Word of the Day - Unified Storage

Definition:

Unified storage (sometimes termed network unified storage or NUS) is a storage system that makes it possible to run and manage files and applications from a single device. To this end, a unified storage system consolidates file-based and block-based access in a single storage platform and supports Fibre Channel SAN, IP-based SAN (iSCSI), and NAS (network attached storage).

A unified storage system simultaneously enables storage of file data and handles the block-based I/O (input/output) of enterprise applications. In actual practice, unified storage is often implemented in a NAS platform that is modified to add block-mode support. For example, Reldata Inc offers the SANnet universal IP storage system and Network Appliance Inc. offers a unified storage architecture. Numerous other products based on Microsoft's WUDSS (Windows Unified Data Storage Server) have been configured to support both block and file I/O.

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