Task Force on Network Storage Architecture: Network attached storage is inevitable

Dave Anderson - Seagate Technology Incorporated, 8053 East Bloomington Freeway, Bloomington, MN 55420

We see networked attached storage as being a common means of storage
connection and access by the year 2000. This will not, at first, be manifested
in direct communication between any node on a network and an individual disc
drive. Rather, the likely first step is that storage will be linked with
clusters of file servers as part of a server-wide network. Later, broader
sharing of storage access may appear. 
The reason for taking this position is quite simple: our customers are telling
us that they want to and will do this. The acceptance and adoption of Fibre
Channel as both an intersystem and I/O channel interconnect is a reflection of
and a stimulus for this trend.