Linksys NSS6000 Series Administrator's Manual page 181

Glossary of Storage-related Terms and Acronyms
Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide
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FAT32: File Allocation Table. Microsoft developed this partially patented
filesystem for MS-DOS. It is the primary filesystem for consumer versions of
Microsoft Windows up to and including Windows Me. Because it is considered
relatively simple, the FAT filesystem is supported by virtually all existing operating
systems for personal computers. This ubiquity makes it an ideal format for floppy
disks and solid-state memory cards, and a convenient way of sharing data
between disparate operating systems installed on the same computer (a dual
boot environment). The most common implementations have a serious drawback
in that when files are deleted and new files written to the media, their fragments
tend to become scattered over the entire media, making reading and writing a
slow process. Defragmentation is one solution to this, but is often a lengthy
process in itself and has to be repeated regularly to keep the FAT filesystem clean.
To overcome the volume size limit of FAT16, while still allowing DOS real-mode
code to handle the format without unnecessarily reducing the available
conventional memory, Microsoft decided to implement a newer generation of FAT,
known as FAT32, with cluster counts held in a 32-bit field, of which 28 bits are
currently used.
File Sharing Protocol: A high-level network protocol that provides the structure
and language for file requests between clients and servers, including the
commands for opening, reading, writing and closing files across the network. It
may also provide access to the directory services. It is sometimes referred to as a
"client/server protocol" and functions at the application layer (layer 7 of the OSI
model). In order for a client to have access to multiple servers running different
operating systems, either the client supports the file sharing protocol of each
operating system or the server supports the file sharing protocol of each client.
Software that adds this capability is very common and allows interoperability
between Windows, Macintosh, NetWare and Unix platforms. Examples of file
sharing protocols include: CIFS/SMB (Windows), and NFS (UNIX).
FTP: File Transfer Protocol. FTP is a standard Internet protocol that uses the
Internet's TCP/IP protocols to exchange files between computers on the Internet.
FTP can be used to transfer, download, and upload files individually or in batch
form.
FTPS: File Transfer Protocol over SSL. FTPS is similar to the standard FTP but
because it operates over an encrypted link (SSL), it is a more secure way to
transfer files over the Internet. The NSS supports Explicit FTPS (versus Implicit
FTPS). Explicit FTPS is named for the command issued to indicate that TLS
security should be used. This is the preferred method according to the RFC
defining FTP over TLS. The client connects to the server port 21 and starts an
unencrypted FTP session as normal, but requests that TLS security be used and
performs the appropriate handshake before sending any sensitive data.
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