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Follow the links below to find material targeted to the unit's elements, performance criteria, required skills and knowledge

Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Determine specifications for NAS
   • Determine and document the topology of the local area network (LAN)
   • Investigate and determine current and future storage requirements according to current and future business needs
   • Determine the number and type of NAS devices required, and refer to current and future network requirements
   • Determine the requirements for network management, backup, security and redundancy according to organisational policy
2. Select appropriate hardware and software
   • Select the hardware and operating system software version with the appropriate features according to required specifications
   • Choose storage applications to determine access and response times
3. Install hardware and software
   • Install required level of RAID hardware or software
   • Install hard disks as specified by manufacturer instructions
   • Install operating system software according to manufacturer instructions
   • Connect to network media using media that meets required standard
   • Connect power, power it up and check operation
4. Configure NAS
   • Configure a network address and hostname
   • Establish and test a valid network connection with other LAN devices
   • Configure hard disks according to RAID requirements and format with appropriate file system
   • Configure access and security according to application and organisational requirements
5. Test and troubleshoot NAS
   • Test NAS according to manufacturer requirements and organisational guidelines
   • Ensure access and response times are acceptable to required applications, users and organisational policy
   • Make adjustments to the configuration, depending on test and troubleshooting results

Performance Evidence

Evidence of the ability to:

determine the specifications for a network access storage (NAS)

select the appropriate hardware and software requirements

install a network access storage (NAS) device without interruption to other local area network (LAN) services

configure LAN services accessing the NAS to allow user-less intervention for normal operation

test and resolve configuration problems.

Note: If a specific volume or frequency is not stated, then evidence must be provided at least once.

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Knowledge Evidence

To complete the unit requirements safely and effectively, the individual must:

describe the advantages and disadvantages of NAS versus direct attached storage (DAS) devices

identify and summarise the legislative, regulatory, standards and codes of practice related to NAS

Identify and describe common hard drive types and connectors

identify and describe common network cable types and connectors

outline the common network topologies

describe the implementation and configuration of networks

recognise and describe redundant array of independent disks (RAID) configurations and state their application in data storage.

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