The NetApp Fabric Attached Storage (FAS) series of FAS2700, FAS500f, FAS8300, FAS8700, and FAS9500 models support Fibre Channel SAN, FCoE, IP SAN (iSCSI), and network-attached storage (NAS) environments via NFS and CIFS. Previous to the launch of the FAS500f, NetApp had distinguished between its two ONTAP based systems, FAS and AFF, primarily via the storage devices used with AFF models being all flash systems and FAS models being hybrid SSD and HDD systems. The all flash FAS500f system signals a transition to distinguishing the systems on a capacity optimization, in the case of FAS, and performance optimization, in the case of AFF, basis. All Flash FAS (AFF) systems and are covered in a separate Evaluator Group document.
NetApp refers to fabric-attached storage systems as storage connected to hosts via any network. The FAS series is part of NetApp’s strategy to offer a network storage system that is capable of supporting both NAS and storage-area network (SAN) accessibility from a single storage pool.
The embedded operating software is called ONTAP and supports scale-out clustering and advanced feature capabilities. ONTAP 9 replaces the earlier clustered Data ONTAP (cDOT) and 7-mode (non-clustered). A cloud version of ONTAP is also available and is
called Cloud ONTAP.
The FAS8000 and FAS9000 systems with the FlexArray feature of ONTAP supports attachment of external storage. The external storage is virtualized by ONTAP enabling the advanced features and a common management for volumes allocated to a NetApp aggregate. The release of the FlexArray feature on the high-end systems replaced the V-series systems for virtualizing external storage.
NetApp FAS Product Brief Includes:
Overview
Highlights
Usage
EvaluScale Product Review Methodology
Evaluator Group Commentary
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