The storage server doesn't need a monitor or keyboard, it is administered using telnet or a Web browser. Obviously it can't be running any version of Windows, but it can act as a server for Windows workstations. Microsoft has not been able to prevent this yet.

A storage server may just have one or two hard disks in it, or it may have a RAID array to make it highly failure resistant (if a hard disk dies, the server keeps on serving (though it will bitch about it)). It should also include a tape backup drive to back up the storage it is offering.

Automation Access offers Network Attached Storage devices starting at $499.00 (10-Gig).

** Windows drive letters are a pain in the kazoo. Add a network drive letter and you have to reconfigure your applications on all your workstations to look to the new drive. Windows software is often not designed to make this easy. With Unix/Linux you just copy the stuff to the added drive and mount that drive on the directory the data used to be in. Bingo!