Linksys EFG20 Owner's Manual

Instant EtherFast® Series

EtherFast 10/100

Instant GigaDrive

Model No.: EFG20

User Guide

COPYRIGHT & TRADEMARKS
Copyright © 1999 Linksys, All Rights Reserved. Instant Ethernet is a trademark of

Linksys. Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks and brand names are the property of their
respective proprietors.

LIMITED WARRANTY
Linksys guarantees that every EtherFast 10/100 Instant GigaDrive is free from physical

defects in material and workmanship under normal use for two (2) years from the date
of purchase. If the product proves defective during this two year warranty period, call
Linksys Customer Support in order to obtain a Return Authorization number. Warranty
is for repair or replacement only. Linksys does not issue any refunds. BE SURE TO
HAVE YOUR PROOF OF PURCHASE AND BAR CODE ON HAND WHEN CALLING.
RETURN REQUESTS CANNOT BE PROCESSED WITHOUT PROOF OF PURCHASE
AND BAR CODE. When returning a product, mark the Return Authorization number
clearly on the outside of the package and include your original proof of purchase and
bar code.

IN NO EVENT SHALL LINKSYS’ LIABILITY EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR
THE PRODUCT FROM DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE PRODUCT, ITS
ACCOMPANYING SOFTWARE, OR ITS DOCUMENTATION.

Linksys makes no warranty or representation, expressed, implied, or statutory, with
respect to its products or the contents or use of this documentation and all accompany­ing software, and specifically disclaims its quality, performance, merchantability, or
fitness for any particular purpose. Linksys reserves the right to revise or update its
products, software, or documentation without obligation to notify any individual or entity.
Please direct all inquiries to:

Linksys P.O. Box 18558, Irvine, CA 92623.
FCC STATEMENT
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A

digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not
installed and used according to the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation.

If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which
is found by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna

• Increase the separation between the equipment or device

• Connect the equipment to an outlet other than the receiver’s

• Consult a dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for assistance

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Disclaimer 2

Getting Familiar with the Instant GigaDrive 3

Basic Installation & Setup 6

Connecting everything together and booting up 6
Confi guring your Instant GigaDrive 8
Quick Setup with the Instant GigaDrive Utility 9

Administration 13

Overview 13

The web-based administrative interface 13
The administrative menu — confi guration 15
The administrative menu — storage management 17

Managing shares, groups and users 18

Nested shares 19
Common administrative tasks 21

Windows Client Setup 23

Introduction 23
TCP/IP setup 23
Using the Instant GigaDrive’s printer 28

Troubleshooting 29

Appendix 31

Specifi cations 31

Buzzer 32
Customer support 33

Linksys highly recommends that you regularly backup the fi les
on your Instant GigaDrive. In no instance will Linksys preform
data recovery for lost data or fi les.

Introduction

The Linksys EtherFast 10/100 Instant GigaDrive

Congratulations on the purchase of a Linksys EtherFast 10/100 Instant Giga­Drive. The Instant GigaDrive inserts twenty Gigabytes of storage space into
your network without the cost, space, and maintenance hassles of a full-fl edged
fi le server. The Instant GigaDrive provides solid data transfer performance for
multiple client connections. It is also equipped with a built-in PrintServer for
the quick and inexpensive addition of a network printer. And you can add as
many Instant GigaDrives to your network as you like.

The EtherFast 10/100 Instant GigaDrive automatically toggles between
10Mbps and 100Mbps speeds. Its comprehensive utility software—conve­niently accessed from your web browser—offers a wide array of management
options. The Instant GigaDrive can also function as a stand-alone DHCP
(Dynamic Host Confi guration Protocol) server for easy installation.

The EtherFast 10/100 Instant GigaDrive can do just about anything a standard
PC can do on a network, but at a fraction of the size, a fraction of the hassle,
and a fraction of the cost.

1

Features

• Provides 20 instant Gigabytes of external hard disk space.

• Built-in printer server gives your network one extra location to attach a

fully shareable printer.

• Seamlessly and automatically adjusts to either 10Mbps or 100Mbps Ether­net speed.

• WEB-based confi guration and diagnostic interface is accessible from any
PC on the network.

• Can act as a stand-alone DHCP server.

• Divert traffi c from your primary server to increase network productivity.

• Provided with a utility program for speedy confi guration.

• A built-in single-board 32bit Pentium-grade CPU.

• Automatically maintains itself to provide fi le system integrity.

• The LAN Administrator can limit the amount of available disk space.

• To reduce management efforts, access to shared data can be set by groups,

not individual users.

• Small footprint minimizes space usage.

• Additional Instant GigaDrives can be added to the network at any time.

2

Package Contents

The following items should be included in the Instant GigaDrive packaging.
If any of these items are damaged or missing, please contact your Linksys
dealer for replacements.

• One Linksys EtherFast 10/100 Instant GigaDrive.

• One AC power adapter and power cord.

• One LAN cable with RJ45 connectors.

• One CD-ROM, containing this User Guide and the Instant GigaDrive
program for Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0.

• Printed User Manual.

System Requirements

• Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, or later.

• Ethernet Network employing 10BaseT or 100BaseTX.

• TCP/IP protocol.

Disclaimer

Linksys highly recommends that you regularly backup the fi les

on your Instant GigaDrive. In no instance will Linksys perform

data recovery for lost data or fi les.

Getting Familiar with the Instant GigaDrive

Rear Panel

All of the GigaDrive’s connections and switches are on the rear panel, as seen
below.

3

Power Switch The power switch is a spring-loaded soft switch

which powers on and powers off the GigaDrive.
If the GigaDrive is not powered on, pressing
the power switch will initiate the GigaDrive’s
start-up process. Pressing the power switch
while the GigaDrive is turned on will begin the
GigaDrive’s internal shut-down process. The
Instant GigaDrive must be powered-down this
way, or through its internal shutdown process.

Power Input The power input port is where the adapter plugs

in.

Printer Port You can add a printer to your network through

the Instant GigaDrive’s printer port.

4

Reset Button If the Instant GigaDrive’s IP Address or pass-

word is lost, press and release this button. The
GigaDrive will beep once to indicate that a new
IP Address (192.168.0.2, with a Network Mask
of 255.255.255.0) has
been provided. This
function will also
clear the GigaDrive’s
passwords and rights.

Note: The Reset
Button should only be
used as a last resort.
Pressing this button
will reset the adminis­trator password.

Uplink Button This button toggles the

GigaDrive’s Ethernet
Connector between an Uplink setting and a
standard setting. If the GigaDrive is connected
directly to a PC without a hub, then this button
should be up. If connecting to a hub or switch,
depress this button.

10/100BaseTX connector Use this port to connect the Instant GigaDrive

to your 10BaseT or 100BaseTX hub.

100BaseTX LED indicator This LED will glow amber if the

10/100BaseTX connector is using 100BaseTX.

10BaseT LED indicator This LED will glow green if the 10/100BaseTX

connector is using 10BaseT.

Front Panel

The Instant GigaDrive’s front panel (shown below) displays the majority of
the drive’s status lights.

System Green. Normally on.
If this light shines a steady green, then the Instant

GigaDrive is working properly. It blinks during
Startup or Shutdown, and turns off after the shut­down is completed. It will blink during a software
upgrade.

Status Red. Normally off.
If this light is turned on, then there is a hardware

error. It will also be on during the power-on self
test. Once the self-test is completed, it should turn
off. It will blink during a software upgrade.

HD Green
Flashes when the GigaDrive’s hard drive is being

accessed. Stays on during the self-test.

LAN Green
Flashes when data is transmitted or received via the

network.

IP Amber
If this light it turned on, the GigaDrive is acting

as a DHCP client and receiving an IP address from
a DHCP server on the network. If this LED is
fl ashing, no DHCP server responded to the client
request.

5

HD Usage This series of LEDs runs from green to red, signify-

ing how much of the GigaDrive’s hard drive is full.

6

Note: If you are a

Basic Installation
& Setup

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

This section also covers the hook-up of a printer on the GigaDrive’s printer
server port. Please note, however, that the GigaDriv e will perform equally well
as a storage device with or without an attached printer. If you aren’t interested
in taking advantage of the Instant GigaDrive’s printer server function, skip any
steps that deal with printer installation. The GigaDrive’s installation process
will work fi ne without them.

Connecting Everything Together and Booting Up

Requirements

network administrator,
please follow these
Basic Installation &
Setup steps, then con­tinue on to the Admin­istration section which
follows. There you will
fi nd the full available
range of administrator
options.

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

• TCP/IP protocol.

• If connecting to a network, an available port on a hub or switch.

• If connecting to a PC, an installed and available Ethernet or Fast Ethernet

port.

Hardware Installation

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

1. Connect the network cable to the Instant GigaDrive. Locate the RJ45

network cable that came packaged with your Instant GigaDrive. Plug it into
the RJ45 socket on the GigaDrive’s rear panel.

2. Connect the Instant GigaDrive to your hub, switch, or PC. If you plan to

connect the GigaDrive to the network through a hub or switch, be sure that
the uplink button on the rear panel of the GigaDrive is depressed, then plug
the other end of the RJ45 cable into one of the ports on your hub or switch.
If you want to connect the GigaDrive directly to a PC, make sure that the
uplink button is in the up position, and connect the RJ45 cable directly into
the PC’s network card.

3. Connect a printer to the Instant GigaDrive. Connect a standard printer

cable to the GigaDrive’s rear-panel printer port. Connect the other end of
the cable to your printer.

4. Connect the power supply. Plug the supplied power adapter into the

GigaDrive’s power input port, located on the GigaDrive’s rear panel. Con­nect the other end of the power adapter to a power outlet.

5. Power on. Locate the GigaDrive’s power switch on the upper left of the

GigaDrive’s rear panel. Press it once to power on the GigaDrive.

6. The GigaDrive’s self-test. Now that its power is on, the GigaDrive’s boot

process will begin. The GigaDrive will run a brief self-test (2 or 3 seconds)
prior to actually booting up. During the self-test, all of the GigaDrive’s
LEDs will be illuminated or fl ashing.

7

7. Booting up. When the self-test is complete, most of the LEDs will turn

off. The System LED will blink continuously, and the LAN LED will blink
occassionally. This signifi es that the GigaDrive is in the actual process
of booting up. Boot up should take approximately 1-3 minutes. It will
take longer on the fi rst bootup, and on any bootup following an improper
shutdown.

8. Boot up completed. When most of the LEDs turn off, leaving only the

System LED illuminated (and not blinking), the GigaDrive’s boot up is

complete. If the Status LED stays on, or if the GigaDrive repeatedly beeps,
there is a hardware problem. Consult this user guide’s Troubleshooting
section (page 29) or Appendix entry on the GigaDrive’s buzzer (page 32)
for possible solutions.

8

Confi guring Your Instant GigaDrive

Now that everything is connected and powered on, you
are ready to confi gure your Instant GigaDrive so that it
is accessible to the users on your system. You will have
to install the Instant GigaDrive Utility on your PC to
access the GigaDrive’s Quick Setup feature.

Instant GigaDrive Utility Installation

The Instant GigaDrive Utility is a simple piece of soft­ware which assists in the quick and easy setup of your
GigaDrive, and helps to keep up on the GigaDrive’s
status and settings. To install the Utility to your Win­dows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0 system,
follow the instructions below.

Note: Linksys does
not support Beta
operating systems.
While the Instant
GigaDrive and its
Utility may very well
work in future ver­sions of Windows,
Linksys will offer no
technical support for
such a system until
it’s offi cially
released by Micro­soft. At that time,
support will become
available on Link­sys’s web site —
www.linksys.com.

1. Insert the CD-ROM. A CD-ROM should be sup-

plied in your Instant GigaDrive packaging. Insert the CD into your PC’s
CD-ROM drive.

CD-ROM Pop-up Menu

2. The CD-ROM pop-up menu. The menu on the previous page should pop

up a few seconds after you insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. When it
does, click the Install Software button.

3. Install the Instant GigaDrive Utility. Follow the setup program’s prompts

to install the Instant GigaDrive Utility. When installation is complete, click
the Exit button on the CD-ROM pop-up window to return to your desktop.

Quick Setup with the Instant GigaDrive Utility

You will now have to run the Instant GigaDrive Utility to complete the Instant
GigaDrive’s basic setup and installation. To run the Utility, fi rst click the Start

button on your desktop. Once in the Start Menu, choose the Programs option,
then choose the Instant GigaDrive folder, and fi nally choose the Instant
GigaDrive Utility program.

The following window will open, and the Utility will begin scanning your
network for installed EtherFast 10/100 Instant GigaDrives.

9

Note: Some
versions of the
Instant GigaDrive
Utility may not have
the Password Icon
button (second from
left.)

Instant GigaDrive Utility

The column on the left side of the Utility’s main screen displays a list of all the
Instant GigaDrives on your network. The status box on the right displays data

about the currently-selected Instant GigaDrive. If no GigaDrives are listed, see
this manual’s Troubleshooting section.