What Does Content Addressable Storage Mean?
Content addressable storage (CAS) is a storage mechanism in which fixed data is assigned a permanent location on a hard disk and addressed with a unique content name, identifier or address. EMC Corporation initially launched CAS for its distributed data management (DDM) software.
CAS is also known as associative storage, content aware storage or Fixed Content Storage (FCS).
Techopedia Explains Content Addressable Storage
CAS is designed to facilitate more efficient storage and access of fixed data that does not generally change over time. It allows organizations to archive and retrieve large amounts of data for longer retention periods, specifically to comply with regulatory requirements.
CAS works by storing each data object on a hard disk and assigning it a unique content address/identifier. Once the data object is stored, it cannot be duplicated, modified or deleted. To access the data, a user or application must specify the data’s content address or identifier.