XAM

{{Short description|A computer-storage standard}}

{{About|the storage standard||Xam (disambiguation){{!}}Xam}}

{{More citations needed|date=November 2024}}

XAM, or the eXtensible Access Method, is a standard for computer data storage developed by IBM and EMC and maintained by the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA).{{cite news |last=Conry-Murray |first=Andrew |date=August 6, 2008 |title=XAM Standard Plans for the Future of Storage |url=https://www.networkcomputing.com/data-center-networking/xam-standard-plans-for-the-future-of-storage |work=NetworkComputing.com |publisher=Informa |access-date=2024-11-29 }}{{cite journal |last=Todd |first=Steve |date=2009 |title=The eXtensible Access Method (XAM) Standard |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237312783_The_eXtensible_Access_Method_XAM_Standard |journal=International Journal of Digital Curation |volume=4 |issue=2 |via=ResearchGate |doi=10.2218/ijdc.v4i2.97 |access-date=2024-11-29 |doi-access=free }} It was ratified as an ANSI standard by early 2011.{{cite news |title=SNIA XAM Approved as ANSI Standard |url=https://www.storagenewsletter.com/2011/01/17/snia-xam-ansi-standard/ |date=2011-01-17 |work=StorageNewsletter.com |publisher=Micro-Journal |access-date=2024-11-29 }}{{cite web |title=XAM Published as ANSI Standard |url=https://www.snia.org/about/news/farsighted/archives_2011/mar11/spotlight/article7 |date=March 2011 |publisher=SNIA |access-date=2024-11-29 }} XAM is an API for fixed content aware storage devices. XAM replaces the various proprietary interfaces that have been used for this purpose in the past. Content generating applications now have a standard means of saving and finding their content across a broad array of storage devices.

XAM is similar in function to a file-system API such as the POSIX file and directory operations, in that it allows applications to store and retrieve their data. XAM stores application data in XSet objects that also contain metadata.