Broadcom BroadNAS User manual

USER MANUAL
BCM94780
94780-UM100-R
16215 Alton Parkway •P.O. Box 57013 •Irvine, CA 92619-7013 • Phone: [phone] •Fax:[phone]/04
BroadNAS (Broadband Network Attached Storage)
Broadcom Confidential

Broadcom Corporation
P.O. Box 57013
16215 Alton Parkway
Irvine, CA 92619-7013
© 2004 by Broadcom Corporation
All rights reserved
Printed in the U.S.A.
Broadcom®and the pulse logo are registered trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in the United
States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
REVISION HISTORY
Revision Date Change Description
94780-UM100-R 01/13/04 Initial release.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1: PC Configuration...............................................................................................1
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1
The Hardware ............................................................................................................................................... 1
Hardware Overview ................................................................................................................................ 1
Connectors ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Front Panel Features....................................................................................................................... 3
Authentication Button....................................................................................................................... 5
Installation .................................................................................................................................................... 6
Installation Procedure ............................................................................................................................. 7
Section 2: Web Configuration...........................................................................................11
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 11
The Configuration Pages........................................................................................................................... 11
Basic ..................................................................................................................................................... 12
File Access............................................................................................................................................ 14
Disk Management................................................................................................................................. 15
Networking............................................................................................................................................ 17
Administration ....................................................................................................................................... 19
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Section 1: PC Configuration
INTRODUCTION
The BroadNAS is a powerful, feature-rich device that allows disk storage to be put onto a home and SOHO
network. The BroadNAS is by far the most advanced and flexible way to use digital storage in the home. Some
BroadNAS features are:
• PCs can read and write files to the BroadNAS by way of wired or wireless networks.
• Different PCs can share the same files on a single BroadNAS.
• Local PC files can be backed up to a BroadNAS.
Even more importantly for the future, many other digital devices, such as set-top TV boxes, digital cameras,
camcorders, digital audio players, and so on, are able to access the storage on the BroadNAS without being
encumbered by having to go through a PC.
The name BroadNAS comes from the two roots of broad and NAS. The broad comes from broadband,
meaning that huge amounts of digital data are available. In broadband, there are huge amounts of data being
transferred to and from the home. In BroadNAS, there are huge amounts of data being stored and distributed
throughout the home. The NAS is an acronym for Network Attached Storage, meaning the storage (disks) is
attached to the network itself instead of being limited to a particular computer.
THE HARDWARE
HARDWARE OVERVIEW
The BroadNAS hardware is a box. Disks are put into the box, and the power and network connect to the box.
Depending on the model, BroadNAS may have any one of the following:
• Two-to-four or more quick-removable disk sleds.
• Disks built in and not easily added or removed.
• In addition to standard wired networking, some BroadNAS models also have wireless networking built in.
The model received with this document is a two-disk model with quick-removable sleds. In addition, it has:
• One wired network (Ethernet) connector
• Two USB 1.1 connectors to allow expansion through USB disks
• One power connector
• Several status lights
• A couple of controls on the box
• Some variants have wireless networking
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Connectors
The connectors are on the back of the box, along with the main hard power shutoff switch.
Networking Connector
The Networking connector is a standard computer networking connector, alsoknown aseither aFast Ethernet
port or 10/100BASE-T port. The networking connector is the main connection between BroadNAS and the
home network. The cable to connect here is not supplied with the BroadNAS but can be purchased at most
computer supply stores.
USB Connectors
The USB connectors can be used to connect additional disks using the USB protocol, which is a flexible way
to quickly or temporarily add disks (such as temporarily store data while upgrading one of the internal IDE
disks). The data access is not as fast as for IDE disks, and the disks are generally more expensive than IDE
disks of the same capacity. Some versions of the BroadNAS also support connecting a USB printer to one of
these connectors, making the BroadNAS act as a print server, and accept printing requests from PCs on the
network, saving the files to be printed on the BroadNAS disks until the printer has completed the process. USB
cables are not provided with the BroadNAS, and many users may never need them because they do not use
a USB disk or printer. If a USB device is to be connected, a cable can be obtained from the same source as
the USB disk or printer or purchased at a computer supply store or website.
Main AC Power Switch
The Main AC power switch is used to completely cutoff power to the BroadNAS. There aretwo power controls
on the BroadNAS—a soft power control on the front and a hard power control on the back. The soft control on
the front should be used for most purposes, since it gives the BroadNAS a chance to save in-flight data and
shut down properly. The switch on the back is available as a backup in case something, which the soft power
switch cannot fix, goes seriously wrong with the BroadNAS.
AC Connector
The AC connector is an industry-standard 120V connector. The supplied power cord or a compatible cord can
be used to connect to a wall outlet or to an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). A home UPS is probably a
good investment for BroadNAS owners because it provides additional protection against damage to data due
to power interruptions or surges. Typically, a single UPS can supply power to both a PC and a BroadNAS,
because a BroadNAS is more efficient and uses much less power than a PC.
Networking (Ethernet) Connector Main AC Power Switch
AC Connector
120V AC only
S
erialDevelopment
C
onnector
USB Connectors
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Serial Development Connector
The Serial Development connector is only intended for development and debugging of BroadNAS hardware
and software and not intended to be used for a production product. There should not be a connector on the
outside of any production BroadNAS products.
Front Panel Features
The front panel of the BroadNAS has the indicator lights, removable drive trays, and buttons for user
interaction. Much more information and control are available through the web configuration interface, but the
front panel still provides a useful additional interface.
Drive Locked Status Light
There is one red Drive Locked Status light for each disk. If the light is on, the corresponding disk is locked into
the system by the software and should not be removed until it is unlocked and the light goes out.
Note: Some high-end BroadNAS models have devices to physically prevent the disk from being
removed when the software considers the disk to be locked, but the word locked in this sense is not
the same. In these models, the disk is physically prevented from being removed exactly when the drive
locked status light is on or when a user physically uses the key to lock a drive in place.
Authentication Button
Drive Lock
Drive Locked Status Lights
Drive Health
Status Lights Drive Eject
Request Button
s
Drive
Activity
Lights
Power Button (Soft Power)
Power
Indicator Light
Network
Connectivity
Light
T
winCopy™
L
ight
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Drive Health Status Light
There is one green Drive Health Status light for each disk. This light indicates any problems with the disk that
have been detected by the BroadNAS. If the BroadNAS detects a disk in the corresponding slot and the
BroadNAS considers the disk to be free from errors, the light is constantly on. If the BroadNAS believes that
there is a problem with the disk, but it is still at least partly functional, the light blinks. A blinking light should be
considered as an important warning that the disk should be replaced, even if it seems to be working. In addition
to other methods, the BroadNAS uses a technology called SMART (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting
Technology) to keep tabs on the health of disks and try to detect when a disk is starting to have problems
before any data is lost.
Drive Activity Lights
There are Drive Activity lights on the lower part of the front panel, one for each disk slot. Each light is on only
while the corresponding disk is actually being written or read, so these lights tend to fluctuate depending on
how heavily the BroadNAS is being used.
Drive Eject Request Buttons
For each disk slot, there is also one Drive Eject Request button that supports hot-swapping of disks. That
means that if there is more than one disk in the system, one of the disks can be replaced without interrupting
the use of the other one. This allows seamless upgrades of disks containing data protected by TwinCopy
technology. When TwinCopy is not being used, the data on the disk ceases to be available when the disk is
removed, but other disks in the system continue to function and be available without interruption.
If a disk is to be removed while the BroadNAS is running, the Drive Eject Request button should be pressed
once to cause the software to cleanly shut down its accesses to the disk and then electrically disconnect the
disk. The software then extinguishes the drive locked status light. When this light turns off, it is safe to remove
the disk. After removing the old disk and putting in the new one, push the button a second time to inform the
BroadNAS that the new disk has been inserted and is ready to use. At that point, the software electrically re-
connects that disk slot and starts using the disk. The drive locked status light and drive health status light turn
back on if all goes well to indicate that the new disk is locked in place and in good health.
Drive Lock
The Drive Lock is the one final control that the BroadNAS has for each disk slot, which is a physical lock that
requires a physical key provided with the BroadNAS. Using this lock helps avoid accidental disk removals and
discourages those without the key from removing disks.
The sledsare acquired from third parties, and there are a number of variants of these sleds. The variants range
from plain, inexpensive sleds with no external controls or displays to sophisticated sleds with temperature
measurements, alarms, and detailed LCD displays.
Note: No technology can predict all failures and disks can fail without the BroadNAS having detected
the coming problem in some cases. BroadNAS, however, improves system reliability by detecting the
kinds of problems that occur most of the time.
Note: There are additional buttons and displays on the disk sleds themselves that are specific to the
sledsand not directlyconnected to the BroadNAS. For details,refer to the documentation provided with
each sled.
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Authentication Button
The Authentication button is used as a security measure to deny some degree of access to those who cannot
prove physical access tothe BroadNAS. Themain idea here isthat the primary security threat to a typical home
BroadNAS is over the network from anonymous hackers, not from anyone inside the home. Passwords are
good for protecting against intruders, but may have some disadvantages.
Example: A typical BroadNAS user might need to access the configuration interface only about once a
year, making a password hard to remember. This could make the user have to call tech support or use an
obvious password like password or BroadNAS, which would make the system easy prey to anyone on the
network connecting to the BroadNAS. As a supplement or alternative, the user can choose to allow
configuration access only to those who can press the button to prove they are in the house.
Soft Power Button
The Soft Power button onthe front of the box is acleaner wayto shut down power than the Hard Power switch
on the back. For details, see “Main AC Power Switch” on page 2.
Power Indicator Light
The Power Indicator light shows whether or not the BroadNAS is turned on. If the light is on, then the system
is turned on.
Network Connectivity Light
The Network Connectivity light indicates whether or not there is a good physical connection to the network. If
the light is not on, thenthe BroadNAS is unableto communicate onthe network port at all. Thistypically means
that a cable is either not connected, or connected to a device that is turned off or not working correctly.
Note: This kind of physical authentication is not a replacement for passwords, and is another option
that can be used with or instead of passwords, as the user chooses. It also helps avoid the initial setup
security problem of deciding what the password should be when the system arrives. If it is the same
for every BroadNAS or the system is not protected by a password until the user explicitly sets one,
systems are vulnerable until the users explicitly configure them. This is a particular problem for a
BroadNAS since all configuration is done over the network, unlike a PC where the initial configuration
can be required to be done at the keyboard of that PC and not over the network.
Note: If the light is on, that does not necessarily mean that all is right with the network—it just means
that the basic communication link is connected. The light might be on even if the BroadNAS cannot
successfully serve files, such as if its network configuration is not compatible with that of the network
to which it is connected.
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TwinCopy™Light
The final interface on the front panel is the TwinCopy light. TwinCopy is an advanced technology that allows
some or all of the shares on the BroadNAS to have their data copied onto two or more disks, so the data is not
lost if one disk fails. The copying is taken care of entirely by the BroadNAS and is nearly invisible when turned
on, so the TwinCopy light is provided to indicate that it is functioning properly. If at least one share is protected
by TwinCopy technology and one of the shares protected by TwinCopy technology is fully protected, then the
TwinCopy light is constantly on. If all the TwinCopy shares are running with the right number of good disks, but
at least one of them is in the process of an online rebuild, the light blinks. An online rebuild happens whenever
the two copies of a TwinCopy share get out of sync. This can happen if one disk died and has been replaced,
or if one disk was accidentally removed while the share was in use, the share continued to function, and later
the original disk was put back. When an online rebuild is going on, the BroadNAS is busy copying and checking
data to get the two copies back in sync. The shares are fully available during all of this—the BroadNAS works
on putting things back in sync when it has time between jobs it does for external file read and write requests.
After some time, the online rebuild finishes, and the two copies are back in sync and stay that way unless
something else goes wrong. At that point, the TwinCopy light comes back on constantly. The flashing
TwinCopy light should be taken as a warning that the system is restoring the copy but is not done, so the data
in the TwinCopy shares is more vulnerable than usual. If the disk with the good copy of the data fails before
the other copy is synched up, data could be lost. But while it is a sign of danger, the flashing TwinCopy light is
also a sign of things being put back in order. If there is a problem that cannot be put back in order, the light
does not come on at all. The TwinCopy light goes out if any disk used in a TwinCopy share dies, has errors,
or is removed. This does not indicate that data is lost, but that it is no longer as well protected as before, and
the problem disk should be replaced, so that full TwinCopy protection can be restored.
INSTALLATION
BroadNAS does not come with any pre-installed disks, so at least onedisk must be installedbefore connecting
BroadNAS. One or two disk drives can be installed in BroadNAS. There are three main types of disk drives
available:
•IDE/ATA
•SCSI
•SATA
The disks used in BroadNAS must be IDE/ATA disks—SCSI and other disks are not compatible. Most disk
drives sold are IDE drives, and they tend to be the least expensive. IDE drives can be purchased at most
computer supply stores or online. Ask the seller to confirm that it is an IDE drive. When the disk(s) is ready,
begin the installation procedure.
WARNING: Do not connect the power or any other cables before installing your first disk or disks.
If you have already connected any cables, disconnect them now.
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INSTALLATION PROCEDURE
The following procedure describes how to remove the drive sled and insert the drive by connecting the IDE
and power cables:
1Lift the drive handle and slowly pull out the drive sled. If the drive bay is locked, use the provided key to unlock
it before attempting to remove a drive sled.
As the handle is lifted to 90 degrees, the drive unseats itself from the internal connector. The drive should slide
easily from the docking tray.
WARNING: Trying to remove the drive while it is locked results in damage to the drive sled.
Drive
Handle
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2Place the drive sled on an even surface.
Release Tab
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3Open the case by pressing the release tab on the front of the drive sled, and slide the cover in the direction of
the arrow.
Components of the drive sled assembly are the top cover, drive sled, installation manual, screws, and a set of
keys. The keys are used to physically lock the drive into the sled and deter the accidental removal of the drive
while it is in use. The screws are used to secure the drive into the drive sled.
4Connect the IDE and power cables.
IDE Cable
Power Cable
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5Gently insert the drive into the drive sled. Care must be taken not to damage the IDE cable during this
operation.
6When the drive has been inserted, secure the drive with four screws (two on each side).
7Place the top cover back on the drive sled. Ensure that when the top cover is attached, the front catch is
engaged to ensure that the cover stays in place while being handled.
8Replace the drive sled into its housing in the BroadNAS. Gently slide the sled into the slot until it meets firm
resistance and push the handle down. Pushing the handle down should pull the sled a bit farther into the
housing and lock it into place. If pushing the handle down does not pull the sled farther back, it has not
latched—pull the handle back up, push the drive farther in, and try again.
9When the handle is firmly locked in place, the installation is complete. Do not optionally lock the drive into place
using the provided key.
Screw locations
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Section 2: Web Configuration
INTRODUCTION
This section describes the Web configuration processof BroadNAS. To get to the configuration pages, perform
the following steps:
1Connect the BroadNAS Ethernet port to a DHCP server Ethernet port and turn on Power.
2On any Windows machine on the same network, go to Network Neighborhood -> Workgroup. You will see
BroadNAS as one of the peer machines.
a. If you do not see BroadNAS under Workgroup, open an explorer window and type \\BroadNAS in the
address bar. This should show all the shares on BroadNAS. This step can take up to 1 minute. If you get
an error, wait and try one more time.
b. If Step a does not work, reboot your windows machine and try the above steps again. You should be able
to see the BroadNAS.
3To configure the BroadNAS, please go into config share and double-click on Configuration.html.
This will open your Web Browser on the BroadNAS configuration page. If you have physical authentication
on, make sure that you press the physical authentication button on the BroadNAS.
4The configuration process requires a user name and password. The default user name is blank (i.e., do not
type anything for user name). The default password is nasoc.
Now you are ready to configure your BroadNAS box.
THE CONFIGURATION PAGES
There are five main BroadNAS maintenance pages (six if the BroadNAS includes the Wireless LAN hardware).
The five main pages are:
•Basic—The Basic page gives access to the most basic configurations of the BroadNAS. This is the first
page that will be displayed when the BroadNAS is connected (see “Basic” on page 12).
•File Access—The File Access page gives access to configuration details relating to how files are made
available through the BroadNAS (see “File Access” on page 14).
•Disk Management—The Disk Management page allows the user to configure how disk space is to be
configured, including setting up mirroring (see “Disk Management” on page 15).
•Networking—The Networking page gives access to details of Ethernet networking (see
“Networking” on page 17).
•Administration—The Administration page gives access to some administrative details, including the
ability to upgrade the version of the firmware running on the BroadNAS (see “Administration” on page 19).
On BroadNAS boxes that support it, the Wireless page gives access to the details of the Wireless LAN
interface.
These main pages are always accessible via a row of buttons across the top of each page in this web interface.
Some of these main pages have subpages that can be accessed for special purposes.
Example: The Disk Management page has a Create Pool subpage that is used when the user decides to
create a new disk pool.
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BASIC
The Basic page gives access to two basic areas of functionality: time and web interface security.
The BroadNAS keeps track of the date and time and uses this information for time stamps on files it keeps as
well as for administrative purposes such as error and connection logging. The BroadNAS clock runs in real
time and hasa small battery tokeep theclock runningeven while thepower to the BroadNAS isturned off. So,
once the date and time have been set, they will stay correct for some time.
The Basic page shows the current date and time as the BroadNAS knows it and as the PC running the web
browser knows it. This gives some idea whether the BroadNAS time is correct. It also has a button to allow the
BroadNAS time to be set manually. Thisbutton brings upanother page that allows the user to set any date and
time from 1970 through 2030. Alternatively, a different button on the Basic page sets the BroadNAS time to
match the time on the PC running the web browser. Since PCs typically have the correct time set already, this
is a simple way to set the BroadNAS to the correct date and time.
The BroadNAS is also capable of getting and maintaining the date and time from the network. BroadNAS
boxes that are on networks connected to the Internet should usually be set up to do this. This kind of network
time synchronization is done through an international standard called NTP for Network Time Protocol. This can
be set up on the Networking page (see “Networking” on page 17), wherethere are threeslotsfor NTP Servers.
Note: In the current Beta version of the software, saving time between reboots is not supported,
though the hardware is there. A future release will include this support.
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These three slots give the IP addresses of the machines that the BroadNAS should use to determine the
current date and time. The defaults are 192.5.41.40, 192.5.41.41, and 133.100.9.2. The first two of these are
servers run by the United States Naval Observatory as a public service to provide the precise time over the
Internet. The third is a similar time server in Japan. These are generally good choices for time servers, though
those in large corporate or academic networks might have more local time servers available.
The final time-related setting is the time zone on the Basic page. With this setting, you can select any time zone
in the world.
The other kind of functionality in the Basic page is web interface security. Here the administration user name
and password may be set. If the user name and password are both left blank, this kind of password security
for the BroadNAS is disabled. If either is non-blank, however, whenever a web browser connects to the web
interface, this user name and password must be typed, or access will be denied. Once they have been typed,
the web browser remembers them and continues to use them, so the user name and password only need to
be typed once. Once the web browser is closed, though, and a new browser opened, the user name and
password need to be entered again. The default user name is blank and password is nasoc.
There is also an option to enable the Security Button to protect web access. If this option is enabled, then web
access will be denied until the user presses the security button on the front of the BroadNAS. This verifies that
only users who are physically located with access to the BroadNAS will be able to get to the configuration
interface—it will be immune from purely network-based attacks. Once the button has been pressed, the user
has two minutesto connectto the web configurationinterface througha browser. Once the connection ismade,
the web configuration interface is bound to the machine that is connected to it—all other connections will be
refused. If the user wants to connect from another machine, the button must be pressed again, then the other
machine establishes a connection. Connections will be denied from the first machine. If the BroadNAS is
rebooted, the security button must be pressed again to allow a web connection.
The security button and password security mechanisms are complementary. For maximum security, both
should be used. If maximum security is not needed, either one or the other of the security mechanisms may
be used on its own. It is not recommended that both security mechanisms be disabled except on a private
network with absolutely no connection to the Internet or anyplace else where potential security threats may
exist.
Note: In the current Beta version of the software, only US time zones can be set through this
interface. Though the underlying software has full support for all world time zones, the web pages
just don't support the full range of choices yet.
Note: The security button causes a particular machine to be allowed access, not a particular
browser window, so if others have access to the same machine, they will also be able to access
the BroadNAS until the BroadNAS is rebooted, or until the security button is used to make a
connection from another machine.
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FILE ACCESS
The File Access page deals with shares. A share is a directory that can be mounted on one or more PCs and
filled with as many subdirectories and files as desired, up to the limit of the space in the disk pool in which that
share exists. A pool is a set of disk space that can contain one or more shares. See “Disk
Management” on page 15 for information about creating and managing disk pools. If more than one share is
in the same pool, then any space taken up byone shareis space that isn't availablefor the other shares inthat
pool, and if any one share fills up the space, no files can be written to any of the shares in that pool until some
files are deleted. Shares in other pools, however, will continue functioning normally.
This page also allows details of thefile sharing protocols to be changed. Shares canbe exported through either
CIFS for Windows-based PCs and Apple Macs or NFS for Linux and Unix machines.
Note: A disk pool must be created from the Disk Management page (see “Disk
Management” on page 15) before a share may be created.
Note: In the current Beta software release, the onlyfile protocol options are to turn each CIFS and
NFS on and off. A future release will add support for various detailed performance and security
parameters of each protocol, parameters that can either be set for the whole system or be
overridden on a share-by-share basis.
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DISK MANAGEMENT
The Disk Management page shows what disks are connected to the BroadNAS (including both IDE and
external USB disks) and how the space on those disks is allocated.
Before a disk may be used by the BroadNAS, it must be claimed. The process of claiming a disk marks it as
being used by this BroadNAS and wipes out any pre-existing data on the disk.
Data written while the disk was on the PC cannot be exported from the BroadNAS. So care should be taken
before the disk is claimed. The BroadNAS may be configured to automatically claim new blank disks that are
attached to it and automatically use the new disks in certain ways.
All claimed disks are shown in a graph that illustrates how the various pools are distributed among them. This
information tells you the exact sizes of the various components of each pool and how they are spread across
the disks. Information on the disks themselves, including health information, is also provided. The BroadNAS
WARNING: If a disk is taken from some other source, such as a PC, and added to the BroadNAS,
it cannot be used by the BroadNAS without wiping out all the existing data on the disk.
Note: This feature of automatically claiming newly attached disks is not available in the current
Beta release of the software.
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uses theSMART protocol to query detailed information from each disk that supportsit. Most modern harddisks
support SMART to some degree or another. This allows the BroadNAS to discover that a disk is failing before
any data is lost. If the information indicates any problem with a disk, it is recommended that the disk be
replaced immediately.
The Disk Management page also has a button that allows new disk pools to be created. When this button is
clicked, a new page is brought up that shows the disks available and allows the user to choose how to set up
the new pool. The new pool may be mirrored, striped, or both, depending on how many disks are available. By
default, the configuration interface will decide how big the pool will be and how to use the disks for that pool,
to maximize the size of the pool. The user can override this by manually setting the new size, or the user can
chooseto manually determine exactlyhow much of each disk is mapped to each part of the new pool. If striping
and/or mirroring are being used, there will be several columns of check boxes. Each disk may be assigned to
at most one of these columns, and each column needs at least one disk assigned to it. The amount of each
disk space to use for the column it is assigned to is entered at the right. If the value entered is too large, the
interface willimmediately correct it to the maximum value allowedfor that disk. The total for each column must
be the same; if the user manually configures things, it is up to the user to make sure the totals add up correctly.
To create a RAID 1 or mirrored pool, follow these steps:
1Provide a name for the pool.
2Check on Mirroring.
3Check on Auto Configuration.
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