Abstract: The data storage system comprises a scalable number of routing processors (RPs) through which clients of a network communicate. The storage system also includes a scalable number of storage processors (SPs) connected to a scalable number of storage units (SUs). This data storage system provides a new and hybrid approach which lies in between conventional NAS and SAN environments. It creates a unified and scalable storage pool accessible through a single consistent directory without the need for a metadata controller (MDC). There is thus no table lookup at a central node and no single point of failure. It allows a dissociation of the relationship between the physical path and the actual location where the data objects are stored.