of the first to migrate to the use of CDs for reference material. Law firms rely heavily on case material and precedent. The advent of law reference material on CD allowed a much more easily searchable, as well as affordable, way for smaller practices to do research. Besides having a lower initial cost for the material, the storage requirements were substantially reduced, making it feasible for a small firm to have access to the material that usually would require a law library.

Using NAS devices in this case allows many partners in the office to access material from a source without requiring the purchase of many copies, which would go largely unused. When considering Total Cost of Ownership, the NAS device allows the more efficient use of material purchased on optical media. By allowing many users to use the data with little effort, the optical NAS devices increase the likelihood that the material once purchased will be used as often as possible.

Optical NAS devices provide an excellent solution in a substantial number of situations where content is available on optical media. As the cost of DVD writing units comes down, there is likely to be an increase in the amount of content provided on this media. The large capacity that DVD offers will likely make them a much more popular media going forward. As an inexpensive way to offer a large amount of content to multiple users, the ease of installation, maintenance, and low administrative overhead make these the optimal units for providing content in training/education, record storage, and reference applications. The higher end optical NAS devices provide added features, like high data availability, which, in the past, has been reserved for HDD-based products. The expanded capabilities coupled with the increase in content provision has made optical NAS devices a very attractive solution to content delivery in heterogeneous network environments.

IDC predicts the number of NAS units shipped in 2003 will top one million, from 100,000 in 1999, and that revenue from NAS will grow from $781 million in 1999 to $6.7 billion. With the NAS market on the verge of exploding, migrating to optical NAS makes sense for a wide variety of applications.

The technology advantages of optical media and its increasing affordability and value have carved out an opportunity for users to leverage the developments and features of optical NAS. Leading storage companies are already offering high-reliability solutions for simple installation that offer immediate network performance gains. The benefits and popularity of optical NAS will continue to be proven long into the future.

Kevin Judd is the workgroup NAS product manager at Procom Technology (Santa Ana, CA).