Cisco Linksys Business Series Network Storage System... User manual

GETTING STARTED GUIDE
Linksys Business Series Network Storage System
Models NSS4000 and NSS6000 Series
Linksys Business Series Network Storage System
Getting Started Guide

© 2007-2008 Copyright 2007-2008, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
Linksys, the Cisco Systems logo, the Linksys Logo, and the Linksys One logo are registered trademarks of Cisco
Systems, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

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Contents
Linksys Business Series Network Storage System Administrator Guide
Contents
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Benefits 3
About this Guide... 3
Recommended Installation Sequence 4
Chapter 2: Part A: Set up the Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Step 1: Install the Disk Drives 7
Approved Vendor List for Drives 9
Step 2: Install the Ethernet Links 9
Step 3: Install the Power 10
NSS-supported UPS Product Families 11
Chapter 3: Part B: Configure the Network Storage System (NSS) . . . 13
Step 1: Access the NSS when there is no DHCP Server Present on your Network 14
Step 2: Log into the Configuration Interface 15
Option A: Linksys One Environment Login Steps 15
Option B: Standalone Environment Login Steps 17
Step 3: Configure the Timing Settings 18
Step 4: Create a RAID Array 19
Step 5: Create a Volume 21
Step 6: Virtualize Storage within your Network 23
Exporting Storage to your Network 23
Creating Virtualized Storage 24
Step 7: Configure the NSS Network Identification 25
Step 8: Configure the User/Group Ranges and Home Directory Location 28
Step 9: Create any Locally Defined Users and Groups 29
Creating a User Profile 29
Creating a Group 31
Step 10: Create a Share 32
Adding a DFS Shared Folder 35
Restrictions using Microsoft DFS from the NSS 38
Step 11: Create a Snapshot for a Volume 38
Step 12: Create a Scheduled Backup for a Share 40
Step 13: Complete the Configuration 42
Step 14: Save the Current Configuration 43
Chapter 4: Part C: Instruct Your Users How to Access the NSS Storage . 45
Windows Users: Accessing the NSS Storage using CIFS/SMB 45
Windows Users: Accessing the NSS Storage through FTP 46
UNIX/Linux Users: Accessing Storage through NFS 46
UNIX/Linux Users: Accessing Storage through FTP 47

2Contents
Linksys Business Series Network Storage System Administrator Guide
Contents
Mac Users: Accessing Storage through CIFS/SMB 47
Mac Users: Accessing Storage through FTP 48
Chapter 5: LEDs & Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Power LED (Front Panel) 49
System LED (Front Panel) 50
Reset Button (Front Panel) 50
LAN LEDs (Front Panel) 51
Hard Disk Drive LEDs (Front Panel) 51
USB LED (Front Panel) 52
UPS LED (Back Panel) 52
Linksys One Contact Information 53

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Getting Started Guide
Chapter
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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 as well as 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.
Benefits
The NSS offers the following main advantages to your business:
•Cross-platform File Sharing: Share files easily and inexpensively across heterogeneous
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 networked users.
•Data Consolidation: Centralize data to reduce management costs and maximize your
investment in existing hardware. This also means better data security.
About this Guide...
The Getting Started Guide contains the step-by-step details for getting your NSS up and running for
the first time---from hooking up the hardware to doing the basic configuration steps to get the NSS
running. Users are shown how to log into the NSS to access storage.

4Chapter 1: Introduction
Recommended Installation Sequence
Getting Sarted Guide
Chapter
1
Recommended Installation Sequence
Follow the NSS installation steps to set up and configure the device. They provide out-of-the-box
instructions. You can find detailed instructions for each step in the remaining sections of this guide.
• Part A: Set up the hardware:
- Step 1: Install the disk drives. Skip this step if you have an NSS4100 or NSS6100 as they
are already equipped with disk drives.
- Step 2: Connect the Ethernet cable(s).
- Step 3: Connect the power.
• Part B: Configure the NSS:
- Step 1: Configure the Network Settings IF a DHCP server is not present. (If there is a DHCP
server, skip this step.)
- Step 2: Log into the Configuration Interface
- Step 3: Configure the Time setting (options include NTP or manual).
- Step 4: Configure the RAID(s). You can choose to skip this step if you have an NSS4100 or
NSS6100 as it is preconfigured with a RAID5 array.
- Step 5: Create the volume(s).
- Step 6: If you have multiple NSS units (one of which is a NSS6000 series unit), and you
want to virtualize your storage, set up the export/import of the virtualized RAID arrays.
- Step 7: Set up the User and Group ID ranges and the users’ home directory location (this
enables the import of groups/users from Domain Controllers and to create local users and
groups).
- Step 8: Configure the Network Domain Identification (NT4, Active Directory, NIS, etc.) to
join the NSS to a domain.
- Step 9: Add any locally defined groups or users. (Optional)
- Step 10: Create share(s) and enable access to these shares (i.e., CIFS, NFS, FTP). You can
also define the DFS access.
- Step 11: If you have an NSS6000 series unit, configure the volume snapshots. (Optional)
- Step 12: Configure the share backups. (Optional)

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Recommended Installation Sequence
Getting Started Guide
Chapter
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- Step 13: Go through the rest of the configuration options to set up quotas, edit groups, set
up email and SNMP alerts, and so on. For more detailed information, refer to the Online
Help from the Configuration Manager, or the Linksys Business Series Network Storage
System Administrator Guide available from the Linksys website at www.linksys.com
- Step 14: After you configure the NSS, save a copy of the configuration file to a location on
the NSS and to a USB key.
• Part C: Instruct your users how to access the NSS.

6Chapter 1: Introduction
Recommended Installation Sequence
Getting Sarted Guide
Chapter
1

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Chapter 2: Setting up the Hardware
Step 1: Install the Disk Drives
Getting Started Guide
Chapter
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Part A: Set up the Hardware
This chapter provides details for installing the NSS hardware. The installation is broken down into
the following steps:
1. Step 1: Install the Disk Drives: If your NSS does not have disk drives already installed, follow
the steps in this section to insert disk drives into the NSS chassis.
2. Step 2: Connect the Ethernet Cable(s): Connect up to two Ethernet links from the NSS to your
network.
3. Step 3: Connect the Power: Ensure you have connected the power cable from the NSS to the
applicable power source (UPS or mains).
Step 1: Install the Disk Drives
After you remove the NSS from the packaging, you are ready to set up the hardware. For the
NSS6100 or NSS4100, skip this step and go to Step 2 to install the Ethernet cable(s).

8Chapter 2: Setting up the Hardware
Step 1: Install the Disk Drives
Getting Sarted Guide
Chapter
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To install the disk drives into the NSS:
1. Remove a disk tray from the front of the NSS chassis by pushing in the tab on the front of the
tray. (There is no recommended order of which tray to remove first.) The disk drives are
numbered from 1 to 4 (left to right) in the front of the chassis.
2. Position the disk drive into a disk tray.
3. Using a Phillips screwdriver, either screw in two screws on each side of the disk tray to the disk
drive, or screw in the four screws on the bottom of the disk tray to the disk drive.
4. Apply even pressure to the both corners of the tray while you insert the tray fully into position in
the chassis.
5. When the disk drive is inserted all the way in, close the latch on the disk drive tray.
6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 for each disk drive you want to install.