A storage system allocates a data storage area in response to an access request from a first computer if the capacity of a first physical storage device configuring a first logical storage area, provided to the first computer, is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold. A parallel inputoutput interface receiver includes a plurality of data receivers, each configured to respectively receive input data from a respective one of n+m channels, where n is an integer greater than one and m is an integer greater than or equal to one. The modular polymeric insulator has a similar performance to a \u201cPost type\u201d insulator with the advantage of being resistant to impact and much lighter than a \u201cPost type\u201d insulator.