What is NAS?
Network-attached storage (NAS) is network-based storage solution. NAS typically ties into to the network through a standard Ethernet connection. A network attached storage (NAS) device provides file-level access across the network using NFS or CIFS/SMB NAS storage protocol(s). NAS accesses data as files. NAS appears as a file server to the clients.
NAS provides file-based data storage services to other devices on the network. The NAS device is a network node – just like computers and other TCP/IP devices on the network, and maintains its own IP address – and the NAS file service uses the Ethernet network to send and receive files.