"." wrote in
I have a question about the Compaq StorageWorks RAID Array 4100, as
someone I know is selling one, but I'm not sure about exactly how it all
hangs together.

I'm interested in building up a Network Attached Storage device. I know
the 4100 has 12 slots, a smart array controller, and a fibre channel
interface. Does this mean that if I plug it into the fibre channel
connector on my D-Link DES 3624i switch, I have my NAS device, or does
it still need to be connected to a dedicated server running samba (for
example) to make it available on the network?

I don't know anything about this device so thought I'd ask.

A NAS (Network attached Storage) needs a NAS Head server as a front end.
It's basically just a file server with a lot of disk storage attached, and a
NAS server often does not run anything other than file server services
(Which is where Windows 2003 Storage Server comes into its own - cut down
version of Win2003)

If you can dispense with the server and attach it straight to the network,
then it's a SAN (Storage Area Network).

The RA4100 being a JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) device, it does not have SAN
intelligence and needs a NAS head to be used as networked storage.