Network attached storage allows using TCP/IP network to backup files. This enables multiple servers in an IDC to share the same storage for backup at once, which minimizes overhead by centrally managing hard disks. The protocol used with NAS is a file-based protocol such as NFS or Microsoft’s Common Internet File System. Both of them allow storing backups using UNIX and Linux systems. NAS are not just common in IDC or offices anymore, you can use them for file sharing and backup at home. You can purchase 200+GB NAS for less than $200. However, many new Linux or UNIX sys admin or home users find it difficult to use NAS for backup and sharing purpose. This tutorial covers how to access NAS from Linux using various methods.
This article discusses steps that allow a Linux client to access NAS but there is only one slight mention of NFS, the de-facto standard for Unix clients. Maybe the author wanted to only point out the ?limited? protocols that his “NAS” supports; CIFS and FTP.