Cisco NSS4100 - Gigabit Storage System, NSS6100 - Cisco - Advanced Gigabit Storage System, NSS4000, NSS4100, NSS6000 Release Note

Release Notes

Release Notes for the Cisco NSS4000 and
NSS6000 Maintenance Release, Version 1.14

January, 2009

These release notes contain important information about the NSS4000/NSS4100
and NSS6000/NSS6100 Network Storage Systems and any limitations,
restrictions, and caveats that apply to these products.

Contents

Compatibility

This information is in the release notes:

• Compatibility

• Limitations and Restrictions

• Downloading and Upgrading the Firmware

• Open Caveats

• Closed Caveats

When the NSS is joined to the Windows Server 2008 domain and multiple users
are sharing the same file, these are the compatibility issues that can occur:

• When accessing a database file (such as a Microsoft Access file), files

opened by the user automatically obtain an exclusive lock, blocking other
users from opening the files, even in read-only mode.

• In other applications, when multiple users access the same file, each user

has read-write access privileges. This can cause the file to be overwritten
and can lead to data loss. If this occurs, no user warning message appears.

Release Notes for the Cisco NSS4000 and NSS6000 Maintenance Release, Version 1.14 P/N OL-18976-01 1

Although this feature is working, Cisco does not fully support joining the NSS to
the Windows Active Directory Server (ADS) in a WIndows Server 2008
environment. This workaround only applies to a single user. (CSCsw93385)

Limitations and Restrictions

This is the known limitation for this release:

The maximum transmission unit (MTU) size that this firmware release supports is
2000 bytes. There is no workaround. (CSCsw86593)

Downloading and Upgrading the Firmware

This procedure describes how to upgrade the firmware on the NSS by using the
NSS Configuration graphical user interface (GUI).

Release Notes

NOTE Back up the system configuration file to a USB flash device and/or a RAID volume

by using the Configuration GUI before you upgrade the firmware. From the
Manager Menu, click Admin  Configuration to backup the file.

To download and upgrade the NSS firmware:

STEP 1 Download the latest image from the Cisco support website to your local computer.

See http://www.cisco.com/support/index.shtml for further details. After
downloading, do not unzip the file.

Base Model Firmware

NSS4000 NSS4000_fwupgrade_0114.tar.gz
NSS6000 NSS6000_fwupgrade_0114.tar.gz

STEP 2 Log into the Configuration GUI.

STEP 3 From the Manager Menu, click Admin  Maintenance.

STEP 4 Click the Browse button and navigate to the

firmware upgrade image.

STEP 5 Click the Upgrade Firmware button.

NSSxxxx_fwupgrade_0114.tar.gz

Release Notes for the Cisco NSS4000 and NSS6000 Maintenance Release, Version 1.14 P/N OL-18976-01 2

Release Notes

STEP 6 Run this procedure again by repeating Steps 2 though 5.

Performing the upgrade twice allows the system to continue to operate properly
(when running the latest firmware), if a system failure occurs.

NOTE If you are moving drives between two NSS systems, make sure that both of the

systems are using the latest firmware and that the system configurations are saved
on USB memory sticks and/or a RAID volume.

• When upgrading the firmware from v1.12 to v1.14, the Configuration GUI

displays a "Programming images.." message for more than 12 minutes
(the time it takes to upgrade the firmware is usually 5 to 10 minutes).

The workaround is to wait at least 15 minutes to complete the upgrade and
then power cycle the NSS by removing the power cord. Do not try and
access the Configuration GUI during this time. (CSCsx17923)

Open Caveats

• When the NSS is joined to an ADS domain and you upgrade the firmware,

the ADS is unable to access a share.

The workaround is to rejoin the NSS to the ADS domain. (CSCsw94409)

For more information about upgrading the firmware, see the

Administration Guide

These are the open caveats for this release. These caveats apply to both the
NSS4000 and NSS6000 unless otherwise specified.

available on Cisco.com.

NSS4000/NSS6000

• CSCsw86058

When the NSS is running over a network that is on a different subnet, a user
cannot mount a CIFS connection by using a hostname.

The workaround is to mount the CIFS connection by using an IP address.

• CSCsw86113

When the Network Access Filter is set to Policy=Drop Traffic and
Filter=AllowAll or Policy=Drop and Filter=AllowCIFS, the CIFS mount does
not work properly.

The workaround is to set the Network Access Filter to the
default settings by using the Configuration GUI.

Release Notes for the Cisco NSS4000 and NSS6000 Maintenance Release, Version 1.14 P/N OL-18976-01 3

Release Notes

• CSCsw86116

When the Network Access Filter is set to Filter=AllowHTTPS and
Filter=DropFTPS, you cannot add Network Access from the
Configuration GUI.

The workaround is to set the Network Access Filter to the default settings in
the Configuration GUI.

• CSCsw86138

When an unexpected power cycle occurs on the NSS, the time might be
corrupted on the NSS. This only applies if the time is set manually, not by
using NTP.

When this occurs, a pop-up alert window appears when you access
Configuration GUI after the unexpected shutdown.

The workaround is to manually check the time in the GUI. From the Manager
Menu, click Admin

 Time and correct the time if necessary.

• CSCsw86187

If a data write operation is in progress, and the system power is interrupted,
data stored in a degraded RAID1 or RAID5 array might become
inaccessible. This is common to all NSS systems using software RAID
implementations.

These are the workarounds:

- Replace the failed drives in the degraded arrays as soon as possible, as

failed RAID arrays can result in complete loss of all user data.

- Use the degraded mode management feature to limit the amount of time

that a RAID array will run in the degraded state.

- Implement a backup power strategy by using a UPS or RPSU backup

power system.

• CSCsw86195

When a RAID0 array failure occurs, an alert (SNMP trap, email or system
alert) is not triggered.

When this occurs, the Drive Error LED (on the disk that caused the array
failure) does not light up.

There is no workaround.

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Release Notes

• CSCsw86202

When rebuilding a RAID1 spare device, the rebuilding does not resume after
the NSS reboots. After reboot, the array might be falsely marked as clean
and the drive falsely marked as synced. This does not affect the initial
rebuild of an array following a RAID creation.

The workaround is to not reboot the NSS during the RAID rebuild.

• CSCsw86224

If power is interrupted when rebuilding a RAID array (RAID1, RAID5 or
RAID10), the rebuild does not restart automatically after the system is
powered up again.

When this occurs, the array remains in the degraded state and the rebuilt
drive is ejected from the array.

The workaround is to manually restart the rebuild by adding the ejected
drive back to the array by using the Configuration GUI.

• CSC86417

When the RAID global spares option is enabled in the Configuration GUI, the
RAID spares are not shared during the RAID array rebuild.

For example: If RAIDA has a hot spare and RAIDB does not, if RAIDB is
degraded while RAIDA is rebuilding, the spare will not transfer to RAIDB
until after RAIDA completes the rebuild.

There is no workaround.

• CSCsw86481

When a Seagate 1 terabyte (TB) hard drive (model ST31000340AS) is
installed in the NSS, it is not detected by the system on bootup or when
hotplugging the drive.

There is no workaround.

• CSCsw86488

When Seagate hard drives are installed in the NSS, they can take about 30
seconds to be detected on bootup.

This problem occurs because pin 11 of the SATA power connector is not
connected in the NSS backplane design.

There is no workaround.

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Release Notes

• CSCsw86562

When the Default Network Policy filter is set to Drop Traffic, no automatic
Allow Filter is created for the default gateway.

When this occurs, all traffic from the default gateway is dropped and all
traffic sent from other subnets through a router is not forwarded to the NSS.

The workaround is to manually create an AllowAll Network Access Filter for
the default gateway IP address by using the Configuration GUI.

• CSCsw86676

If a user was granted write access to a share and the write access was
revoked, the user can still write to subfolders by using FTP.

This problem only occurs under these conditions:

- The user has write privileges to the subfolder (either because the user is

the owner, or was granted access by the owner).

- The user has read privileges to the share (by having explicit share read-

only access).

There is not workaround.

• CSCsw86687

When writing simultaneously to the same file by using NFS and FTP or by
using NFS and CIFS, the NSS file locking mechanism does not
work properly.

There is no workaround.

• CSCsw86701

When you create a share by using the Initial Setup wizard and enable NFS,
users are assigned root privilege access.

The workaround is to not enable NFS in the Initial Setup wizard. If NFS is
required, you can enable it at a later time by using the Configuration GUI.

• CSCsw86721

The Network
accept domain controller hostnames that begin with a digit.

 Identification page in the Configuration GUI does not

The workaround is to enter the IP address of domain controller instead of
the hostname.

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Release Notes

• CSCsw86726

When the NSS sends out a broadcast message to discover an NIS server,
the broadcast is only sent to the physical interfaces, not over any VLANs
that are defined in the system.

The workaround is to not use the NSS in networks where NIS servers are
only accessible over VLANs.

• CSCsw86844

If you delete and then recreate a user account from an ADS domain, the user
cannot log in to the NSS by using the CIFS, FTP, or NFS protocols.

The workaround is to create another ADS user account with a
different name.

• CSCsw86695

If a user was granted write access to a share and the write access was
revoked, the user can still write to subfolders by using NFS.

Closed Caveats

These caveats were resolved in this maintenance release:

This problem only occurs under these conditions:

- The user has write privileges to the subfolder (either because the user is

the owner, or was granted access by the owner).

- The user has read privileges to the share (by having explicit share read-

only access).

The workaround is to not enable NFS (which is disabled by default), if NFS is
not being used.

• The NSS now supports ADS domains of up to 8,000 objects (domain users

and groups) for the NSS4000 and 16,000 objects (domain users and
groups) for the NSS6000.

• Microsoft Vista interoperability issues no longer exist.

• Extraneous “Shutdown was not clean” messages no longer appear.

• CIFS idle disconnect is now working for Windows clients.

• Virtualized RAIDs no longer fail to start at bootup.

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Release Notes

• System alerts are now generated for all conditions that generate

SNMP traps.

• Changes to the system time no longer results in a system slowdown.

• Microsoft Access databases stored on the NSS can now be opened from

more than one client at a time.

• Problems no longer exist when using passive mode FTP through a

NAT router.

• Users can no longer be created with invalid usernames, prohibiting login.

• Linksys One NMS authentication can no longer be circumvented.

• Security issues no longer exist with the Linksys One window-in-window

view, the Configuration GUI input validation, and Samba and
Apache servers.

• The Configuration GUI is now accessible at all times.

• Domain joins are now operating properly.

• The network filter default drop policy no longer locks out access to the

Configuration GUI if HTTP is running on a non-default port.

• The System Status page in the Configuration GUI no longer shows two

connected users when no users are connected.

• FTP write performance is no longer abnormally slow. (only applies to

the NSS6000).

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