Which one of the following describes a characteristic of direct attached storage?

The characteristic that aligns with direct attached storage pertains to how it is integrated with compute resources. Direct attached storage refers to storage that is directly connected to a computer or server, making it a dedicated storage solution for that specific machine. When the compute resource—such as a server—is shut down or disconnected from the storage, the operating system and all its functionalities tied to that resource cease to operate. Hence, the operational continuity of the OS is inherently linked to the availability of the direct attached storage.

The other options reflect misunderstandings about the nature of direct attached storage. While capacity can be increased by adding more storage devices, it is not infinite due to physical and practical limitations. The provisioning in volumes is more characteristic of network-attached storage or storage area networks rather than direct attached storage, which often performs as a single entity. Lastly, connections to compute nodes through an Ethernet network relate more to network-based storage solutions rather than direct attached configurations, which typically utilize interfaces like USB, SATA, or SAS.