On-line User Guide

Note:

  • This is a condensed version of the Manual.
  • The full version is on the CD-ROM provided with your NAS.
  • For information about each screeen, please use the help button and file.

Contents


Getting Familiar with the NAS

Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with your new NAS.

Important !

  • Hard Disk Drives must NOT be removed, swapped, or replaced while powered ON.
  • The NAS must be powered down correctly. Using the power switch on the rear will start the shutdown process. Do not disconnect (or switch off) power to the NAS before the shutdown is complete.

LEDs

NAS

The front panel also has 6 LEDs, as follow:

LED       Function
Ready
  • ON - Normal operation.
  • OFF - No power.
  • Blinking - This LED blinking during startup and shutdown.
Status
  • ON - This LED will be On during the Startup self-test; it will turn Off once the self-test is completed. If it stays ON, there is a hardware error.
  • OFF - Normal operation
  • Blinking - During a software upgrade, both the Status and Ready LEDs will blink.
Disk
  • OFF - Idle.
  • Blinking - Hard disk is being accessed.
Disk Full
  • ON - Disk is completely full. No more data can be stored on this disk
  • OFF - Normal operation, disk is not full.
  • Blinking - Disk is 98% full (The Buzzer will also beep 3 times.)
USB
  • ON - USB device connected to USB port.
  • OFF - No USB device is installed.
  • Fast Blinking - Data being transferred to or from the USB device.
  • Slow Blinking - USB device can be removed safely.
Ethernet
  • ON - Link established.
  • OFF - No LAN connection.
  • Blinking - Data is transmitted or received via the LAN.

Rear Panel

All connections and switches are on the rear panel.

NAS Rear Panel

Component Description
Power Input
Connect the supplied power adapter here.
Reset Button
(IP/Password)
This button has 2 functions:
  • If the NAS's IP Address is lost, press and hold this button for 2 seconds. The IP Address will be set to the default value of 192.168.0.100 (Network Mask of 255.255.255.0) and it will beep once to indicate the reset has occurred.
  • If the NAS's password is lost, press and hold this button for 10 seconds. The password will then be cleared (no password), and the Network Storage Link will beep again.
USB Port
Connect your USB Hard Disk Drive or USB Flash Drive here. The USB HDD support FAT and NTFS file format.
USB Eject Button
Press and release to prepare the USB device for removal. When the USB LED starts blinking slowly, it is safe to remove the USB device.
LAN connector
Use this to connect the NAS to your 10BaseT or 100BaseT hub.
Power Switch
This is a spring-loaded "Soft Switch".
If power is Off, press once to turn On.
If power On, press once to start the Shutdown sequence. During Shutdown, the Ready LED will blink. When Shutdown is completed, all LEDs will turn off.

Audible Warnings

Audible warnings (beeps) will be generated under the following conditions.

Audible Warning Condition
1 Beep
Reset button or power switch is pressed or system is ready to use.
2 Beeps
Repeated every 5 seconds
for 1 minute.
NAS is a DHCP client, but no DHCP Server responded to the DHCP client request.
3 Beeps
Repeated every 5 seconds
for 3 minute.
Hard disk usage exceeds 98%.


Return to Top of document


Installation

The following section instructs you on how to physically connect the NAS to the network, and how to configure the NAS for basic operation in your Windows environment. Everything you need to do to get your NAS up and running is covered here.

Connecting Everything Together and Booting Up

Requirements

The following conditions are required to begin the installation of the NAS to your system.

  • TCP/IP protocol.
  • An available port on a hub or switch.

Hardware Installation

If the above conditions are met, follow the steps below to begin the installation of your NAS.

1. Connect the network cable to the NAS.

Locate the RJ45 network cable that came packaged with your NAS. Plug it into the RJ45 socket on the NAS's rear panel. Connect the NAS to your hub or switch.

2. Connect the power.

Plug the supplied power cord into the NAS server's power input, located on the NAS server's rear panel. Connect the other end of the power cord to a power outlet.

3. Power on.

Locate the NAS's power switch on the NAS server's rear panel. Press it once to power on the NAS.

4. The NAS's self-test.

Now that its power is on, the NAS server's boot process will begin. The NAS will run a brief self-test (2 or 3 seconds) prior to actually booting up. During the self-test, all of the NAS's LEDs will be illuminated or flashing.

5. Booting up.

When the self-test is complete, most of the LEDs will turn off. The Ready LED will blink continuously, and the LAN LED will blink occasionally. This signifies that the NAS is in the actual process of booting up. Boot up should take approximately 1-3 minutes. It will take longer on the first boot up, and on any boot up following an improper shutdown.

6. Boot up completed.

When most of the LEDs turn off, leaving only the Ready LED illuminated (and not blinking), the NAS's boot up is complete. If the Status LED stays on, or if the NAS repeatedly beeps, there is a hardware problem. Consult this user guide's Troubleshooting section for possible solutions.

Configuring Your NAS

Now that everything is connected and powered on, you are ready to configure your NAS so that it is accessible to the users on your network. You will have to install the NAS Utility on your PCs to access the NAS server's Quick Setup features.

Quick Setup with the NAS Wizard

The following procedure configures the NAS, ready for use on your LAN.

  • This procedure only needs to be done ONCE, by the NAS Server's Administrator.
  • Other users on the network should follow the Client PC Setup procedure described in the following section.

  1. Insert the CD-ROM supplied with your NAS packaging into your PC's CD-ROM drive.
  2. The setup screen should appear after a few seconds. If it does not, run the programNAS_SetupWizard.exe in the root (top) folder of your CD-ROM.
  3. Click trhe "Setup" button to start the Setup Wizard. The Wizard will begin scanning your network for installed NASs.
  4. Select the desired NAS, and click "Next".
  5. Step through the Wizard, completing each screen.
  6. On the final screen, click "Save" to save your data to the NAS.
    The NAS is now operational.

Other Configuration

After the configuration above, all Windows users can access the NAS with "Guest" access rights. This allows access to the folders on the internal HDD, and all folders and files on the USB Device.

However, we recommend creating an NAS "User" for each person on your LAN. This will provide each person on your LAN with their own login (name and password) as well as their own personal folder on the NAS.

The Web-based Interface

The Web-based Interface you are now using provides access to all the settings available in the Wizard, and is the only way to create Users, Groups, and Shares.

  • Users must be created by using the "Users" option under "Administration". See the "Client Setup" section of this document for details on setting up PCs to login to the NAS whenever they start.
  • Groups are groups of users. To simplify administration, access rights (to data stored on the NAS) is assigned to user groups, rather than individual users.
  • Shares are folders on the NAS which are visible under Microsoft networking - they can be seen in Network Neighborhood/My Network Places.

For details on using this Web-based interface, please use the help file for each screen.


Return to Top of document


Client PC Setup

Overview

Supported versions of Windows are:

  • Windows 95/98/ME or later
  • Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000
  • Windows XP

The following items may need to be checked or configured:

  • TCP/IP protocol.
  • Network Logon
  • Mapping to the NAS's storage.

TCP/IP Setup

Normally, no changes are required to each PC.

Check with your LAN administrator (or NAS Administrator) to see if any changes are required.

Network Logon (Windows 95/98/ME only)

To use the NAS, you must Logon to the Network correctly:

  1. Check your Window logon using Start - Settings - Control Panel - Network.
    Ensure the Primary Network Logon is set to "Client for Microsoft Networks", as shown below.

Note: If this is already set, there is no need to make any changes.

Window Logon

  1. Windows will prompt you to Logon to the Network when it boots.
    You must logon.
    If you press ESC, or click Cancel, no network resources will be available. When you logon, you need to use a valid User Name and Password.
    • If the NAS Administrator has defined users on the NAS, use the User Name and password they supply.
    • If you use a User Name and password which is not recognized by the NAS, you can still use it, with guest access rights. By default, this allows read/write access to the "public" share, but the Administrator can set the guest access rights as they wish.

Using the NAS's Storage

To use the NAS's storage, you should "Map" a drive letter to each folder on the NAS folder which you wish to access. The "Network Drive" will then be available to all Windows programs. The procedure is as follows:

  1. Double-click the Network Neighborhood (or My Network Places) icon on the desktop.
  2. On the "View" menu, select Details. The Comment column will now be visible.
  3. Locate the NAS, as shown below. If it is not listed, double-click Entire Network. Then double-click the Workgroup that the NAS is in. (By default, the NAS is in Workgroup.)

Network Browse

  1. Double-click the icon for the NAS.
  2. Right-click a folder (directory) to which you have access, and select Map Network Drive, as shown below.

Map Network Drive

  1. Select a drive letter for this folder, and check the Reconnect at Logon checkbox. (If this is not done, the mapping will be lost when you shut down your PC.)
    Then click OK.
  2. This drive will now be available in Windows Explorer, and from the File-Open or File-Save As dialog in all Windows applications.

Note:

When you try to access a folder, you may be prompted for a password, as shown below:

Network Resource Password Dialog

If your Windows logon name is the same as your user name on the NAS, but the passwords are different, you can enter your NAS password here.

But if your Windows logon name does not exist on the NAS, you will have only guest access rights, and there is no password which you can enter in this dialog.


Return to Top of document


Troubleshooting

This table lists some common problems, and the solution to them.

Problem 1:
The NAS Utility doesn't list any NAS servers.
Solution 1:
Check the following:
  • The NAS is properly installed, LAN connections are OK, and it is powered ON.
  • Ensure that your PC and the NAS are on the same network segment. (If you don't have a router, this must be the case.)
  • Ensure that your PC has the TCP/IP network protocol loaded. In Windows, this is done by using Control Panel-Network. If an entry for TCP/IP -> Network card is not listed, use Add - Protocol - Microsoft - TCP/IP to add it.
    You then need to select the new entry (TCP/IP -> Network card), click Properties, and configure the IP Address tab.
    • If your LAN has a DHCP Server, you can select "Obtain an IP Address automatically".
    • Otherwise, you must select "Specify an IP Address", and enter values for IP Address and Subnet Mask. The IP Address range commonly used is 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.254, with a Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.0. (The NAS server's default IP Address is 192.168.0.100, with a Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.0). Remember that each device needs a unique IP Address, and the same Subnet Mask.
Problem 2:
Can't connect to the NAS with my Web Browser
Solution 2:
Check that the NAS server's IP Address is not compatible with your PC. The default IP address for the NAS is 192.168.0.100   If your LAN is using a different address range, use the Windows utility to assign a different IP address to the NAS.
Problem 3:
The NAS is configured, but I can't find it in Network Neighborhood.
Solution 3
Try using Start - Find - Computer, and enter the NAS's name. If this does not work, use Control Panel - Network to check the following:
  • TCP/IP protocol is installed. If not, use Add - Protocol - Microsoft - TCP/IP to install it.
  • Check the network Bindings:
    • Ensure the TCP/IP protocol is bound to your Network card (NIC).
      Select your Network card, click Properties, and then the Bindings tab. If TCP/IP is not bound (checked), check it.
    • Ensure the TCP/IP -> Network card entry is bound to the Client for Microsoft Networks service.
      Select the TCP/IP entry for your Network Card, click Properties, and then the Bindings tab. If Client for Microsoft Networks is not bound (checked), check it.
  • If you don't have a router, check that your IP Address is compatible with the NAS server's. (See problem 2 above.)
  • If you DO have a router, check that your Gateway IP Address is set correctly. Ask your LAN administrator for the correct value.
Problem 4
When I click on the NAS icon in Network Neighborhood, I get prompted for a password.
Solution 4
This can happen in the following situations:
  • The Logon name you used on your PC is recognized by the NAS, but the password is not. Simply enter your NAS password, or make your Windows password the same as the NAS password.
  • The logon name you used on your PC is NOT recognized by the NAS, and was converted to guest, with guest access rights. Ask the NAS Administrator to create a user name for you. (Use the same name as on your PC.)
  • You do NOT have access permission for this share.
    Ask the NAS Administrator to grant you access.
Note: Windows 9x/ME use the Computer name, as shown on Control Panel - Network - Identification, as the default Logon Name.