Surveying filesystems and network filesystems
Sitting on top of block storage we typically find a filesystem. Filesystems are the primary (and by primary, I mean like they make up something like 99.999% or more of use cases) manner of final data storage on computer systems. Filesystems are what hold files, as we know them, on our computer storage.
A filesystem is a data organization format that sits on top of block storage and provides a mechanism for organizing, identifying, storing, and retrieving data using the file analogy. You use filesystems every day on everything. They are used even when you cannot see them whether it is on your desktop, cell phone, or even on your VoIP phone, or microwave oven! Filesystems are everywhere.
Filesystems are really databases
If you want to get a little geeky with me for a moment and be honest you are reading a book on system administration best practices so we both know you are loving getting into some serious details, we can look at...