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network drive

By Kinza Yasar

What is a network drive?

A network drive is a shared storage device on a local area network (LAN) within a business or home. It can either be a physical or virtual device, enabling users to store and access files from various devices that are connected to the same network.

Within an enterprise setting, the network drive is usually located on a server, storage area network (SAN) or network-attached storage (NAS) device. It can also be located on a cloud-based storage service, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) Storage Gateway, Dropbox, Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. In a typical home setting, the network drive is located on a dedicated server, NAS device, external hard drive or networked computer.

Due to their complexity and cost, SANs -- or specialized, high-speed networks that enable access to storage devices -- aren't frequently used in home networks. Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) often also opt for NAS devices for the same reasons. While SANs offer more features and storage capacity, they generally require a trained administrator.

What are the different types of drives?

Network drives can be divided into three types: local, network and mapped. Each drive type is accessed differently by a computer:

How is a network drive accessed?

A network drive is accessed similar to a local disk drive using file access protocols, such as Network File System (NFS) or Common Internet File System (CIFS). NFS is used for transferring files for Windows, Unix and Linux systems; CIFS can only be used to transfer files for Windows systems.

A user must have the appropriate permissions to access the files on the network drive. Therefore, regardless of the type of network drive used, some administration is required to control access rights for different users. Access policy is configured either on the network drive or on a server that controls the drive.

Unless a network drive is mapped, it can only be accessed using the network path, which is a string that includes the network path of the storage device followed by the path to the requested file, such as \servername\sharedfolder. The network drive path depends on how the network drive is set up on the server.

What does it mean to map a network drive?

Mapping a drive implies making a certain drive accessible to other network users. It entails the mapping of files, folders or an entire storage drive on a computer. Mapping can also be performed for a cloud storage folder, such as for OneDrive.

Mapping assigns a local name to the network path of the storage device, where the local name follows naming conventions of local drives. For example, on a Windows system, a network drive might be mapped by assigning it a drive letter, such as E:. Once the network drive is mapped, users and applications can access files on the shared drive by preceding the path name of the files with E:\.

While access control is configured on each network drive or a central server, drive mapping must be carried out on each device accessing the network drive.

What are the benefits of a network drive?

Network drives provide numerous benefits to businesses and individuals. These benefits can range from improved data storage to enhanced file sharing capabilities:

What are the disadvantages of a network drive?

While network drives offer several benefits, there are some potential disadvantages to consider as well:

How to map a network drive in Windows

Mapping a network drive enables users to quickly access files and folders on a shared network. The process of mapping a network drive varies, depending on the OS used.

To map a network drive on a Windows 10 PC, perform the following steps:

  1. Open Windows File Explorer from the taskbar or the Start menu, and click on This PC.
  2. Click on Map network drive from the toolbar at the top of the screen.
  3. From the drop-down menu, select the drive letter for the network folder that needs to be mapped.
  4. Click on Browse to bring up a list of folders, and select the appropriate network folder. The path to the shared network folder can also be typed here, such as \hostnamesharename, where hostname is the name or IP address of the network device and sharename is the name of the shared network folder.
  5. Check the box labeled Reconnect at sign-in.

The mapped drive is now available in File Explorer.

What is the difference between a network drive and cloud storage?

Cloud storage services have become extremely popular, enabling users to share files and applications from anywhere, not just from devices connected to the same LAN. However, some SMBs and home users opt to use network drives when all users of the network devices are on the same LAN -- at least virtually -- using a virtual private network.

While a network drive and cloud storage serve similar functions, the following are some key differences between the two:

Enterprise storage can take numerous forms, ranging from object storage to cloud-based. Compare the three most common options --- SAN, NAS and direct-attached storage --- to determine which data storage option is best for your organization.

10 May 2023

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