computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientific, e ...

, file virtualization is a field of

storage virtualization In computer science, storage virtualization is "the process of presenting a logical view of the physical storage resources to" a host computer system, "treating all storage media (hard disk, optical disk, tape, etc.) in the enterprise as a singl ...

operating on

computer file A computer file is a computer resource for recording data in a computer storage device, primarily identified by its file name. Just as words can be written to paper, so can data be written to a computer file. Files can be shared with and transfe ...

level. It involves uniting multiple storage devices into a single logical pool of file. It is a vital part of both file area network (FAN) and network file management (NFM) concepts. As with most other virtualization designs, "a primary driver behind file virtualization is the desire to shield users and administrators from the complexity of the underlying storage environment. Other goals include simplified management, more efficient capacity usage and allocation, and reduced management costs". ''Network file management'' (''NFM'') is a data storage management-related category. The term is used interchangeably with NAS virtualization and file virtualization among data storage industry press, analysts and system administrators. The basic idea of NFM is that the rapid, ongoing growth of file data capacity on enterprise networks has led to massive management complexity and accelerating operating costs. NFM is the concept of creating a virtualization layer between the clients and the file servers (or

NAS Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

devices). By creating this abstraction layer, System Administrators may simplify the management of multiple storage devices, including non-disruptive movement of data between servers, preserving the client access path (pathname), policies for automating the placement of data according to its changing needs, and the ability to discover, analyze and report on server and file usage.

References

External links

Taneja Group category definition: "Network file management solves NAS problems"

Enterprise Storage Group category definition: "NAS virtualization simplifies file management"

Network file virtualization

Storage virtualization

File Virtualization Heats Up on InternetNews.com
{{Storage virtualization Computer file systems Storage virtualization