Storageflex 3945N Portable Media Storage User Manual


 
Administrator Guide
99
NIS
NIS stands for the Network Information Service. It allows multiple computers in a
local area network to share administrative data. The data itself is stored in a central
database, and then it is distributed over the network.
P
Patch Cable
See LAN cable
Partition
A partition is a subdivision of the physical hard drive that has been segmented into
logical drives for some purpose. The user will view each of the partitions as a
separate physical drive, even though in actuality each partition is a logical drive.
In any single physical drive the total disk space is equal to sum of the total disk
space in all of the partitions (logical drives). For example, a workstation could
have one 80 GB hard drive (one physical drive), but the drive may be setup in four
partitions of 20GB each (four logical drives). In this case, the user will view the
one single physical drive as four distinct drives since Microsoft Windows displays
each partition as a separate drive.
Physical Volume (PV)
A PV is just a physical medium.
Primary Domain Controller (PDC)
The Primary Domain Controller is the server that authenticates a user when
attempting to connect to a share in a domain. In a large Local Area Network, where
there are hundreds or thousands of users, there may be several domain controllers.
In this case, one or several Backup Domain Controllers (BDC) would also
authenticate users.
Physical Drive
In the context of a partitioned disk drive or a RAID, a physical drive refers to the
actual hard disk drive. This is usually compared to a logical drive, which is how a
user perceives the drive. For example, a workstation could have one 80 GB hard
drive (one physical drive), but the drive may be setup in four partitions of 20GB
each (four logical drives). In this case, the user will view the one single physical
drive as four distinct drives since Microsoft Windows displays each partition as a
separate drive. In the case of a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID),
several physical drives actually appear as one logical drive.
R
Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID)
A Redundant Array of Independent Disks is a series of multiple physical drives that
have been made into a single logical drive either through hardware or software.
While Storageflex supports both hardware and software RAID, hardware RAID is
outside the control of ApplianceView and must be configured and maintained