{
  "slug": "unified-storage",
  "term": "Unified storage",
  "aliases": [
    "multiprotocol storage",
    "multi-protocol storage"
  ],
  "definition": "A unified storage system consolidates block and file services and may provide additional storage interfaces.",
  "note": "Unified describes the services offered, not the storage media. The traditional block/file definition permits additional services; multiprotocol terminology also covers object interfaces. Check the supported interface set of the specific system. [snia-unified-2015] [snia-multiprotocol]\n\nConfiguration: Supporting several interfaces does not, by itself, specify whether they expose the same dataset or provide coordinated concurrent access. One documented implementation recommends separate volumes for SAN LUNs and NAS shares to simplify management and replication. That is a configuration recommendation, not a universal requirement for unified storage. [ontap-volumes]",
  "status": "shipping",
  "advantages": [],
  "limitations": [],
  "related": [
    "storage-array",
    "san",
    "nas",
    "block-storage",
    "file-storage",
    "object-storage"
  ],
  "supersedes": [],
  "supersededBy": [],
  "firstSeen": null,
  "lastSeen": null,
  "citations": [
    {
      "id": "snia-unified-2015",
      "title": "SNIA Dictionary 2015 European Edition: unified storage (printed p. 291) and multi-protocol storage synonym (p. 181).",
      "url": "https://www.snia.org/sites/default/files/Europe/sniadictionaryv2015-1_0-pdf_online.pdf",
      "accessed": "2026-10-31"
    },
    {
      "id": "snia-multiprotocol",
      "title": "SNIA Dictionary: multiprotocol storage, consolidated file, block, object and other interfaces.",
      "url": "https://www.snia.org/education/online-dictionary/term/multiprotocol-storage",
      "accessed": "2026-10-31"
    },
    {
      "id": "ontap-volumes",
      "title": "NetApp ONTAP: Learn about SAN volume provisioning, separate FlexVol volumes for SAN LUNs and NAS shares.",
      "url": "https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/ontap/volumes/san-volumes-concept.html",
      "accessed": "2026-10-31"
    }
  ],
  "updated": "2026-10-31",
  "provenance": [
    "The alias follows SNIA's 2015 dictionary; its NAS/SAN definition and the broader current multiprotocol entry are versioned descriptions, not proof that every unified product supports object access. [snia-unified-2015] [snia-multiprotocol]",
    "The same-dataset and concurrency distinction is an editorial scope inference, not an experimentally observed corruption result.",
    "NetApp recommends separate FlexVol volumes for SAN LUNs and NAS shares for management and replication. This is neither a universal prohibition nor a cross-protocol consistency guarantee. [ontap-volumes]"
  ]
}