No topics has been as talked about in shared storage for video editing in the last 10 years than SAN vs NAS. So what is a SAN and what is a NAS?
Protocols aside, they are just two ways to do the same thing. Centralize data locally.
What's The Difference Between SAN And NAS?
SAN or Storage Area Networks, use block level protocols like Fibre Channel or iSCSI, which create point to point connections between storage & workstations. Then use a layer of software to manage the data flow separating out data and permissions.
NAS or Network Attached Storage, is designed from the ground up to be in a shared environment. NAS uses natively 'shared' file systems like AFP or SMB to transmit both data and permissions.
So which is better? NAS. I know I’m supposed to say it depends; but it kind of doesn't. NAS systems are less expensive and more simple. SANs exist for performance, however, the performance of NAS systems is beyond what almost any use case requires.
