StarTech.com IDECASE35NAS User manual

Network Storage HD
Enclosure
IDECASE35NAS Instruction Manual
Actual product may vary from photo
InfoSafe 3.5” USB 2.0 Network Storage HD Enclosure

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This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital
device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the
user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
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This manual may make reference to trademarks, registered trademarks, and other
protected names and/or symbols of third-party companies not related in any way to
StarTech.com. Where they occur these references are for illustrative purposes only and
do not represent an endorsement of a product or service by StarTech.com, or an
endorsement of the product(s) to which this manual applies by the third-party company in
question. Regardless of any direct acknowledgement elsewhere in the body of this
document, StarTech.com hereby acknowledges that all trademarks, registered
trademarks, service marks, and other protected names and/or symbols contained in this
manual and related documents are the property of their respective holders.

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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Connecting the hard drive to the enclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Connecting the Network Drive Enclosure to a network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Connecting the enclosure via USB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
NDAS Device Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Completing the Found New Hardware Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Using the Network Storage Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Sharing the Network Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Network Drive status modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Changing from Read/Write to Read-Only Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Changing from Read-Only to Read/Write Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Network Disk Bind Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Refresh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Bind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Unbind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Using Mirrored NDAS Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Using Bound Network Drives among different driver versions . . . . . . . . . . .13
Formatting the Network Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Initializing the Network Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Partitioning the Network Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Formatting the partition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Formatting the drive through My Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Uninstalling the Network Drive(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
FAQs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Instruction Manual
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Thank you for purchasing a StarTech.com Network Storage Hard Drive
Enclosure. This product allows you to connect multiple computers to one hard
drive, in order to backup and access files through your Local Area Network. You
can also connect several hard drives, in order to expand drive storage and
create one large hard drive (JBOD) or use RAID 0 and 1 for backups.
Features
• Supports RAID 0, 1 and JBOD to connect multiple hard drives together for
consolidated data backup
• Supports NTFS to allow large files to be transferred quickly, without errors
• Allows you to locate hard drives anywhere on a Local Area Network
• Configurable access privileges
• Easy installation: Plug and Play installation, no IP addresses or dedicated
computer/servers are required for use with LAN
• Supports Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP, Linux, Mac OS 9.0 and higher
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System Requirements
• Operating System: Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP, Linux, Mac OS 9.0 or higher
• An available network connection
Contents
This package should contain:
• Network Drive Enclosure (1)
• 18” Cat5e cable (1)
• 3’ USB Type ‘A’ Female to Type ‘B’ Female (1)
• Power adapter (1)
• Driver CD (1)
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Connecting the hard drive to the enclosure
1. Loosen the left and rightmost screws, located on the rear plate of the enclosure. Slide
the plastic hard drive tray out of the enclosure.
2. Place the desired hard drive into the enclosure in such a way as to align both the IDE
connector and the power connector. If the power connectors are not properly aligned,
please loosen the screw on the adjustable connector, and re-orient the connector so
that they are properly lined up.
3. Firmly but gently, connect the hard drive to the IDE connector and the power
connector.
4. If necessary, re-fasten the screw that was loosened in step 2.
5. Use the enclosed screws to hold the hard drive in place on the tray.
6. Slide the drive tray back into the enclosure, tightening the screws loosened in step 1.
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Connecting the Network Drive Enclosure to a network
1. Connect the included Ethernet cable from the Ethernet port on the enclosure, to a
switch (100 Base-T). For wireless network connections, connect IDECASE35NAS to
your wireless router or access point using the included Ethernet cable.
2. Ensure the power connector is firmly attached to the enclosure. Connect the opposite
end of the connector to an available power source.
3. Slide the On/Off Switch, located on the back of the enclosure, to the ‘On’ position.
Connecting the enclosure via USB
Please note: NDAS Device software is not a required installation, if the drive is
being used in USB mode.
1. Connect the included USB cable from the USB port on IDECASE35NAS to an
available USB port on the host computer.
2. Ensure the power connector is firmly attached to the enclosure. Connect the opposite
end of the connector to an available power source.
3. Slide the On/Off Switch, located on the back of the enclosure, to the ‘On’ position.
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Warning! Although IDECASE35NAS is capable of both
NDAS and USB connections, connecting both
simultaneously can damage the drive and/or the
enclosure.

Installing the NDAS software
The NDAS software is located on the accompanying drivers disk:
1. Locate the appropriate driver,
in the root folder of the drivers
disk.
2. Double-click on the application
icon to initiate the installation
program.
3. On the Welcome screen, click
Next.
4. After accepting the License
Agreement, click Next.
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Windows 98SE
Windows XP/2000

5. On the next screen, you will be given the option to install the software. Click on the
Install button. Please wait, while installation continues.
6. If either of the following windows appear, please click Yes or Continue Anyway:
7. After allowing the installation to complete, click Finish when given the option.
Following this, you will be asked to restart your system, in order for the configuration
changes to take effect. Click on Yes to restart the computer.
NDAS Device Registration
1. Following drivers installation, you should notice an NDAS Device Management icon
located in the system tray. Click on this icon and select Register a New Device.
2. Once the NDAS Device Registration
Wizard appears, click Next to continue.
3. Enter a name for the NDAS device,
then click Next.
4. Add your NDAS device ID and Write
Key. The Write Key is located on the
bottom of the circuit board attached to
the hard drive tray, and is also located
on the accompanying driver CD. This
key is required to write to the NDAS device. Click Next once all necessary information
has been entered.
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5. The installation program will then
automatically check the status of the
device. Once it is finished, please click the Next button.
6. You will then be given the option of how to mount the NDAS device. Once your
selection is made, please click on Next:
7. Registration is now complete. Click on Finish when prompted.
Completing the Found New Hardware Wizard
1. Once registration is complete, the Found New Hardware Wizard may appear. If so,
please click on Next on the first screen, leaving the radio button next to
Install the
software automatically (recommended)
selected. Please note, in Windows 2000,
the Upgrade Device Driver Wizard will appear instead.
2. If the Windows Logo Testing message comes up, click Yes or Continue Anyway to
finish the installation.
3. To verify that the installation was successful, click on the NDAS Device Management
icon located in the system tray, to view the registered NDAS device:
If you are unable to see your NDAS Device, please click Refresh Status, and re-
check.
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NDAS device is left in Unmounted mode
Mounts the NDAS device as Read/Write device
Mounts the NDAS device as Read Only device
Read Only Mode
Read/Write
Mode

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Upon successfully installing the network drive, it will appear as a local drive in My
Computer. Although the assigned drive letter and device name may vary between
personal computers, it can still be used like a local drive on your PC.
Sharing the Network Drive
Once connected to your network, IDECASE35NAS can be accessed from any computer
on your LAN. To share the network drive in a Windows XP/2000 environment:
• All computers and the network drive must be on the same LAN.
• The network drive must be connected via Ethernet or Wireless Router
• To share read and write access, all computers on the network using the
network drive
must be registered on each computer.
Warning! Do not perform disk operations (format, partition, chkdsk etc.) when
multiple PCs have the network drive mounted. Disk operations can be performed
when only one PC is connected.
Network Drive status modes
IDECASE35NAS provides users with six basic operating modes:
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Read/Write mode: Users can read and write to the
network drive
Mounted (RW) - The current state of NDAS device.
Unmount - Enables users to change NDAS device
mode to Connected Mode.
Properties - Displays properties of the NDAS device.
Read Only mode: Users can only read from the network
drive
Mounted (RO) - The current state of NDAS device.
Unmount - Enables users to change NDAS device mode
to Connected Mode.
Properties - Displays properties of the NDAS device.
1
2

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Connected mode: The network drive is currently disabled
on your computer and is ready to be mounted (enabled)
Connected - The current state of NDAS device.
Mount (Read-Only) - NDAS device can be mounted into
Read-Only Mode.
Mount (Read/Write) - NDAS device can be mounted
into Read/Write Mode.
Unregister - Enables users to un-register NDAS device.
Properties - Displays properties of the NDAS device.
Deactivated mode: The network drive is registered, but
no longer communicates with your system. No attempts
will be made to communicate with your network drive.
Deactivated - The current state of NDAS device.
Activate - Enables NDAS device to be activated into
Connected Mode. Once activated, NDAS
device will be indicated by a white colored
box.
Unregister - Enables users to un-register NDAS device.
Properties - Displays properties of the NDAS device.
Disconnected mode: The network drive is registered, but
cannot be found. This could be due to a disconnected
power, Ethernet or USB cord. Also, make sure any
antivirus/firewall software or spyware is not interfering with
the connection.
Disconnected - The current state of NDAS device.
Unregister - Enables users to un-register NDAS device.
Properties - Displays properties of the NDAS device.
3
4
5
6Bound Non-Primary mode: Used for bound NDAS devices
only. All of the bound network devices displayed are colored
yellow, except the primary network drive.

Changing from Read/Write Mode to Read-Only Mode
1. Click the Network Disk Device Management icon located in the system tray.
2. Select the device you want to
change from Read/Write to Read-
Only.
3. Select Unmount, which will illicit a
warning message. Click Yes.
4. Click the Network Disk Device
Management icon located in the
system tray, and select the network drive you have just unmounted.
5. Select Mount (Read Only).
Changing from Read-Only Mode to Read/Write Mode
1. Click the Network Disk Device
Management icon located in the
system tray.
2. Select the device you want to
change from Read-Only to
Read/Write.
3. Select Unmount, which will elicit
a warning message. Click Yes.
4. Click the Network Disk Device Management icon located in the system tray, and select
the network drive you have just unmounted.
5. Select Mount (Read/Write).
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Using Network Disk Bind Management, users can Bind, Unbind and Mirror drives. To
access this feature, please click on Start > Programs > NDAS Software > NDAS Bind.
There are four different buttons in the NDAS Bind Management window:
Refresh: Used to refresh status of network drives.
Bind: There are three ways to bind:
Aggregation, RAID0 and RAID1
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Aggregation: Allows any number of network drives between 2 and 8 to be recognized
as a single large disk drive. This method is extremely useful when a
larger storage device is needed, however no fault tolerance is offered.
RAID0 ( Disk striping without parity): Allows 2, 4 or 8 network drives to be recognized
as a single large disk drive. No fault tolerance is
offered. Primarily used for faster performance
when writing to network drives.
RAID1 ( Mirroring): Allows 2,4,6 or 8 network drives to be mirrored at the same time.
One benefit of RAID1 is that it offers fault tolerance - if one unit
fails, data is retrieved from other units. Network drives that have
been aggregated can also be mirrored.
Requirements for using Bind
• Each network drive must have a Write Key
• Network Drives that are already bound cannot be “re”-bound
• Network Drives must be in Connected Mode on all PCs, in order for them to be bound
• Bound Network Drives must be formatted
• Other users can Mount the bound Network Drives, once binding is complete
• Aggregation, RAID0 and RAID1 can only be performed in Windows XP/2000
• Before Network Drives can be bound, they must be in Connected Mode
Instructions for using Bind
1. From within the Bind Management
tool, click on the Bind button.
2. Select a binding type and the number
of disks to be bound.
Note: Aggregation can bind any
number of units between 2 and 8
RAID0 can bind 2, 4 or 8 units
RAID1 can bind 2, 4, 6 or 8 units
3. Move a Network Drive from the left
window to the right window by
selecting a drive from the left window
and clicking on the centre arrow right.
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4. Repeat the above step for the rest of the Network Drives you wish to bind. Click
Finish.
5. You will then receive two error messages:
6. Once you have read the error messages and are prepared, click Yes and OK
respectively.
Unbind: Used to unbind Network Drives
Instructions for unbinding Network Drives
1. Go to NDAS Device Management and
select the device you wish to unbind.
2. Unmount the Network Drive by clicking
on Unmount.
3. After unmounting the Network Drive(s),
go to NDAS Bind Management.
4. From the Bind Management utility, select
the bound Network Drives that were just
unmounted. Click the Unbind button.
5. The Unbind window will then appear,
indicating the drives that are to be
unbound. If the drives listed are correct,
click Yes.
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Tools: There are two different functions in Tools:Copy and Mirror and Recover Mirror
Using Copy and Mirror : Used to mirror the first network drive to the second network
drive. To use this function, the secondary drive must be of equal or
greater size.
1. Go to Start > Programs > NDAS Software > NDAS Bind
2. Select a single Network Drive.
3. Click on the Tool button and select Copy and Mirror.
4. From the list, select a Network Drive you want to mirror the first device to. Click OK.
5. A warning message will appear. Click Yes, when ready.
6. The Add Mirror window will appear. Click Start to start synchronizing
Using Recover Mirror : Used to recover the data on network drives, typically if there is
an error in Mirrored Network Drives.
1. An Emergency Mode message will appear when an error occurs a in a mirrored drive.
2. Go to NDAS Device Management and unmount the Mirrored drives.
3. Go to Start > Programs > NDAS Software > NDAS Bind.
4. Select the mirrored drives specified in the error message.
5. Click the Tools button and select Recover Mirror.
6. The Recover Mirror window will appear. Click on the Start button.
7. If the mirrored Network Drives are not in Connected Mode, you will receive an error
message stating that the disk is not reachable. Please unmount the mirrored Network
Drive and try again.
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Using Mirrored NDAS Devices
Mirrored drives cannot be modified with this driver release. If they are modified, the
drive(s) will have to be re-mirrored using RAID1, and all data will be lost.
Using Bound Network Drives among different driver versions
If a user upgrades their driver to 3.1 (from having used a previous version), it is
recommended that everyone else sharing the drive(s) upgrade their driver to 3.1 as well.
Once the user with 3.1 migrates the Mirrored drive’s binding information, other users
sharing the Mirrored drives will no longer have access to them.
Options: (1) All users sharing the mirrored drive(s) should upgrade their drivers to the
current version (3.10)
(2) Unbind the mirrored drive(s) and use as two single devices that can be
shared by both users using 3.1 and earlier drivers.
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Initializing the Network Drive(s)
1. Right-click My Computer and select Manage.
2. The Computer Management window will appear. Click Disk Management under
Storage.
3. The Computer Management window will list all of the disks installed in the computer:
4. Find the Network Drive you want to initialize. The drive is usually indicated by Not
Initialized (see illustration above). If the drive is described as Basic or Healthy, skip
to Partitioning the Network Drive.
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5. To initialize a drive that has not yet been
initialized, right-click on the disk # that
pertains to your network drive and select
Initialize Disk. Once the Initialize Disk
window appears, select the appropriate
drive and click OK.
6. The Network Drive will be automatically
initialized.
Please note: It is very important that
your network drive is listed as a Basic
Disk, not a Dynamic Disk.
7. Initialization is now complete, but before it can be used, it must be partitioned.
Partitioning the Network Drive(s)
1. From the Computer Management window,
find the drive you want to format.
2. Right-click and select New Partition.
3. When the New Partition Wizard appears, click
Next.
4. Select Partition Type. Select Primary
Partition. Click Next.
5. Specify Partition Size: The partition size is
automatically set. Do not change the size.
6. Click Next.
7. To assign the drive letter or path: Select
Assign the following driver letter, and
choose a letter for the drive from the list.
Click Next.
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Formatting the partition
1. Select Format this partition with the
following settings:
File System: NTFS
Allocation unit size: Default
Volume Name: Enter a name for the
disk
2. Select Perform a quick Format
(Recommended).
3. Click Next.
4. Partitioning is now complete. Click
Finish.
Formatting the drive through My Computer
1. Double-click on My Computer.
2. My Computer window will appear. Right-click on your
network drive, choose Format.
3. A warning will appear asking if you are sure you want
to format the drive. Click on OK.
4. Once the format has completed, click on OK.
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Before you can uninstall a Network Drive, you must close all applications using the NDAS
device. NDAS Disk Management, NDAS Bind Management, Windows Explorer and
Internet Explorer must also be closed.
1. To begin uninstalling the drive(s), click on: Start > Programs > NDAS Software >
Uninstall NDAS Software.
2. The Windows Installer window will appear, and ask if you want to uninstall this product.
Click Yes.
Note: If any of the network drives are still mounted, you will receive an error message.
Click Cancel, and unmount the drive(s).
3. Once uninstall has completed, restart the PC. All instances of the Network Drive will
have been removed, upon rebooting.
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Bus Type USB and Ethernet (Cannot be used simultaneously)
Form Factor Supports 3.5” Hard Drives
Connectors 1 x USB Type B Male
1 x RJ45 Female
Power Adapter Supports 5V and 12V DC at 1.5A
Cables 1 x 18” Cat5e cable
1 x 3ft. USB Type A Female to Type B Female
Data Transfer Rate (max.) Supports 10/100 Ethernet transfer rates
Supports 480Mbps for USB 2.0 transfer rates
Chipset Cypress CY7C68300B-56PVXC
OS Support Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP, Linux, Mac OS 9.0 and up
Dimensions 200 x 145 x 48mm
Certifications (Regulatory etc.) WEEE, CE

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Please Note: The term NetDisk is synonymous with Network Drive.
For NDAS mode, do I need drivers installed on each computer using NetDisk?
Yes, the drivers need to be loaded on each computer that wants access to the Installed
Network Drive. However, if you are using Windows Sharing, only one computer will need
the software installed. The other computers will not need it.
I am having trouble using Multi-write over wireless connection.
Try a wired connection and compare how it works. If you are using wireless with other
computers, we recommend enabling the hard-wired computer first, then the wireless
computer.
When using wireless, we also recommend 802.11g. When using 802.11b, we highly
recommend hardwiring your computer when doing large file transfers because of the low
bandwidth associated with 802.11b.
How should I format my Network Drive?
We recommend formatting the Network Drive via NDAS (Ethernet) mode. If using the
Network Drive as a USB device only, then it is OK to format via USB. It is also
recommended that you format the Network Drive to NTFS if using Windows 2000/XP.
The drivers released with this device are only suited for an NTFS file system.
How do I disconnect the Network Drive?
Use the Disable option from your Administrator Tool if connected via NDAS (Ethernet).
You can use the "Unplug or Eject Hardware" icon in your System Tray to stop the
Network Drive before disconnecting (this applies to either USB or NDAS mode). Close
all windows that may be accessing the Network Drive.
When I try to write to the Network Drive I get a "write protected" error and cannot
write to the disk.
The permissions scheme may need to be reset. Try disabling the drive on all machines
first, then re-enable them one by one. If that doesn't help, try rebooting the machines and
power cycling the Network Drive.
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