Linksys NSS6000 Series Administrator's Manual

ADMINISTRATION

Product or Solution Graphic

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GUIDE

Linksys Business Series Network Storage System
Administrator Guide

Models NSS4000 and 6000 Series

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© 2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. OL-17960-02

Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Benefits 1

About This Guide 2

Recommended Installation Sequence 2

Using the Help 3

Audience 3

About the NSS Configuration Interface 3

Getting Help 4

Refreshing the GUI Pages 4

Approved Vendor List for Drives 4

Chapter 2: Managing the System 5

System Alerts 6

Storage Status 6

Network Status 7

Shares Status 7

Backup and Snapshots Status 7

Power Status 8

System Status 9

Viewing the Hardware Monitor 9

Viewing and Managing the System Logs 10

Viewing the Power Status Page 13

NSS-Supported UPS Product Families 14

Chapter 3: Adding the NSS to your Network 15

Physical Interfaces 15

Virtual Interfaces 16

Viewing the Network Settings 17

Configuring the Network Link IP 18

Resetting the DHCP Lease on a Link 19

Linksys Business Series NSS4000 and NSS6000 Network Storage System Administrator Guide 1

Contents

Viewing VLANs Configured on the NSS 20

Allowing a VLAN Access to the NSS 21

Changing a VLAN Configuration 23

Removing a VLAN’s Access to the NSS 25

Configuring the NSS Network Identification 26

Configuring DNS or WINS for Name Resolution 28

Joining the NSS to a Network Information System (NIS) Domain 30

Editing Access Control Lists (ACLs) from Windows Explorer:
Restrictions 32

Running Diagnostics of your Physical Links 32

Configuring the Network Ports 33

Setting up the Link Bonding & Advertising Modes 35

Chapter 4: Configuring your Storage 37

Disk Status Table 38

RAID Arrays Table 39

Volumes Table 40

USB Storage Status 40

Managing RAID Arrays 41

About the RAID Arrays Page 41

Choosing a RAID Array Level 42

Creating a RAID Array 44

Adding a Disk Drive to an Array 45

Deleting an Array 47

Migrating a RAID Array to another Storage Device 48

Virtualizing Storage within your Network 49

Exporting Storage to your Network 50

Creating Virtualized Storage 51

Unexporting Storage 52

Volume Management 53

Linksys Business Series NSS4000 and NSS6000 Network Storage System Administrator Guide 2

Contents

Creating a Volume 54

Expanding a Volume 55

Deleting a Volume 58

Viewing the Snapshot Reserve Details 59

Maintaining Active Snapshots 60

Creating a Snapshot for a Volume 61

Taking a Manual Snapshot of a Volume 63

Windows End Users: Accessing a Snapshot for a Share 64

Volume Encryption Overview 65

Locking an Encrypted Volume 66

Unlocking a Locked Volume 67

Changing the Password for an Encrypted Volume 69

Storage Options 70

Chapter 5: Setting up End-User Access 73

Managing your NSS Users 73

Creating a User Profile 74

Editing a User Profile 76

Integrating Users from an ADS, NTv4, or NIS Domain 78

Logging into the NSS as a Local User 79

Deleting a User Profile 79

Working with Groups 80

Creating a Group 80

Changing the Users Assigned to a Group 83

Integrating Groups from an Active Directory, NTv4, or
NIS Domain 84

Deleting a Group 84

Managing Volume Quotas 86

Changing the User’s Primary Group 87

About the Volume Quota Page 87

Linksys Business Series NSS4000 and NSS6000 Network Storage System Administrator Guide 3

Contents

Creating Volume Quota for a User or Group 88

Setting up the Grace Period for a Volume Quota 90

Changing a Volume Quota for a User or Group 91

Clearing a Quota 92

Network Filters Overview 93

Defining the Default Network Policy 94

Creating a Network Filter 96

Available Access Filters 97

Deleting a Network Filter 99

Configuring the User/Group Settings 99

Chapter 6: Managing the Shares 101

Creating a Share 102

Editing an Existing Share 105

Adding a DFS Shared Folder 108

Restrictions using Microsoft DFS from the NSS 111

Setting up CIFS Access 111

Setting up Network Filesystem (NFS) Access 112

Configuring the NSS for FTP Access 114

Configuring Passive Mode FTP 116

Creating or Running a Backup of a Share 120

Creating a Scheduled Backup for a Share 121

Initiating a Backup for a Share 124

Deleting Backup Images 126

Chapter 7: Managing the NSS 127

Rebooting or Shutting Down the NSS 127

Upgrading the NSS Firmware 129

Upgrading the NSS Firmware in a Virtualized Setup 131

Restoring the Factory Default Configuration 131

Linksys Business Series NSS4000 and NSS6000 Network Storage System Administrator Guide 4

Contents

Managing the NSS Configuration 133

Saving the Current Configuration 134

Restoring a Configuration File 137

Deleting a Configuration File 139

Configuring the Timing Settings 140

Configuring the Email Alerts for a Recipient 142

Changing the Email Alerts for a Recipient 144

Deleting an Email Alert Recipient Profile 145

Configuring SNMP Alerts 145

Changing the Administrator Password 147

Chapter 8: Accessing the Storage 149

Logging into a Share 149

Logging into the CIFS Shares with Administrator Privileges 149

Windows Users: Accessing the Storage by using CIFS/SMB 150

Windows Users: Accessing the Storage by using FTP 151

Mac Users: Accessing the Storage by using CIFS/SMB 151

Mac Users: Accessing the Storage by using FTP 152

UNIX/Linux Users: Accessing the Storage by using NFS 153

UNIX/Linux Users: Accessing the Storage by using FTP 154

Chapter A: Troubleshooting 155

NSS LEDs 155

Power LED (Front Panel) 155

System LED (Front Panel) 156

Reset Button (Front Panel) 156

LAN LED (Front Panel) 157

Hard Disk Drive LEDs 157

USB LED (Front Panel) 158

UPS LED (Back Panel) 158

Linksys Business Series NSS4000 and NSS6000 Network Storage System Administrator Guide 5

Contents

Repairing a Degraded Array 158

Working with a Failed Array 160

Drive Error LED Remains On 161

Firmware Attempt is Unsuccessful 161

Free Bound Virtualized Storage when the Master System Fails 162

All CIFS Connections were Unexpectedly Ended 163

Hotplugging the Ethernet Link doesn’t Reset IP or Link Rate 163

Unable to Create a Share or Quota for a Volume 163

Cannot Access the NSS through FTP 164

Cannot Rename a Folder through FTP 165

Configuration Page Does not Appear in Internet Explorer 165

Handling an Unexpected (Unclean) Shutdown 165

Boosting the Performance of NFS Transfers 166

Rejoining the ADS Domain after a Failed to Join 167

Appendix B: Specifications 168

Appendix C: Where to Go From Here 169

Chapter D: Glossary of Storage-related Terms

and Acronyms 170

Linksys Business Series NSS4000 and NSS6000 Network Storage System Administrator Guide 6

Introduction

Thank you for choosing the Linksys Business Series Network Storage
System (NSS).

Administering a network can be a difficult job. Finding low-cost ways to simplify
your data-management tasks means that you have more resources to dedicate
elsewhere. The NSS is a Network Attached Storage (NAS) unit that appears as a
native file server for the various clients within your network, including Windows,
Apple Macintosh, UNIX, and Linux platforms. The biggest benefit to your users is
that they can now access data that might be stored across different physical
platforms as simply as if it were on their own computers. The NSS provides a
single repository that is completely dedicated to storage, ensuring the integrity,
reliability, and accessibility of your data for a relatively low cost.

The NSS lets you install up to four physical disk drives and virtualize your storage
into one or more logical, redundant storage units or RAID arrays. The NSS uses the
most common file-based protocols such as NFS, CIFS, and FTP for file sharing.

1

Benefits

The NSS offers these main advantages to your business:

• Cross-platform File Sharing: Share files easily and inexpensively across

different platforms over a cost-effective Ethernet and IP network.

• Easy Installation and Administration: With a basic understanding of

networking, the NSS is easily configured, managed and made available to
all of your users on the network.

• Data Consolidation: Centralize data to reduce management costs and

maximize your investment in existing hardware. This also means better
data security.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 1

Introduction

About This Guide

About This Guide

The

Linksys Business Series Network Storage System Administrator Guide

describes the Administrative features that are available for you to configure and
optimize your NSS. If you are setting up your system for the first time, refer to the

Linksys Business Series Network Storage System Getting Started Guide

Recommended Installation Sequence

Installing the NSS system involves a series of steps, from setting up the hardware
to configuring the device. Certain activities must take place before others may be
attempted (for example, you must set the User and Group ID ranges must be set
before you join the NSS to the domain.

1

.

STEP 1 Set up the hardware:

a. Install the disk drive. Skip this step if you have an NSS4100 or NSS6100 as

they are already equipped with disk drives.

b. Connect the Ethernet link(s).

c. Connect the power.

STEP 2 Configure the NSS:

a. Log into the Configuration Interface.

b. Configure the time setting (options include NTP or manual).

c. Configure RAID(s). You can choose to skip this step if you have an NSS4100 or

NSS6100 as it is preconfigured with a RAID5 array.

d. Create the volume(s).

e. If you have multiple NSS units (one of which is a NSS6000 series unit), and you

want to virtualize your storage, set the export/Import of the virtualized arrays.

f. Configure the Network Domain Identification (NT4, Active Directory, NIS, etc.).

g. Set up the User and Group ID ranges (this enables the import of groups/users

from Domain Controllers)

h. Set up the users’ Home Directory Location (this enables you to set up local

users).

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 2

Introduction

Using the Help

STEP 3 Create Shares. Enable CIFS, NFS, FTP access to specific shares.

STEP 4 Instruct your users how to access the NSS.

Using the Help

1

i. Add any locally defined groups or users. (Optional)

a. Setup DFS access. (Optional)

b. If you have an NSS6000 series unit, configure the volume snapshots. (Optional)

c. Configure the share backups as required. (Optional).

d. Go through the rest of the configuration options to set up quotas, edit groups,

set up email and SNMP alerts, and so forth. For more detailed information, refer
to the Online Help.

The NSS help file provides information about using the configuration interface to
configure the NSS.

Audience

The information contained in these help pages is intended for use by network
administrators. It assumes a basic understanding of storage-related concepts,
including RAID, filesystems, and networking.

About the NSS Configuration Interface

The NSS Configuration Interface contains some basic navigation features to help
you as you configure the NSS.

• Manager Menu: The Manager Menu forms the left side of the configuration

interface window. It contains the menu options that represent the major
configuration areas for the NSS. For example, System, Network, Share,
Storage, and so on. When you click an option, a sub-menu of related options
appears. Clicking a subtopic opens the associated topic in the Topi c page
in the right side of the window.

• Topic Page: When you select a topic from the Manager Menu, the

configuration page for that topic appears in the right side of the window.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 3

Introduction

Approved Vendor List for Drives

Getting Help

There are two buttons on the NSS configuration interface window that you can
click to access help:

1

• From the Manager Menu click Help to display the full online Administrator

Guide. Use the navigation tools within the help to find information for your
chosen topic.

• A context-sensitive help button appears in the upper-right corner of the

topic page. Click it to display help on the specific configuration area. For
example, if the current configuration topic is about the status of your disk
drives, click the Help button for information about the details that appear on
the status page.

Refreshing the GUI Pages

Although certain GUI pages automatically refresh at a preselected time interval,
some pages do not refresh until they are reselected. The best way to manually
refresh a GUI page is to reselect it through the options in the Manager Menu on
the left side of the GUI window. For example, to refresh the NTP Configuration
page, from the Manager Menu, click Admin and then click Time. Do not use the
Refresh button on the Web browser toolbar as this can cause data issues.

Approved Vendor List for Drives

If you are purchasing disk drives to install in the NSS, see the Approved Vendor
List at

When you select a disk drive, consider the type of RAID levels required to service
your business needs. For example, if you are creating a RAID (versus a JBOD),
make sure that each of the disks used in the array have the same disk capacity.
The RAID is built using the capacity of the smallest disk in the array.

http://www.cisco.com/support for a list of recommended disk drives.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 4

Managing the System

The System Status page provides an overview of the current operating condition
of the NSS. For example, you can view system alert messages if a disk drive is
failing or has failed, if a volume is approaching its full capacity, if an array rebuild is
complete, and so on. You can also view the current status of any of the following:
storage, shares, backups, volume snapshots, network, power, and system details.
The System Status page automatically refreshes on a regular interval and is
helpful for monitoring the progress of certain processes such as building a RAID.

2

These sections provide a detailed explanation of the information that appears on
the System Status page.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 5

Managing the System

System Alerts

System Alerts

2

The System Alerts section shows any system messages issued since the last
time they were cleared. Messages can range in severity from informational to
immediate action required.

There are three type of system alerts:

• Error: Indicates the most severe types of problems with the NSS. They are

color-coded red and require immediate action. For example, if a disk drive
or RAID array is in a failed condition.

• Warning: Indicates that there is a problem with the NSS that requires

eventual action. They are color-coded orange. For example, if the amount of
storage used for a volume is
over 90%.

Storage Status

• Notification: Shows the recent changes to the NSS. They do not require

action and are color-coded green. For example, the RAID rebuild is
complete.

The Storage area displays these details about the configured storage on the NSS:

• Drives: The number of physical disk drives installed.

• RAID Arrays: The number of configured RAID arrays.

• Volumes: The number of configured volumes.

• Total Configured Capacity: The total aggregate size of all configured

volumes.

• Percent Used: The total amount of the configured capacity used. The

percentage is color-coded according to the current percentage used:

- Green: 0 to 74%

- Orange: 75 to 89%

- Red: 90 to 100%

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 6

Managing the System

Network Status

Network Status

The Network area displays the following:

2

• Link 1 & 2: The current status of the physical links. The status of the link can

be up (color-coded green) or down (color-coded red). If the link is not
present, the status appears
as “down.”

• Bonding Mode: Displays how the bonding mode for the physical links is

configured on the Network Properties page. See

Bonding & Advertising Modes,” on page 35

for more information.

• VLANs: The number of VLANs configured on the NSS.

• Link 1 IP: The IP address of the first Ethernet link.

• Link 2 IP: The IP address of the second Ethernet link (if installed). If the

bonding mode is set to “active backup” or “802.3ad”, the two links appear
as a single entity (i.e., “Link 1+2 IP”).

“Setting up the Link

Shares Status

The Shares area displays the following:

• Shares: The number of configured shares.

• Connected Users: The total number of user sessions currently connected

to the NSS.

- FTP: The FTP access state (enabled or disabled).

- NFS: The NFS access state (enabled or disabled).

Backup and Snapshots Status

The Backup and Snapshots area displays the following:

•

• Snapshots: The total number of volume snapshots configured.

• Last Backup: The date and time of the last backup run. If a backup has

never been run on the system, the word “never” appears.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 7

Managing the System

Power Status

Power Status

2

The Power area displays the following:

• UPS: These options are available depending on the current operating

condition of the UPS.

- No Connection: A UPS is not currently connected to the NSS.

- On Mains: A UPS is connected to the NSS but is not currently being

used to power the unit. The NSS is deriving power from the mains
power.

- On Battery (%): The NSS is currently deriving its power from the UPS

battery. The percentage of power still available is also listed and is
color-coded according to the amount of battery remaining.

For more information about how the UPS functions, refer to the UPS
documentation.

• RPSU: These options are available depending on the current operating

condition of the RPSU.

- No Connection: There is no RPSU installed.

- Ready: An RPSU is installed and is currently available as a backup

power source.

- Standby/Fault: An RPSU is installed but is in standby mode, or, the

RPSU is installed and has a fault condition. For example, the RPSU is
connected to the NSS but is powered off.

- Active: The RPSU is currently being used to provide backup power to

the NSS.

- Unavailable: The RPSU is currently providing backup power to another

device and is not available to provide backup power to the NSS.

For more information about how the RPSU functions, refer to the RPSU
documentation.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 8

Managing the System

System Status

System Status

The System area displays the following:

• Serial Number: The serial number of the NSS.

• Firmware Version: The current version and date of the firmware installed on

the NSS.

• Uptime: The number of days the NSS has been running since it was last

rebooted.

• Last Boot: The date when the NSS was last rebooted.

Viewing the Hardware Monitor

2

The Hardware Monitor page displays these details about the physical conditions
related to the NSS:

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 9

Managing the System

Viewing and Managing the System Logs

•

Voltages: The current voltage reading for all voltage rails in the system. The
reading is color-coded depending on if the voltage level is within
specification (green) or out of specification and in need of attention (red).

• Fans: The fan speed for each chassis fan. Normal fan operation is color-

coded green. If the fan has stalled, the reading is color-coded red.

• Te mp e ratu re s : The NSS has temperature sensors located at various parts

of the chassis. Temperature readings are performed from these sensors as
well as from any installed disks (if the disk has an internal temperature
sensor). If a disk does not have a temperature sensor, the reading appears
as “unavailable.” If the temperature of the system or disks is over or under
the ideal temperature, the temperature is color-coded red. When the
temperature is within the normal range the color-coding is green.

Viewing and Managing the System Logs

2

The NSS captures various types of information into log files, such as user access
details. You can store the logs locally or on a remote server on the network. Since
local space allocated for log files is limited, the logs are overwritten once the
space is filled. Each new event overwrites the oldest event recorded in the file.

To work with the log files:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click System  Logs.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 10

The System Logs page appears.

2

STEP 2 You can view, download, or delete these types of log files:

• Admin: A full list of time-stamped actions that were initiated through the

NSS configuration interface.

• Web Access: This log displays IP addresses of the systems that accessed

the NSS configuration interface and the date and time of the authentication
requests. This information helps you detect unauthorized attempts to
access the configuration interface.

• CIFS Sharing: A time-stamped event log of events initiated by users

accessing shares through CIFS.

• FTP Access: A time-stamped log of FTP actions, including user logins, file

transfers, and
user logouts.

• All Logs: A list of all the log files. You can download and save this file.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 11

Managing the System

Viewing and Managing the System Logs

This is an example of the Administrator Log:

2

STEP 3 Choose where you want to store the log files:

• Locally: To store the log files on the NSS, select Store Logs Locally, and

then select the volume to which you want to store the logs from the options
in the Store Logs to drop-down menu.

• Remotely: To store the log files on a remote server, select Forward Log

Messages, and then enter the name or IP address of the server in one or

both of the Remote Log Host fields. (If you set up two remote hosts, the log
file is sent to both servers.) Note that the remote server must be running a
syslog server.

STEP 4 Click Update.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 12

Managing the System

Viewing the Power Status Page

Viewing the Power Status Page

The Power Status page provides an overview of the current power condition of
the NSS. It is also where you can configure an attached UPS.

NOTE When the UPS power goes to low battery, a signal is sent through the USB port on

the NSS and a shutdown of the NSS is initiated. Make sure that the UPS has enough
reserve power to sustain the NSS through the shutdown (approximately 5 minutes).

2

The Power area displays the following:

• UPS: These options are available depending on the current operating

condition of the UPS.

- No Connection: A UPS is not currently connected to the NSS.

- On Mains: A UPS is connected to the NSS but is not currently being

used to power the unit. The NSS is deriving power from the main power.

- On Battery (%): The NSS is currently deriving its power from the UPS

battery. The percentage of power still available is also listed and is
color-coded according to the amount of battery remaining.

For more information about the functioning of the UPS, refer to the UPS
documentation.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 13

Managing the System

NSS-Supported UPS Product Families

•

RPSU: These options are available depending on the current operating
condition of the RPSU.

- No Connection: There is no RPSU installed.

- Ready: An RPSU is installed and is currently available as a backup

• Standby/Fault: An RPSU is installed but is in Standby mode, or, the RPSU is

installed and has some sort of fault condition. For example, the RPSU is
connected to the NSS but is powered off.

• Active: The RPSU is currently being used to provide backup power to

the NSS.

• Unavailable: The RPSU is currently providing backup power to another

device and is not available to provide backup power to the NSS.

For more information about the functioning of the RPSU, refer to the
RPSU documentation.

2

power source.

NSS-Supported UPS Product Families

The NSS supports these UPS product families:

• APC Back-UPS Pro USB

• APC Back-UPS RS USB

• APC Back-UPS USB

• APC Back-UPS LS USB

• APC Back-UPS ES/CyberFort 350

• APC Smart-UPS USB

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 14

Adding the NSS to your Network

The Network Device Status page displays the current status of the NSS physical
and virtual network interfaces.

3

Physical Interfaces

The Network Device Status table displays the current status of the physical
Ethernet links connected to the NSS.

• Status: The status of the physical link. Options include:

- Up: The link is up (color-coded green) and is operational.

- Down: The link is down (color-coded red) and not operational.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Physical Interfaces

•

Link: The number that appears in this column identifies the link attached to
the NSS. It can be either 1 or 2.

If a cable is connected to the Ethernet port, check the cable integrity and
the status of the device (switch, router, or computer) at the other end of the
cable. You can use the NSS cable diagnostic feature (see to assist you. (see

”Running Diagnostics of your Physical Links” section on page 32)

• Speed: The configured speed, in Mbps, of the physical link. Options include:

10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1000 Mbps.

• MAC Address: The Ethernet MAC address for the link.

• MTU: The Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) in bytes defined for the link.

This is set either manually from the Network Properties page or via the
DHCP server.

• Rx Pkts: The total number of IP packets received since the last boot.

3

• Tx Pkts: The total number of IP packets transmitted since the last boot.

• Dropped Pkts: The total number of IP packets dropped since the last boot.

Virtual Interfaces

The VLAN Status area of the Network Status page displays the current status
and details about each configured VLAN.

• Link: The number that appears in this column identifies the physical link on

which the VLAN is configured. If there are two physical links, the link
appears as either “1” or “2.” If the two links are bonded, the number appears
as “1+2.”

• VLAN: The VLAN number.

• Priority: The 802.1p priority set for the VLAN. Options include 0 through 7 (0

being best effort data and 7 being network critical data).

• Label: The text description defined for the VLAN.

• Rx Pkts: The total number of IP packets received on the VLAN interface

since the last boot.

• Tx Pkts: The total number of IP packets transmitted on the VLAN interface

since the last boot.

• Dropped Pkts: The total number of IP packets dropped on the VLAN

interface since the last boot.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Viewing the Network Settings

Viewing the Network Settings

The Network Device Settings page displays information about the physical and
virtual interfaces currently configured on the NSS.

3

NOTE If you hotplug the Ethernet link after the initial installation of the NSS, make sure you

that you wait 15 seconds between the time you unplug the cable and then plug it
back in. The NSS displays the correct new settings within 10 seconds.

To display the Network Device Settings page, from the Manager Menu, click
Network  IP. The Network Device Settings table displays the following:

• Link: “1+ 2” appears in this column.

• VLAN: The ID assigned to the virtual interface. For physical interfaces, this

column is blank.

• Assign Via: The method used to assign an IP configuration to the physical or

virtual interface. Options include:

• DHCP: The IP configuration was assigned by a DHCP server.

• Manual: A static IP configuration was manually entered through the NSS

configuration interface.

• AutoIP: The interface was configured to use DHCP for IP configuration but

no DHCP server was found. Instead the IP address was assigned by the
AutoIP protocol.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Configuring the Network Link IP

•

IP Address: The IP address for the physical or virtual interface.

• Netmask: The netmask for the physical or virtual interface.

• Gateway: The address of the gateway for the physical or virtual interface.

Configuring the Network Link IP

You need to configure the method for assigning an IP configuration to each
interface connected to the NSS.

NOTE If you hotplug the Ethernet link after the initial installation of the NSS, make sure you

that you wait 15 seconds between the time you unplug the cable and then plug it
back in. The NSS displays the correct new settings within 10 seconds.

3

To set the IP address allocation method for an interface:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  IP.

The Network IP page appears listing each interface.

STEP 2 Click Edit on the row of the interface you want to configure.

The Network Link Configuration page appears.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Resetting the DHCP Lease on a Link

3

STEP 3

Select one of the following:

• Obtain IP Address Automatically: Use a DHCP server to retrieve the IP

address, netmask, and gateway address for the interface.

• Use the Following IP Address: Enter the IP configuration details manually,

in dotted-quad notation.

STEP 4 Click Update.

Resetting the DHCP Lease on a Link

You can force a renewal of the DHCP lease on a physical link or VLAN that is
configured for DHCP:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  IP.

The Network IP page appears listing each physical and virtual interface.

STEP 2 Click Edit on the row of the link IP that you want to reset.

The Network Link Configuration page appears.

STEP 3 Click Update.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Viewing VLANs Configured on the NSS

Viewing VLANs Configured on the NSS

When you first display the Network VLAN page, the currently configured VLANs
appear. Configuring a VLAN to connect to the NSS depends if it is trunk-based or
port-based. To configure a trunk-based VLAN, follow the steps provided next. To
configure a port-based VLAN, configure the switch to assign the port to which the
NSS is connected to the desired VLAN. In this case, no NSS configuration changes
are required.

To view the VLANs currently configured on the NSS:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  VLAN.

The VLAN Configuration page appears.

3

STEP 2 View the following details for each existing VLAN that appears in the VLAN

Configuration table:

• Link: The link on which the VLAN is configured. The status appears as “1+2.”

• VLAN: The ID of the VLAN. This is configured when the VLAN is added to

the NSS and should match the ID of the VLAN as it is configured in your
network. The range of valid VLAN IDs is from 0 to 4095.

• Priority: The quality of service (QoS) as defined in the IEEE 802.1p standard

for the VLAN traffic. VLAN Ethernet frames contain a three-bit priority tag
ranging from 0 to 7 (where 0 is best effort and 7 is network-critical traffic).

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Allowing a VLAN Access to the NSS

•

Label: A text description for the VLAN (for example, “Data,” “Voice,” “Video,”
and so on). This description is used solely as a reference within the NSS
interface and does not affect
its operation.

Allowing a VLAN Access to the NSS

To set up a network VLAN to access the NSS:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  VLAN.

The VLAN Configuration page appears.

3

STEP 2 In the New VLAN area of the page, set up the following fields:

• Link: Select the Ethernet link on which you want the VLAN to connect to the

NSS. Available options depend on the configuration of your Ethernet link(s).

• VLAN: Enter the ID of the VLAN as it is defined within your network. The

range of valid VLAN IDs is from 0 to 4095.

• Priority: Select the QoS priority for the VLAN traffic as it is defined for your

network. Valid options range from 0 to 7 (as defined by the IEEE 802.1p
standard). VLAN Ethernet frames contain a three-bit priority tag ranging
from 0 to 7 (where 0 is best effort and 7 is network-critical traffic).

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Allowing a VLAN Access to the NSS

•

Label: Enter a text description for the VLAN (for example, “Data”, “Voice”,
“Video”, etc.). It can be made up of alphanumeric characters. Note that this
description is used solely as a reference within the NSS interface and does
not affect its operation.

STEP 3 Click Add.

The newly added VLAN appears in the VLAN Configuration table. A message
appears to advise that the VLAN does not take effect until you configure the IP
address.

STEP 4 Click OK.

The Network Device Settings page appears. The newly added VLAN
appears in the list.

3

STEP 5 Click Edit for the VLAN you need to configure.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Changing a VLAN Configuration

The Network Configuration page appears.

3

STEP 6 Click one of the following, depending on how you want to assign the VLAN IP

addressing:

• Obtain IP Address Automatically: Use a DHCP server to retrieve the IP

address, netmask address, and gateway address for the VLAN.

• Use the Following IP address: Enter the IP configuration details manually.

STEP 7 Click Update.

Changing a VLAN Configuration

After you set up a VLAN to access the NSS, you can change the VLAN
configuration.

To edit a VLAN configuration:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  VLAN.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Changing a VLAN Configuration

The VLAN Configuration page appears.

3

STEP 2 Click Edit for the VLAN you want to change.

The Edit VLAN page appears.

STEP 3 Make changes to any of the VLAN configuration fields as required.

STEP 4 Click Update.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Removing a VLAN’s Access to the NSS

Removing a VLAN’s Access to the NSS

All connected VLANs appear when you first display the VLAN Configuration page.
You can delete the connection between a VLAN and the NSS. Note that deleting
the VLAN only affects the VLAN’s ability to access the NSS. It does not impact the
VLANs operation within your network.

To disconnect a VLAN’s access to the NSS:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  VLAN.

The VLAN Configuration page appears.

3

STEP 2 From the VLAN Configuration table, click Delete for the VLAN that you want

to remove.

The VLAN disappears from the VLAN Configuration table and can no longer
access the NSS.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Configuring the NSS Network Identification

Configuring the NSS Network Identification

The Network Identification page is where you configure the network identity of
the NSS, including the hostname and domain membership.

Before you join the NSS to an NTv4 or Active Directory Service (ADS) domain, do
the following:

• Configure the IP and DNS information.

From the Manager Menu, click Network  DNS/WINS to configure the
DNS sever information. See

Resolution,” on page 28

• Configure the NTP Server to synchronize with the ADS server. See

“Configuring the Timing Settings,” on page140.T

• Set up the Home Directory Location on the User/Group Settings page.

This is used for both domain users and local users. See

User/Group Settings,” on page 99

“Configuring DNS or WINS for Name

.

.

3

“Configuring the

From the Manager Menu, click Access  Time.

To configure the NSS network identity:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  Identification.

The Network Identification page appears.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

!

Configuring the NSS Network Identification

3

STEP 2

CAUTION If you change the hostname, any current CIFS connections to shares on the NSS are

STEP 3 To assign the hostname for the NSS using the DHCP server, select Assign

STEP 4 In the Description field, enter the textual description for the NSS as you want it to

STEP 5 Select the type of network into which you are making the NSS a member from the

In the Hostname field, enter the name you want to use for the NSS. Note any
special naming restrictions or conventions enforced by the domain(s) into which
the NSS is being joined.

disconnected.

automatically via DHCP. If the DHCP ser ver is not available or if it is not configured
to supply a hostname, the NSS hostname is assigned using the information
entered in the Hostname field.

appear in the file manager window for your users.

following options:

• Workgroup: Make the NSS part of a peer-to-peer network.

• NTv4 Domain: Make the NSS a part of a pre-Windows 2000 domain. If you

select this option, set up the following fields:

- NTv4 Domain: Enter the domain name.

- Domain Controller: Enter the hostname or IP address of the domain

controller.

- Username: Enter the username of an account that has administrator

privileges for this domain. Note: The username cannot contain the “%”
character.

- Password: Enter the password for the administrator account.

- Enable Support for Large ADS Domains: Check this option to connect

the NSS to an ADS domain that has more than 1000 users and groups.
(This is the sum of the individual users and individual groups.)

It can take up from 2 to 5 minutes to complete the domain join for large ADS
domains. When the NSS initially joins the domain, there might be a delay of
several minutes until the domain users and groups appear in the graphical
user interface (GUI). This delay only occurs after a successful join. Any
changes that you make to the users and groups on the domain controller
(additions or deletions) can take up to 20 minutes to appear in the GUI

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Configuring DNS or WINS for Name Resolution

NOTE The NSS supports ADS domains of up to 8,000 users for the NSS4000 and 16,000

users for the NSS6000. If you need to connect the NSS to a domain larger than this,
you might have problems making CIFS connections to the NSS.

- System Volume Location: If you checked the Enable Support for Large

ADS Domains field, you must then select the RAID array on which to
store the system cache files associated with the ADS domain join. The
RAID array that you choose must have at least 512 MB of available
space. If you delete the RAID array on which the system volume is
located, leave the domain by switching to workgroup mode, and then
delete the RAID array.

STEP 6 Click Update.

If you configured the NSS to join a domain, when you click Update, the domain join
occurs. The NSS configuration interface displays the status of the domain join
(successful or not successful).

3

NOTE If you are joined to a domain and make changes to the fields on this page, make sure

that you re-enter the domain password as the NSS automatically rejoins the domain
when you click Update.

Configuring DNS or WINS for Name Resolution

Within a network, DNS and WINS are used to translate hostnames into IP
addresses. For example, the hostname “myserver” might translate to 172.1.135.6.
Configuring how the NSS works with name resolution depends on what type of
servers exist within your network. To configure the DNS or WINS server addresses
for your network:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  DNS/WINS.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 28

Adding the NSS to your Network

Configuring DNS or WINS for Name Resolution

The Network Name Resolution page appears.

3

STEP 2 Based on your network setup, configure the following fields:

• Search Domain: Enter the address of the DNS search domain accessible

by the NSS. If you are joined to a domain, enter the controller name into this
field.

• Primary DNS Server: Enter the IP address of the primary DNS server on

your network. If you are joined to a domain, enter the IP address into this
field.

• Alternate DNS Server: Enter the IP address of a second DNS server to be

used should the primary DNS server become unavailable. This field
is optional.

• Assign automatically via DHCP: Select this to assign the IP address for the

DNS server using the DHCP server. If the DHCP server cannot be found or
times out, the DNS server IP address is assigned the IP address manually
entered in the Primary or Alternate DNS Server fields.

• Primary WINS server: If your network has a WINS server, enter its address.

This field is optional.

• Alternate WINS server: If your network has a secondary WINS server,

enter its address. This field is optional.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 29

Adding the NSS to your Network

Joining the NSS to a Network Information System (NIS) Domain

•

Assign automatically via DHCP: Select this to assign the IP address for the
WINS server using the DHCP server. If the DHCP server cannot be found or
times out, the DNS server IP address is assigned the IP address manually
entered in the Primary or Alternate WINS Server fields.

STEP 3 Click Update.

Joining the NSS to a Network Information System (NIS)
Domain

To join the NSS to a NIS domain, you need to configure and enable it.

NOTE Before you join a NIS domain, make sure that you set up or make changes to the NIS

domain users and groups ID range on the User/Groups Settings page. This
minimizes the risk of collisions of user or group IDs within your network.

3

To configure the NSS for NIS:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  NIS.

The NIS Configuration page appears.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Joining the NSS to a Network Information System (NIS) Domain

3

STEP 2

STEP 3 Enter the NIS domain name in the NIS Domain Name field.

STEP 4 Set the bind state by clicking one of the following:

Select Enable NIS.

• Broadcast for NIS Server: Click this option to have the NSS search until it

finds the NIS server on the network.

• Use the following NIS Servers: To manually identify the NIS server you

want the NSS to use, click this option, and then enter the address of up to
three different NIS servers.

The Bind State field shows the current bind status of the NSS.

STEP 5 Click Update.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 31

Adding the NSS to your Network

Editing Access Control Lists (ACLs) from Windows Explorer: Restrictions

3

Editing Access Control Lists (ACLs) from Windows Explorer:
Restrictions

Access Control Lists (ACLs) are used to set user and group access privileges for
specific files and folders stored on the NSS. When editing ACLs through Windows
Explorer these restrictions apply

• Group versus User ACLs: You can only set up an ACL for individual users.

You cannot set up a group ACL.

• NIS domain: You cannot create or edit ACLs for NIS domain users; they do

not appear in the Security tab in Windows Explorer.

Running Diagnostics of your Physical Links

The NSS lets you test the physical network cables attached to Ethernet links 1 and
2 for certain fault conditions. You must manually initiate a test to update the results
shown on the Network Diagnostics page.

NOTE When you initiate a test on an Ethernet link, you take down the link for the duration

of the test. Any current user connections on the link are dropped. If you have two
links installed, any connections through the untested link remain unaffected.

To test the physical link:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  Diagnostics.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Configuring the Network Ports

The Network Diagnostics page appears.

3

STEP 2 Click Te st for the cable you want to test.

After the test completes, the test results appear in the Link Status area. The test
results also appear on the System Status page. If the cable is in good working
condition, the link is again accessible to your users.

Configuring the Network Ports

By default the NSS runs network services on their well known (IETF defined) port
numbers. You can change the port on which any particular service runs. When you
disable WAN access for a given service, only hosts on the same subnet as the
NSS may connect to that service. This is a shortcut to manually defining an
equivalent network filter.

To set up the network services:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  Ports.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Configuring the Network Ports

The Network Ports Configuration page appears.

3

STEP 2 Change the port assignment for any of the following service types:

• FTP/FTPS Port: The well-known port setting is 21. Select Disable WAN

Access to disallow FTP and FTPS protocol access to the NSS from a WAN.

• Web Server Port: The well-known port setting is 80. To access the NSS

configuration interface, you must have either the HTTP port or HTTPS port
enabled. Select Disable WAN Access to disallow HTTP protocol access to
the NSS from a WAN.

• SSL Web Server Port: The well-known port setting is 443. Select Disable

WAN Ac cess to disallow HTTPS protocol access to the NSS from a WAN.

STEP 3 Click Update.

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Setting up the Link Bonding & Advertising Modes

Setting up the Link Bonding & Advertising Modes

The Network Properties page is where you configure the bonding mode for the
physical Ethernet link(s) attached to the NSS. It also lets you determine how you
want to advertise the presence of the NSS within your network.

To configure the network properties:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Network  Properties.

The Network Properties page appears.

3

STEP 2 To set the bonding mode of your physical links, click one of the following:

• 802.3ad Link Aggregation (failover and load sharing): Select this option

to aggregate the two Ethernet connections using the IEEE 802.3ad standard.
This technology is also known as trunking or bonding.

• Active backup (failover): This is the default option when you first install the

NSS or when you restore the factory default settings by resetting the NSS.
Select this option to define one link as the active link and one link as the
backup. Should the active link become unusable (either disconnected or
significantly degraded), the backup link automatically becomes the
active link.

STEP 3 Set the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU), in bytes, in the MTU field. This is the

largest Ethernet frame that your network can handle. The default MTU size is 1500
bytes. MTU sizes greater than 1500 bytes are considered “jumbo frames.”

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Adding the NSS to your Network

Setting up the Link Bonding & Advertising Modes

3

STEP 4

STEP 5 Based on your network requirements, enable any of the following:

To assign the link MTU size automatically using the DHCP server, click Assign
automatically via DHCP. In this case, the value entered in the MTU field is used as

a backup if the DHCP server does not provide an MTU value or if the server cannot
be reached.

• Advertise using UPnP: The NSS is advertised within the network

using UPnP.

• Advertise using Zeroconf/Bonjour: The NSS is advertised within the

network using Zeroconf/Bonjour.

STEP 6 Click Update.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 36

Configuring your Storage

The Storage Status page shows the current state of the disk drives, arrays, and
volumes currently installed or exported to the NSS. You can also view the
S.M.A.R.T. health report for each physical disk. To display the Storage Status
page, from the Manager Menu, click Storage
automatically refreshes on a regular interval and is helpful for monitoring the
progress of certain processes such as checking the condition of a drive.

4

 Status. The Storage Status page

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Configuring your Storage

Disk Status Table

Disk Status Table

The Disk Status table lists each of the physical disks installed in the NSS. The
table has these columns:

4

• Port: The port number on the NSS in which the disk is installed.

• Model: The model of the disk drive. This information is read from the disk

drive.

• Capacity: The size of the disk drive.

• Health: The system monitors each disk drive and reports the condition of

the disk drive.

- Passed: The disk drive passed the S.M.A.R.T. test and is considered fully

operational. The Error LED on the disk drive is off.

- Failing: The disk drive failed the S.M.A.R.T. test and is predicated to fail.

The red Error LED on the disk drive is blinking.

- Failed: The disk drive is not operational (has failed). The red Error LED on

the disk drive is on solid.

• Status: The state of use for the disk drive.

- Online: The disk drive is spun up.

- Standby: The disk drive is idle and is spun down.

- Offline: The disk drive is failed.

• Action: There are available action buttons associated with each installed

disk drive:

- Get Details: View the current, detailed S.M.A.R.T. report for the disk

drive.

- Locate: Send a locate request to the applicable disk drive. The white

disk drive LED on the front of the NSS chassis blinks for the targeted disk
drive.You can only send one locate request at a time. Disk drives are
numbered from 1 to 4 from left to right on the chassis (when facing the
chassis front panel) and correspond with the port number.

- Cancel Locate: There is a locate request set up for a disk drive. Click

Cancel Locate to cancel the locate request. This lets you send a locate
request for another disk drive.

Linksys Small Business NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series Network Storage System Administration Guide 38

Configuring your Storage

RAID Arrays Table

RAID Arrays Table

The RAID Arrays table lists each array (either RAID or JBOD) currently configured.
The table includes the following:

• Label: The name assigned to the array.

• RAID Level: The configured RAID level.

• Size: The size allocated for the array. The amount of available storage for an

4

array depends on the number of drives in the array, the size of the smallest
drive, as well as the RAID level assigned. The calculation for an array,
according to RAID level, is as follows (where “n” = the number of drives in
the array and “s” = the size of the smallest drive in the array):

- JBOD = sum (size of each drive)

- RAID0 = n * s

- RAID1 = s

- RAID5 = (n-1) * s

- RAID10 = n * s /2

• Status: The current condition of the RAID array.

- Clean: The array is in a normal state. This status is color-coded green.

- Degraded: For RAID arrays with redundancy (i.e., RAID levels 1, 5, 10),

one or more of the redundant disk drives is removed from the system or
is failed. In this state, the array is fully recoverable. This status is color­coded orange.

- Failed: One or more disk drives were removed or are unrecoverable

from a RAID0 or a JBOD array. For RAID levels 1, 5, 10, it indicates a loss
of all the redundant disks in the array plus at least one more drive. In this
state, the array is unrecoverable.

- Rebuilding: A RAID level with redundancy is being rebuilt. Note that

during a rebuild, the RAID array is still fully usable. This status is color­coded orange. During the rebuild, the disk drive LED slowly blinks green.

- Stopped: A RAID array has been stopped by the system (through

degraded mode management) due to it being in degraded mode for the
amount of time configured in the Storage Options page. Volumes
associated with a stopped array are unmounted and unusable. To start
the RAID array, click the Start button.

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Configuring your Storage

Vol umes Table

Volumes Table

The Volumes table provides a list of the existing volumes. The table is made up of
the following:

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• Location: The name of the RAID array on which the volume is configured.

• Volume: The name assigned to the volume.

• Tot a l Sp a ce : The amount of space configured for the volume.

• Used Space: The amount of space used on the volume.

• Avail. Space: The amount of unused space on the volume.

• % Used: The percentage of available space that is used.

• Encrypted: Whether the volume is encrypted or unencrypted.

• Locked: The encrypted volume is locked and is not accessible. To make the

volume accessible, the volume must be unlocked.

USB Storage Status

If you mount a USB flash device by inserting it into the AUX-1 port on the front of
the chassis, the USB Storage Status table appears. If there is no USB flash device
mounted, the USB Storage Status table does not appear. You can use the USB
flash device to save a backup of the configuration file (see ”Saving the Current

Configuration” section on page134

click Unmount before you remove it from the AUX-1 port. (The AUX-1 LED on the
front of the chassis must be off before you can safely remove the USB flash
device.) If you remove the USB flash device in a mounted state, you risk corrupting
the files or filesystem.

The USB Storage Status table provides these details about the mounted USB
flash device:

• Disk: The type of disk in this case is the USB flash.

• Tot a l Sp a ce : The total amount of space (both used and available) on the

USB flash device.

). When you finish using the USB flash device,

• Used Space: The amount of space taken up on the USB flash device.

• Available Space: The amount of unused space on the USB flash device.

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Configuring your Storage

Managing RAID Arrays

•

%Used: The percentage of space used on the USB flash device.

• Action: The Unmount button unmounts the USB flash device so that it can

be safely removed from the AUX-1 port.

Managing RAID Arrays

RAID is an acronym for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. In storage
environments, a RAID array uses multiple physical disk drives to create a single
logical unit from which data can be shared or replicated between the drives. A
RAID array also simplifies the data management as the data appears in one logical
unit. Choosing to store your data using a RAID array gives you the benefit of speed
and performance; storage capacity; decreased downtime costs and increased
availability; fault tolerance; and higher data security.

4

About the RAID Arrays Page

Use the RAID Arrays page to manage the local RAID and JBOD arrays. To display
the RAID Arrays page, from the Manager Menu, click Storage  RAID.

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Configuring your Storage

Choosing a RAID Array Level

Choosing a RAID Array Level

RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) is a technology that enables multiple
low-cost hard drives to be used together in a way that increases performance
and/or reliability compared to that of a single drive. The component devices in a
RAID array appear as a single logical storage device. There are various types of
RAID, referred to as RAID levels. Some RAID levels increase the performance of
the array, some increase the reliability, and others do a mixture of both. The NSS
supports the following RAID levels: 0, 1, 5 and 10. The NSS also supports JBOD
(Just a Bunch of Disks), which is not technically a RAID level.

These variables are used in formulas used to calculate the total capacity of each
RAID level:

• m – capacity of the smallest disk in the array

• n – number of disks in the array

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RAID0: RAID0 stripes the data written to the array across the component disks.

The data is broken into chunks and each chunk is written to a different disk. Reads
and writes to each disk occur in parallel, speeding up the total read and write
performance of the array.

• Minimum Number of Disks: 2

• Total capacity: m x n

• Advantages: Increased read and write performance.

• Disadvantages: Decreased reliability. A failure of any component disk in the

array causes the entire array to fail.

RAID1: RAID1 writes the same data to each disk in the array. The disks are referred
to as “mirrors” because each one mirrors the data stored on the others. As long as
one disk in the array is intact, all data can be read back from the array. If a disk fails
in the array and is then replaced, the array must copy the entire contents of a good
disk to the new disk. This process is referred to as “resyncing.” During a resync,
the array continues to be available for reads and writes. When an array contains a
failed disk, it is said to be operating in degraded mode. This reflects the
decreased performance and reliability of the array when it is missing disks.

• Minimum Number of Disks: 2

• Total capacity: m

• Advantages: Increased reliability. The array can sustain the loss of all but

one disk without any data loss. Each mirror disk added to the array

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Configuring your Storage

Choosing a RAID Array Level

RAID5: RAID5 stripes data written to the array like RAID0, except that, unlike
RAID0, RAID5 generates parity information that also gets striped across the array.
This parity information is used during the reconstruction of the lost data when a
drive fails in the array. When a failed disk is then replaced, the array must
regenerate and rewrite the parity information of the array. This process is referred
to as “rebuilding”. During a rebuild, the array continues to be available for reads
and writes. If the parity information in the array gets out of sync with the data in the
array, usually as the result of an unexpected loss of power to the system, the array
must be rebuilt. Like RAID1, if a disk is missing from the array, the array is said to be
operating in “degraded” mode.

4

increases the reliability (for example, a two-disk RAID1 is half as likely to fail,
a three-disk RAID1 is one-third as likely to fail, and so on). Increased read
performance.

• Disadvantages: Decreased aggregate storage capacity (each mirror disk

does not contribute to the total capacity of the array). Decreased write
performance. I/O intensive when resyncing mirrors.

• Minimum Number of Disks: 3

• Total capacity: m x (n-1)

• Advantages: Increased reliability. The RAID array can sustain the loss of any

single disk without any data loss. Increased read and write performance.

• Disadvantages: Decreased aggregate storage capacity (you lose the

equivalent capacity of a single disk). CPU intensive calculation of parity,
especially during rebuild operation. I/O intensive during rebuild operation.

RAID10: RAID10 is a combination of RAID1 and RAID0. The NSS implements
RAID10 as two, 2-disk RAID1 mirrors, which are then used to build a RAID0 array.
RAID10 can be thought of as “mirror then stripe”.

• Minimum Number of Disks: 4

• Total capacity: 2 x m

• Advantages: Increased read and write performance; increased reliability.

The RAID array can sustain the loss of any single disk without data loss.
Depending on which disks fail, the array can lose up to two disks without
data loss.

• Disadvantages: Decreased aggregate storage capacity (you lose half of

the storage space).

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Configuring your Storage

Creating a RAID Array

JBOD: JBOD lets you combine multiple disks of mixed capacities into a single
logical storage device. The capacity of the JBOD array is the sum of the total
capacities of the individual component disks (that is, it does not have the limitation
of RAID0 where you lose some capacity when using mixed sized disks). JBOD
offers no performance increase compared to the component disks. It has lower
reliability than the component disks, as the failure of a single disk results, in
general, in the failure of the whole array. Depending on how you create volumes on
the JBOD array, you may be able to recover data when one or more disks in the
JBOD fail. This, however, is not guaranteed.

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• Minimum Number of Disks: 1

• Total capacity: sum of capacities of component disks.

• Advantages: Maximal storage capacity, especially when using mixed size

disks.

• Disadvantages: Decreased reliability.

Creating a RAID Array

To create an array:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  RAID.

The RAID page appears:

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Configuring your Storage

Adding a Disk Drive to an Array

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STEP 2 The available disks appear in the New RAID Device table. Select each disk that

you want to include in the array.

STEP 3 From the RAID Level drop-down menu, click the RAID level of the RAID array you

want to create.

STEP 4 Click Add.

STEP 5 The RAID creation can take some time to complete (depending on the size of the

disks and the selected RAID level). You can monitor the progress of the RAID build
from the Storage Status page. When the build is finished, the array appears in the
RAID Arrays table. The disks used in the array are no longer available for creating
additional arrays.

Adding a Disk Drive to an Array

You can add additional disks to an existing RAID1 or RAID5. As long as the array is
clean, these disks then become spares.

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Configuring your Storage

Adding a Disk Drive to an Array

NOTE When adding disks to an array, we recommend that you use the same model

To add a disk to an array:

STEP 1 If not already installed in the chassis, insert the disk in the NSS.

STEP 2 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  RAID.

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of disk with the same capacity. The new disk must have at least the same
capacity of the smallest disk currently in the array. With the exception of a
JBOD, RAIDs are configured to use the maximum of the smallest disk
capacity in the array for each additional disk in the array. For example, if you
install two, 250 GB disks and one 500 GB disk, the total capacity is 750 GB.

The RAID page appears.

STEP 3 In the RAID Arrays table, click Edit for the applicable RAID array.

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Configuring your Storage

Deleting an Array

The RAID Configuration page appears.

4

STEP 4 Available disk drives appear in the listing. Click Add to add the disk drive to

the array.

If the disk drive is added to a functional array, the disk drive becomes a hot spare.
If the disk drive is added to a degraded array, the RAID array is rebuilt. While the
rebuild continues, the array can still be used. After the rebuild process completes,
the disk becomes part of the redundant storage. You can monitor the progress of
the rebuild through the System Status page.

Deleting an Array

You can remove an existing array and release the disks used in the array back into
available storage. Note that deleting an array also deletes any existing data on the
array (including the volumes, shares, and quotas). If you delete an array that you
must assign a new volume as the Home Directory location.

To delete an existing array:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  RAID.

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Configuring your Storage

Migrating a RAID Array to another Storage Device

The RAID page appears.

4

STEP 2 Click Delete in the row of the RAID array that you want to delete.

A warning message appears.

STEP 3 To c o n t in u e , c l i ck OK.

The deleted array disappears from the list of existing arrays. The disks used in
the array are released back into available storage and appear in the New RAID

Device table.

Migrating a RAID Array to another Storage Device

If you are migrating a RAID array from the NSS to another network NSS, make sure
that you coldplug the RAID array (instead of hotplugging it) into the new system by
following these steps:

STEP 1 Power down the NSS (from which you are removing the RAID array).

STEP 2 Remove each of the disk drives that make up the RAID array to be moved.

STEP 3 Power down the NSS to which you are migrating the RAID array.

STEP 4 Insert each of the disk drives in the RAID array into the new NSS.

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Configuring your Storage

Virtualizing Storage within your Network

NOTE You can install the drives into the new NSS in any order. You do not need to install

them in the same order or slots that they were installed in the original NSS.

STEP 5 When all the disk drives are installed, power up the NSS.

Virtualizing Storage within your Network

The NSS virtualization feature lets you create storage physically located on other
network NSS units into one logical storage unit. The recommended network
configuration for using virtualization is to use an NSS6000 series to operate as the
“master” storage device (the “slave” devices can either be NSS6000, NSS4000,
NSS3000, or NSS2000 series devices). This configuration setup means that you
can export storage (must be an unused disk drive or configured array) from a slave
NSS and then import the storage into the master NSS. The supported RAID level
for virtualized storage is JBOD (although the JBOD can consist of concatenated
exported arrays).

4

NOTE After you configure a virtual RAID, you cannot migrate the disks used for that RAID

to another NSS. You also cannot export storage from a device that uses
imported storage.

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Configuring your Storage

Exporting Storage to your Network

Exporting Storage to your Network

To export storage to the network:

STEP 1 Log into the configuration interface for the device from which you are exporting

storage.

STEP 2 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  Virtualization.

The Storage Virtualization page appears.

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STEP 3 From the Export a device area, select each device that you want to export from

the list of available devices.

STEP 4 From the Link field, select the physical link that you want to use to export

the storage.

STEP 5 Click Export.

STEP 6 The selected disk(s) disappear from the available list of arrays and appear in the

Currently Exported Storage table at the top of the page. Follow the steps to create
a JBOD from virtualized storage to use the exported storage. (see

Virtualized Storage, page 51

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)

Creating

Configuring your Storage

Creating Virtualized Storage

Creating Virtualized Storage

To create a JBOD with exported disks:

STEP 1 Log in to the configuration interface from the master unit.

STEP 2 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  RAID.

The RAID page appears.

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Exported disks from other NSS units in the network appear in the table.

STEP 3 From the New RAID Device table, click the disks or arrays that you want to include

in the JBOD.

STEP 4 Select JBOD as the RAID level.

STEP 5 Click Add.

The JBOD appears in the RAID Arrays listing. You can now create volumes
from the virtualized JBOD.

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Configuring your Storage

Unexporting Storage

Unexporting Storage

You can choose to unexport pieces of the storage currently exported to the
network. Note that you can only unexport storage that has not yet been used.

To unexport a piece of storage:

STEP 1 From the Master device, delete any RAID arrays associated with the storage you

want to unexport. (see

STEP 2 Display the Configuration Interface for the slave device that contains the storage

you want to unexport.

STEP 3 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  Virtualization.

The Storage Virtualization page appears.

4

Deleting an Array, page 47)

STEP 4 Click Unexport for the device you want to release from the network.

The disk drive(s) or array no longer appears in the Currently Exported Storage
list. It now appears in the Export a device list and is again available for use.

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Configuring your Storage

Volume Management

Volume Management

A volume is a way to partition storage space available on an array. The Storage
Volumes page shows the following details about configured volumes or create

additional volumes.

4

The Volumes table displays the following:

• Volume: The name of the volume.

• Location: The array on which the volume is located.

• To ta l Space: The amount of space allocated for the volume (in MB or GB).

• % Used: The amount of space, as a percentage, that is currently used.

• Crypto: Whether the volume is encrypted or not. Note that file transfer

performance to encrypted volumes is generally lower than to non­encrypted volumes.

• Action: Click Edit to make changes to the current volume. Click Delete to

remove the volume (and any saved data on the volume) from the array. If the
volume is encrypted, you can either click Unlock to unlock it and make it
usable, or click Lock to manually lock it.

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Configuring your Storage

Creating a Volume

Creating a Volume

After you define at least one RAID array, you can create a volume. You need to
create at least one volume before you can create users, groups, or shares.

To c r e a t e a v o l u m e :

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  Volumes.

The Storage Volumes page appears.

4

STEP 2 From the New Volume area, set up these fields:

• Array: Click the drop-down menu to select the array on which you want to

create the volume.

• Name: Enter the name you want to give the volume. The volume name must

consist of at least one alphanumeric character, must begin with a letter, but
cannot contain any spaces.

• Size (in MB): Enter the size for the volume, and then select the unit from the

drop-down menu. The final size of the shared volume is less than the size
you enter in this field due to filesystem overhead. The minimum volume size
is 32 MB. Volume sizes are rounded down to the nearest 32 MB increment.

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Configuring your Storage

!

Expanding a Volume

NOTE Once the volume is created, you can expand the volume but you cannot reduce

its size.

STEP 3 To encrypt the volume, select Encrypted. To create an unencrypted volume, go to

Step 6.

NOTE You can encrypt the volume only when the volume is first created. After a volume is

created, you cannot change whether it is encrypted or unencrypted. File transfer
performance to encrypted volumes is generally lower than to non-encrypted
volumes.

STEP 4 Enter a password in the Password field using a minimum of eight alphanumeric

characters. The password must consist of at least three of the following: lower­case character, upper-case character, number (0-9), or a special character (such as
#@*&^). The password must be entered to unlock an encrypted volume when the
NSS is started up following a power interruption, shutdown, or rebooted, or, if the
volume was manually locked through the NSS configuration interface.

4

CAUTION Because you need the password to decrypt a locked volume, keep a secure

backup of the password to ensure that it is accessible when required. There is no
way to unlock the volume without the password. If you forget the password, the
only way to retrieve is if the password was saved in a configuration file. See

Restoring a Configuration File, page 137.

STEP 5 Re-enter the password in the Confirm Password field.

STEP 6 Click Add.

Expanding a Volume

After a volume is created, you can increase its size, provided there is available
space on the array. Note: You cannot grow a volume if it is the target of a snapshot.
If you want to grow such a volume, delete the snapshots first and then expand the
volume.

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Configuring your Storage

Expanding a Volume

To increase the size of a volume:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  Volumes.

4

The Volumes page appears.

STEP 2 Click Edit for the volume you want to expand.

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Configuring your Storage

Expanding a Volume

4

The Grow File System page appears for the selected volume.

STEP 3 In the Resize by field, select one of the following:

• Grow By: Select this option to add the space allocated in the Size field to

the existing space for the volume. For example, if the volume currently has
224 MB of space and you want to add another 224 MB, select Grow By,
then enter 224 in the Size field and set the unit field to MB. The system
rounds up the total space to the nearest 32 MB boundary.

• Resulting Size: Select this option to resize the volume to the space entered

in the Size field. For example, if the volume currently has 224 MB of space
and you want it to have 928 MB, select Resulting Size and then enter 928 in
the Size field. The system rounds up the total space to the nearest 32 MB
boundary.

STEP 4 Depending on your choice in the previous step, enter the new number in the Size

field and then select the unit from the drop-down menu. If you selected Grow By,
the new number is added to the existing volume size. If you selected Resulting

Size, the new number becomes the total size for the volume.

STEP 5 Click OK.

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Configuring your Storage

!

Deleting a Volume

Deleting a Volume

You can choose to delete a volume at any time.

CAUTION Deleting the volume removes any shares or data currently saved to that volume. If

the volume was assigned as the users’ Home Directory Location, you must
reassign the Home Directory Location to another volume

To delete a volume:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  Volumes.

The Storage Volumes page appears.

4

STEP 2 From the Volumes area, click Delete for the volume you want to delete.

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Configuring your Storage

Viewing the Snapshot Reserve Details

Viewing the Snapshot Reserve Details

You can configure the NSS6000 series NAS to take snapshots of the data on an
existing volume. When you create a snapshot, a backup of each of the shares on
the volume is created and is available within the system’s file directory to which
end users of those shares have access. The advantage of a snapshot over a
backup is that a snapshot is user-accessible and can be used for quick file
recovery resulting from end-user error (such as an accidentally deleted file). A
backup is only accessible to the administrator through the NSS configuration
interface. Restoring data from a backup is generally a task that is scheduled with
the IT administration staff. Backups are usually used to restore the system from a
major system failure.

Snapshots can be taken at various time intervals (such as hourly, daily, and so on).
Each time a snapshot is taken, the previous snapshot is overwritten. You can also
configure multiple snapshot sequences for the same volume. This is typically done
to have snapshots occur at different time intervals. For example, you might want to
capture a snapshot sequence for each hour, a separate sequence for weekly
snapshots, and one for bi-weekly snapshots. In this case, the volume has three
separate snapshot sequences. Each snapshot is overwritten when the next
snapshot of the same frequency is taken. To ensure data integrity, during the
creation of the snapshot (the duration is approximately a few seconds), no writes
can occur to the share.

4

The snapshot reserve is the amount of space that you want to allocate to the
snapshot on the associated array. Once set, this space is not available for other
storage use. The recommended amount of a reserve is generally between 10 to
20% of the total volume size. Note that if the period of time between snapshots is
greater, the amount of the reserve should be greater. Or, if there is a heavy amount
of activity on the volume, set a higher reserve. This is due to the snapshot reserve
being used to store the changes to the volume contents since the last time the
snapshot was taken.

NOTE This feature is only available on the NSS6000. You cannot grow a volume if it is the

target of a snapshot. If you want to grow such a volume, delete the snapshots first
and then expand the volume.

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Configuring your Storage

Viewing the Snapshot Reserve Details

Maintaining Active Snapshots

You can view the list of configured snapshots by displaying the Storage
Snapshots page. The Currently Active Snapshots area lists each snapshot set

up for all the volumes on your NSS6000,

4

These column headings provide details about the snapshot:

• Volume: The name of the volume for which the snapshot is set up.

• Frequency: The time interval of the snapshot. If the time interval is set up to

occur at a certain time of the week, day, or hour, it is also listed. For example,
daily @ 10:30 means that the snapshot occurs each day at 10:30 a.m.

• Size: The size of the snapshot reserve.

• Current Usage: The percent of the space allocated for the snapshot

currently taken up by the snapshot.

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Configuring your Storage

Creating a Snapshot for a Volume

Creating a Snapshot for a Volume

As part of your backup strategy, you can configure the NSS6000 to capture
snapshots of the data stored on a volume. You can define a snapshot to occur at
various frequencies (such as hourly, daily, weekly, and so on). Individual snapshots
are overwritten by the subsequent snapshot for the same interval. For example, if
you set up an hourly snapshot, the 10:00 a.m. snapshot is replaced by the 11:00
a.m. snapshot (and so on).

You can also configure multiple snapshots for the same volume. For example, you
might set up an hourly snapshot, another snapshot to occur every four hours, and a
daily snapshot. Each of these three snapshots is maintained separately and is only
overwritten by the subsequent snapshot of its own frequency type. The
snapshot(s) reside in the reserve area allocated for each snapshot. When you
create a snapshot, the end user can access it by logging into the NSS with their
username and password. Each snapshot appears as a copy of the share
accessible by the end user.

4

The snapshot reserve is the amount of space that you want to allocate on the array
to the snapshot. Once set, this space is not available for other storage use. The
recommended amount of a reserve is generally between 10 to 20% of the total
volume size. If the period of time between snapshots is greater, the amount of the
reserve should be greater. Or, if there is a heavy amount of activity on the volume,
set a higher reserve.

NOTE This feature is only available on NSS6000 series NAS units.

To create a snapshot for a volume:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  Snapshots.

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Configuring your Storage

Creating a Snapshot for a Volume

4

The Storage Snapshots page appears.

STEP 2 From the New Snapshot table, click the volume for which you are creating the

snapshot.

STEP 3 Depending on the frequency, use the first part of the Every field to enter a unit of

time. Tab to the second part of the Every field, and then click the snapshot
frequency (hours or days). For example, set the first part of the field to “7,” and the
second part to “Days” to take a snapshot once every week.

STEP 4 Use the At: fields to set up the timing for the snapshot. For example, if the

frequency is set to Days, set the hour and minute of the day at which you want the
snapshot to be taken. When entering the hour, use the 24-hour clock. For example,
3 p.m. should be entered as 15:00. When the frequency is set to Hours, you can
only edit the minutes part of the At: field.

STEP 5 In the Reserve Size field, enter the amount of space that you want to allocate to

the snapshot. This space becomes unavailable for any other storage on the array.
You must enter a minimum of 32 MB in this field.

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Configuring your Storage

Taking a Manual Snapshot of a Volume

NOTE The snapshot is built at the array level. The Volume column currently shows the

amount of space left on the array on which the volume is located. To calculate the
reserve size, refer to the applicable volume size listed on the Volume page.

STEP 6 Click Add to save the snapshot. Clicking Add saves the first snapshot. Each

subsequent snapshot occurs based on the defined schedule.

The snapshot details appear in the Currently Active Snapshots area at the top of
the page.

Taking a Manual Snapshot of a Volume

4

There might be times when you want to take a snapshot of a volume that falls
outside of the regularly scheduled snapshot times. When you take a snapshot of a
volume using the resnap function, the new snapshot overwrites the previously
existing one for the specified interval. For example, if you have a snapshot set up to
occur hourly and then click Resnap, a new snapshot is built that overwrites the
existing hourly snapshot.

NOTE This feature is only available on NSS6000 series NAS units.

To take a manual snapshot:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  Snapshots.

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Configuring your Storage

Windows End Users: Accessing a Snapshot for a Share

The Storage Snapshots page appears.

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STEP 2 Click Resnap next to the volume for which you want to take a snapshot.

The snapshot takes seconds to complete. To ensure data integrity, no writes can
occur to the share until the snapshot is complete.

Windows End Users: Accessing a Snapshot for a Share

After a snapshot is created for a volume, a file folder appears in the end user’s file
directory for each share to which the end user has access. Snapshots are saved
with the name of the share followed by an underscore and then the term “snap.”
Each file folder contains a subfolder for each snapshot interval (for example, hourly,
daily, and so on).

To access a snapshot for a share:

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Configuring your Storage

Volume Encryption Overview

STEP 1 There are a variety of ways to access the NSS:

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• From the My Computer window, type \\<hostname> or IP address in the

Address bar (where the <hostname> refers to your NSS hostname. For
example, \\NAS).

• Browse for the NSS from the My Network Places window.

• Map the NSS to a network drive.

The Log In window appears.

STEP 2 Enter your user name and password.

STEP 3 Click OK.

STEP 4 The Windows Explorer window opens with a directory listing of the folders for the

shares available on the user’s home directory

STEP 5 Snapshots are read-only. To work with a snapshot, locate it, take a copy of it, and

then place the copy in a working directory.

Volume Encryption Overview

The Volumes page lists both the encrypted and unencrypted volumes and lets
you create a volume, and lock, unlock, or change the password for
encrypted volumes.

NOTE File transfer performance to encrypted volumes is generally lower than non-

encrypted volumes.

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Configuring your Storage

Locking an Encrypted Volume

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Locking an Encrypted Volume

You can manually lock an encrypted volume at any time. Locking a volume means
that it becomes unmounted and is unusable (you cannot create or use shares
stored on the locked volume). This provides an extra layer of security against the
theft of data.

To lock a volume:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  Volumes.

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Configuring your Storage

Unlocking a Locked Volume

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The Volumes page appears.

The Crypto column displays whether the volume is encrypted (Yes) or not
encrypted (No).

STEP 2 Click Lock to lock the volume.

Unlocking a Locked Volume

When an encrypted volume is locked, either automatically as a result of the NSS
being rebooted or manually locked through the configuration interface, you must
unlock it before it can be used for tasks such as creating shares or quotas.

To unlock a volume:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  Volumes.

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Configuring your Storage

Unlocking a Locked Volume

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The Volumes page appears.

STEP 2 Click Unlock for the volume you want to unlock.

The Unlock Volume page appears.

STEP 3 Enter the password for the volume in the Password field.

STEP 4 Click OK.

The Volume Encryption page appears. The volume is now unlocked.

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Configuring your Storage

!

Changing the Password for an Encrypted Volume

Changing the Password for an Encrypted Volume

A password must be set up when you create an encrypted volume (see “Creating

a Volume,” on page 54

at any time. The password must be entered when the NSS is started up after a
power interruption, or, the volume has been manually locked.

CAUTION Because the password is required to de-crypt a locked volume, keep a backup of

the password so that you can access it when required. There is no way to unlock
the volume without the password. If you forget the password, the only way to
retrieve it is if the password was saved in a configuration file. See “Restoring a

Configuration File,” on page137.

To change the password on an existing encrypted volume:

). After the volume is created, you can change the password

4

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Storage  Volumes.

The Volumes page appears.

STEP 2 Click Edit for the volume you want to change.

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Configuring your Storage

Storage Options

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The Edit Volume page appears.

Storage Options

The Storage Options page lets you define the following:

• In Current Password field, enter the password.

• In the New Password field, enter the new password.

• Re-enter the new password in the Confirm Password field.

• Click Update.

• Idle Drive Spin Down: Configure the NSS to spin down the disk drives after

a predefined time of inactivity. Select the period of time that the disk drive
must be idle before it is spun down. (Select Never to ensure that the drives
are never spun down.)

• RAID Rebuild Priority: During normal operation, the CPU switches

between tasks to service all active tasks on the system. Creating a RAID
array or rebuilding an existing array can take up a significant amount of the
available percentage of CPU processing power. You can control how the
system prioritizes the rebuild and allocates the system’s resources based
on your system’s current workload and need for responsiveness. To set the

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Configuring your Storage

Storage Options

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RAID rebuild priority, choose one of the following from the RAID Rebuild
Priority field:

• High: The CPU focuses on the RAID rebuilding process. This setting allows

for the fastest possible RAID rebuild at the expense of other system tasks.
File-sharing throughput is adversely affected during a RAID rebuild when
this setting is chosen.

- Medium: This option gives a balance between the rebuild process and

other system tasks. The rebuild process takes longer than if it was set to
High.

- Low: The CPU focuses on other tasks versus the RAID rebuild process.

This results in a longer rebuild time on a busy system. However, if the
workload on the system is low, the CPU services the rebuild process
well. Note that if you are repairing an array, this option leaves the array
vulnerable until the rebuild is complete.

• Degraded Mode Grace Period: Set the period of time after which the

system automatically shuts down degraded arrays. You can manually
restart RAID arrays automatically stopped by using degraded mode
management. Warning messages are sent out periodically while the RAID
array is degraded.

• Enable Global Spares: Allow RAID arrays defined in the system to share

spare drives. If this option is disabled, a RAID array can only use a spare that
has been added to that particular array. If this option is enabled, spare
drives added to one RAID array may be reallocated by the NSS to another
RAID array.

For example, if RAID A is a two-drive RAID1 that is not degraded and RAID B
is a degraded two-drive RAID1, if you add a spare drive to RAID A, the NSS
automatically gives the spare drive to RAID B to enable RAID B to resync.
This option is only relevant when you use network disks (via storage
virtualization). A system limited to local disks lets you only build up to two,
two-disk RAID arrays, but have no spares.

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Configuring your Storage

Storage Options

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If you make changes to any of the storage options, click Update.

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Setting up End-User Access

The Access Status page shows the current end-user connections to the NSS,
grouped by the file-sharing protocol used. The page displays the username, the
name of the host from which the user is currently connected, and the share or path
that the user is accessing. The Access Status page automatically refreshes on a
regular interval and is helpful for monitoring the progress of certain processes
such as the current end-user connections to the NSS.

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Managing your NSS Users

You can create, view, and maintain the list of users who can access the NSS. The
Configured Users page displays the Configured Users table. This table lists
each defined user whether the user was created locally through the NSS
configuration interface or imported from an NTv4, Active Directory, or NIS domain.

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Setting up End-User Access

Creating a User Profile

Users that are not created locally through the NSS are read-only. Once a user
profile is created, you cannot rename the username. To rename an existing user
profile, delete the user profile and then create a new one. User profiles are
maintained by the administrator. Users cannot make changes to their passwords.

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To limit the entries in the User list, perform a substring search by entering the
desired search string in the User List Filter field, and then click Filter. (For
example, enter "ea" to display any list items that contain "ea" such as "Sean" or
"BillyJean".) To clear the filter, delete the contents of the User List Filter field, and
then click Filter.

Creating a User Profile

Depending on your network setup, you might administer users and groups locally
or through the domain controller. The NSS configuration interface gives you read­only access to users and groups provided by NTv4, Active Directory, or NIS
domains. You can also create and manage local users from the NSS configuration
interface. Before you can create a user profile, you must configure the volume you
want to use as the home directory location for your users on the Access Options
page (from the Manager Menu, click Access  Options).

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Setting up End-User Access

Creating a User Profile

To add a local user:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Access  Users.

The Configured Users page appears. Users created from the NSS
configuration interface and provided by the ADS, NTv4, or NIS domain appear
in the Configured Users table.

STEP 2 Click Add to create a user.

The New User page appears.

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STEP 3 In the Username field, type the username. The name must be made up of

alphanumeric characters (that is, a-z, 0-9), any case, to a maximum of 32
characters. This field is required.

STEP 4 Select the group you want to assign as the user’s primary group from the Primary

Group field. If there are no groups configured, the only available choice is the
default group “nasusers”. This field is required.

NOTE Although you can assign the user to multiple groups (through the Add Group or Edit

Group page), the primary group is the group against which quota charges for the

user’s storage usage are made and is the group that defines the group ownership
for all files created by the user. The primary group applies to users set up locally on
the NSS. A domain user’s primary group is set up from the domain and is not
derived from the Primary Group field in the NSS user profile

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Setting up End-User Access

Editing a User Profile

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STEP 5

STEP 6 To verify the password, re-enter it in the Confirm Password field.

NOTE All password changes to end-user accounts set up through the NSS configuration

STEP 7 To record the user’s full name, enter it in the Real Name field. This field is optional.

STEP 8 To record the user’s email address, enter it in the Email Address field. This field

STEP 9 Click OK to create the user and exit the New User page. Click Apply to create the

Assign a password by entering any valid (ASCII table) characters in the Password
field. The password is required.

pages must be made by the administrator.

You cannot enter the “/” character in this field.

is optional.

user and then add another new user.

Editing a User Profile

You can change certain aspects of the user ’s profile. Note that once you create a
username, the only way to “rename” that user is to delete the existing user profile
and then create a new one. If the user profile resides on an ADS, NTv4, or NIS
domain, you need to edit the profile from the applicable domain manager. All
password changes for end-user accounts set up directly through the NSS
configuration pages must be done by the Administrator.

To edit an existing user profile:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Access  Users.

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Setting up End-User Access

Editing a User Profile

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The Configured Users page appears.

The existing users appear in the Configured Users table.

STEP 2 Select the user from the list, and then click Edit. To limit the entries in the User list,

perform a substring search by entering the desired search string in the User List
Filter field, and then clicking Filter. (For example, enter "ea" to display any list items

that contain "ea" such as "Sean" or "BillyJean".)

The end user’s profile appears in the Edit User page.

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Setting up End-User Access

Integrating Users from an ADS, NTv4, or NIS Domain

STEP 3 The username is read-only. You can make changes to any of the other fields in the

user’s profile.

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STEP 4 Click Update.

Integrating Users from an ADS, NTv4, or NIS Domain

When the NSS is joined to an ADS, NTv4, or NIS domain, a list of existing domain
users is imported into the Configured Users list. You can view the entire user list
from the Configured Users page but can only edit or delete locally created users
(not domain users). The naming conventions use the NetBIOS format with the
domain name as a prefix of the username. The primary group for users set up
within the ADS, NTv4 or NIS domain is taken from the user’s domain profile versus
the Primary Group field in the NSS user profile.

NOTE Make sure that you set up your User and Group ID ranges before you join the NSS

to an ADS, NTv4, or NIS domain. After you join the NSS to a domain, you should not
make changes to the range as this might lead to an ID collision.

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Setting up End-User Access

Deleting a User Profile

Logging into the NSS as a Local User

When the NSS is joined to an NTv4 or ADS domain, local users must prefix their
username with the hostname of the NSS. Users who log in without the hostname
prefix are automatically assumed to be domain users. For example, if the NSS
hostname is “NASadmin” and the local username is “bob”, the user would need to
log in as “NASadmin\bob” in the login dialog.

Deleting a User Profile

You can delete user profiles that were created through the NSS. When you delete
a user profile, the user’s home directory and any files or folders created by the
user on the various shares are not deleted. As an administrator, you can log into
CIFS using the administrator account to delete the user’s data as required.

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To delete an existing user profile:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Access  Users.

The Configured Users page appears.

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Working with Groups

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STEP 2

Click the username and then click Delete. To delete multiple users, use the
following mouse-key combinations:

• Shift-click: To select a contiguous group of users that you want to delete,

hold down the Shift key, then click the first user, and then the last user in the
series. Click Delete to delete the highlighted users.

• Ctrl-click: To select a non-contiguous group of users that you want to

delete, hold down the Ctrl key, and then click each user from the list. Click
Delete to delete the highlighted users.

The selected user(s) disappear from the list of available users.

Working with Groups

Groups are an easy way to manage users with the same storage needs and
privileges. A group consists of one or more users. You can add or remove users
from a group at any time. The user’s primary group (the group to which quota
charges for storage usage are applied) is set up in the Primary Group field of the
user’s profile.

A group called “nasusers” is automatically created when you first install the NSS.
This group is the default primary group when you create new users.

To limit the entries in the Group list, perform a substring search by entering the
desired search string in the Group List Filter field, and then clicking Filter. (For
example, enter "ea" to display any list items that contain "ea" such as "Sean" or
"BillyJean".) To clear the filter, delete the contents of the Group List Filter field, and
then click Filter.

Creating a Group

Groups let you specify the share access privileges for a set of users. After you
create a group, you can define the group’s access privileges on a per-share basis.
You can also add or remove users to and from the group at any time. Users are
assigned a primary group within their user profile. When users create a file, the
group ownership is automatically set to their primary group. The storage usage is
charged to their primary group for the purposes of volume quota accounting.
Group membership, other than the primary group, is defined in either the Add
Group or Edit Group page and is used only to control access to shares and files.

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Setting up End-User Access

Creating a Group

NOTE You cannot grant security privileges to a group for a CIFS share through an ACL.

To create a group:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Access  Groups.

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The Configured Groups page appears.

STEP 2 Click Add.

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Creating a Group

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The New Group page appears.

STEP 3 In the Group Name field, type the name you want to assign to the group. The name

can only contain lower-case alphanumeric characters and underscores (i.e., a-z, 0­9, _) to a maximum of 32 characters.

STEP 4 Move the users you want to assign to the group from the Users Available list to the

Users in Group list. Note that a user can be assigned to multiple groups. (The

single angled bracket “<“ or “>” moves the selection in the direction of the bracket.
The double angled bracket “<<“ or “>>” moves the entire list in the direction of
the bracket.)

To limit the entries in the Users Available list, perform a substring search by
entering the desired search string in the User List Filter field, and then clicking
Filter. (For example, enter "ea" to display any list items that contain "ea" such as
"Sean" or "BillyJean".)

STEP 5 Click OK to save the current group and display the Configured Groups page. Click

Apply to save the current group and remain in the New Group page to add

another group.

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Setting up End-User Access

Changing the Users Assigned to a Group

Changing the Users Assigned to a Group

After you create a group, you can delete or add to the list of users that belong to
that group.

NOTE When you delete an end user from a group, the end user must log out of their client

machine before the change takes effect. This means that users no longer assigned
to a group maintain full group privileges (i.e., access to shares) until they log off/log
on to their computer.

To change the group membership:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Access  Groups.

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The Configured Groups page appears.

STEP 2 From the list of configured groups, select the group that you want to change.

STEP 3 Click Edit.

The Edit Group page appears.

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Integrating Groups from an Active Directory, NTv4, or NIS Domain

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STEP 4

STEP 5 Click Update.

Set up the Users in Group list as required. (The single angled bracket “<“ or “>”
moves the selection in the direction of the bracket. The double angled bracket
“<<“ or “>>” moves the entire list in the direction of the bracket.)

Integrating Groups from an Active Directory, NTv4, or
NIS Domain

When the NSS is joined to an Active Directory, NTv4, or NIS domain, domain
groups are imported into the Configured Groups list. Group membership for
imported domain groups are read-only. The naming conventions use the NetBIOS
format with the domain name as a prefix of the group name. For example,
“DOMAINNAME\GroupName”

NOTE Make sure that you set up your User and Group ID ranges before you join the NSS

to an ADS, NTv4, or NIS domain. After you join the NSS to a domain, you should not
make changes to the range as this might lead to an ID collision.

Deleting a Group

When you delete a group, the group is automatically removed from having access
to any configured shares.

To delete a group:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Access  Groups.

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Deleting a Group

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The Configured Groups page appears.

STEP 2 Before you can delete a group, you must remove any assigned users.

STEP 3 You can delete a group from two locations in the NSS configuration interface:

• Groups page: Highlight the group you want to delete from the Configured

Groups table, and then click Delete. To delete multiple groups, use the

following key-mouse combination:

- Shift-click: To select a contiguous list of groups that you want to delete,

hold down the Shift key, then click the first group, and then the last group
in the series. Click Delete to delete the highlighted groups.

- Ctrl-click: To select a non-contiguous set of groups that you want to

delete, hold down the Ctrl key, and then click each group from the list.
Click Delete to delete the highlighted groups.

• Edit Groups page: Select the group you want to edit, and then click Edit.

The Edit Groups page appears. Click Delete to remove the group.

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Setting up End-User Access

Managing Volume Quotas

5

Managing Volume Quotas

You can set up specific space limits for each user or group who has write access
to a volume. Defining a user or group’s quota means that you can set a space limit
(referred to as a soft quota) that, when reached, sends a warning to the
administrator and initiates a countdown of the defined grace period. The user has
the amount of time in the grace period to reduce the amount of space used to
under the soft quota limit. Users who do not reduce the space in the allotted grace
period, or who reach their hard quota limit, no longer have write access to the
volume until they reduce their usage to under their soft quota limit.

When a user creates, modifies or deletes a file on a volume, note that there is a
small delay before the usage is updated on the Quota page. This delay is due to
the caching in the filesystem used to provide high performance

NOTE Before you create or edit a quota located on an encrypted volume, make sure that

the volume is unlocked. You also need to set up the Warn For time for each volume
from the Volume Quota page. The Warn For time only affects individual quota that
was created after the Warn For time was set.

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Setting up End-User Access

Managing Volume Quotas

Changing the User’s Primary Group

Quotas are charged to the group assigned as the user’s primary group at the time
of file creation. If the user’s primary group changes, files created under the
previous group continue to be charged against that group. If the user’s primary
group changes while the user is connected to the NSS, the previous primary group
continues to be the group charged until the user’s connection is closed. The new
primary group becomes the group charged only after the connection is
reopened.

NOTE If you create a user within a domain, the primary group defined is in the user profile

from the domain, not from the Primary Group field in the NSS user profile.

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About the Volume Quota Page

Use the Volume Quota page to manage user and group quotas for each volume. To
display the Volume Quota page, from the Manager Menu, click Access  Quota.

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Setting up End-User Access

Creating Volume Quota for a User or Group

Creating Volume Quota for a User or Group

You can set up a quota on a volume for each user or group. This quota limits the
user or group to the allocated amount of space within the volume. To give certain
users or groups assigned to a volume full access to the space on the volume, do
not create a quota for that user or group.

NOTE Before you can create quota on an encrypted volume, make sure that it is unlocked.

You also need to set up the Warn For time for each volume from the Volume Quota
page. The Warn For time only affects individual quota that was created after the
Warn For time was set.

To create a quota for a user or group:

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STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Access  Quota.

The Filesystem Quota page appears.

STEP 2 Click Create Quota.

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Setting up End-User Access

Creating Volume Quota for a User or Group

The New Filesystem Quota page appears.

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STEP 3 Select the volume on which you want to set the quota from the New Quota on

drop-down list. To limit the entries in the User/Group list, perform a substring
search by entering the desired search string in the User/Group List Filter field,
and then clicking Filter. (For example, enter "ea" to display any list items that
contain "ea" such as "Sean" or "BillyJean".)

STEP 4 Select the user or group for which you are creating the quota from the For User/

Group drop-down list.

STEP 5 In the Warning at field, enter the threshold of space that, when exceeded, triggers

a warning that the quota is close to being used up. When the threshold is
exceeded, the grace period set up for the volume begins. The user has the amount
of time set in the grace period to reduce the amount of space used to under the
space set in the Warning at field or they are not allowed to write further data to
the volume. This is also referred to as a “soft quota.”

STEP 6 In the Space Limit field, enter the amount of space that the user or group has

available to use, and then select the size unit from the drop-down menu. This is
also referred to as a “hard quota.” If the user reaches the space limit, the user can
no longer write data to the volume until they either reduce the amount of space
used to under the limit by deleting files or have the quota increased.

STEP 7 Click Update.

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Setting up End-User Access

Setting up the Grace Period for a Volume Quota

Setting up the Grace Period for a Volume Quota

You can set up a limit on the amount of space available to your users or groups.
This limit can be set as a soft quota and hard quota. When the users reach their
“soft quota,” a warning is issued and the grace period begins. Users then have the
amount of time set in the grace period to either reduce the amount of spaced used
by deleting files, or have the quota increased. If the amount of space is not
reduced before the grace period expires or the user reaches the hard quota, the
user is automatically denied write access to the volume.

NOTE Before you create quotas for a user or group, make sure that you set up the Warn

For time for each volume from the Filesystem Quota page. The Warn For time only
affects individual quota that was created after the Warn For time was set.

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To set up the grace period for a volume:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Access  Quota.

The Filesystem Quota page appears.

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Changing a Volume Quota for a User or Group

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STEP 2

STEP 3 Click Update.

STEP 4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each applicable volume.

To set up the grace period, after which if the soft limit set for the user or group is
still exceeded, the user or group is denied write access, enter the time period in
the Warn for <time period> before denying access field. Enter the number in the
first part of the field, and the time unit in the second part of the field.

For example, to warn the user or group that they have reached their soft limit and
have three days to reduce it, enter “3” and then select “days”. Normally, when the
quota is under the limit, it appears in black type. When a user reaches their soft
quota limit, the amount listed on Filesystem Quota page turns red.

Changing a Volume Quota for a User or Group

After a quota is created, you can increase or decrease it. You can also change the
limit at which the user or group receives a warning message and the grace
period begins.

To change the quota limit or warning limit:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Access  Quota.

The Filesystem Quota page appears.

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Clearing a Quota

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STEP 2

STEP 3 Make the required changes to the soft (warning) or hard quota (space limit) limits.

STEP 4 Click Update.

Click Edit for the user or group for which you want to change the quota.

The Edit Quota page appears.

Clearing a Quota

After a quota has been set up, you can clear it. Clearing a quota means that the
user or group no longer has a space limitation on their use of the associated
volume (other than the actual unused storage space on the volume).

To clear a quota for a user or group:

STEP 1 From the Manager Menu, click Access  Quota.

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