Thecus N4100PRO User manual

Thecus N4100PRO
User’s Manual

2
Copyright and Trademark Notice
Thecus and other names of Thecus products are registered trademarks of Thecus
Technology Corp. Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Apple, iTunes and Apple OS X are registered
trademarks of Apple Computers, Inc. All other trademarks and brand names are
the property of their respective owners. Specifications are subject to change
without notice.
Copyright © 2008 Thecus Technology Corporation. All rights reserved.
About This Manual
All information in this manual has been carefully verified to ensure its correctness.
In case of an error, please provide us with your feedback. Thecus Technology
Corporation reserves the right to modify the contents of this manual without
notice.
Product name: Thecus N4100PRO
Manual Version: 1.3
Release Date: December 2008
Limited Warranty
Thecus Technology Corporation guarantees all components of Thecus N4100PRO
are thoroughly tested before they leave the factory and should function normally
under general usage. In case of any system malfunctions, Thecus Technology
Corporation and its local representatives and dealers are responsible for repair
without cost to the customer if the product fails within the warranty period and
under normal usage. Thecus Technology Corporation is not responsible for any
damage or loss of data deemed to be caused by its products. It is highly
recommended that users conduct necessary back-up practices.

3
Safety Warnings
For your safety, please read and follow the following safety warnings:
Read this manual thoroughly before attempting to set up your N4100PRO.
Your N4100PRO is a complicated electronic device. DO NOT attempt to
repair it under any circumstances. In the case of malfunction, turn off the
power immediately and have it repaired at a qualified service center.
Contact your vendor for details.
DO NOT allow anything to rest on the power cord and DO NOT place the
power cord in an area where it can be stepped on. Carefully place
connecting cables to avoid stepping or tripping on them.
Your N4100PRO can operate normally under temperatures between 0°C
and 40°C, with relative humidity of 20% – 85%. Using the N4100PRO
under extreme environmental conditions could damage the unit.
Ensure that the N4100PRO is provided with the correct supply voltage (AC
100V ~ 240V, 50/60 Hz, 3A). Plugging the N4100PRO to an incorrect
power source could damage the unit.
Do NOT expose the N4100PRO to dampness, dust, or corrosive liquids.
Do NOT place the N4100PRO on any uneven surfaces.
DO NOT place the N4100PRO in direct sunlight or expose it to other heat
sources.
DO NOT use chemicals or aerosols to clean the N4100PRO. Unplug the
power cord and all connected cables before cleaning.
DO NOT place any objects on the N4100PRO or obstruct its ventilation
slots to avoid overheating the unit.
Keep packaging out of the reach of children.
If disposing of the device, please follow your local regulations for the safe
disposal of electronic products to protect the environment.

4
Table of Contents
Copyright and Trademark Notice ...................................................2
About This Manual.........................................................................2
Limited Warranty........................................................................... 2
Safety Warnings ............................................................................ 3
Table of Contents ..........................................................................4
Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................................8
Overview...............................................................................................8
Product Highlights.................................................................................8
File Server...........................................................................................8
FTP Server...........................................................................................8
Backup Server .....................................................................................8
Printer Server ......................................................................................8
Superior Power Management..................................................................9
Package Contents..................................................................................9
Front Panel..........................................................................................10
Hard Disk Tray.....................................................................................10
Rear Panel...........................................................................................11
Chapter 2: Hardware Installation ................................................ 12
Overview.............................................................................................12
Before You Begin.................................................................................12
Hard Disk Installation .........................................................................12
Cable Connections ...............................................................................13
Checking System Status......................................................................13
System Status Normal.........................................................................13
System Trouble..................................................................................13
Chapter 3: First Time Setup......................................................... 14
Overview.............................................................................................14
Thecus Setup Wizard...........................................................................14
LCD Operation .....................................................................................16
LCD Controls......................................................................................16
Display Mode .....................................................................................16
USB Copy.................................................................................................17
Typical Setup Procedure......................................................................17
Step 1: Network Setup........................................................................17
Step 2: RAID Creation.........................................................................17
Step 3: Create Local Users or Setup Authentication .................................18
Step 4: Create Folders and Set Up ACLs ................................................18
Step 5: Start Services.........................................................................18
Chapter 4: System Management.................................................. 19
Overview.............................................................................................19
Web Administration Interface .............................................................19
Menu Bar ..........................................................................................19
Language Selection .............................................................................20
Status Menu ........................................................................................20
Product Information............................................................................20
System/Service Status........................................................................21
System Information............................................................................21
Printer Status.....................................................................................22
UPS Settings......................................................................................23
Wake-Up On Lan (WOL) ......................................................................23
Power Management ............................................................................24
Storage Management ..........................................................................25

5
Disks Information...............................................................................25
S.M.A.R.T. Information............................................................................... 25
RAID Information ...............................................................................27
RAID Configuration.............................................................................27
RAID Level ...............................................................................................28
RAID Settings ........................................................................................... 28
Creating a RAID ........................................................................................29
Expanding a RAID ..................................................................................... 29
Migrating a RAID....................................................................................... 30
Deleting a RAID ........................................................................................ 30
Folder Management ............................................................................31
Adding Folders.......................................................................................... 31
Editing Folders.......................................................................................... 32
Deleting Folders ........................................................................................ 33
NFS Share................................................................................................ 33
Folder Access Control List (ACL) .................................................................. 34
File System Check ..............................................................................35
Advance Option..................................................................................36
File Access Cache ...................................................................................... 37
Samba Recycle Bin ....................................................................................37
Samba Anonymous Login Authentication....................................................... 37
Network Management .........................................................................38
WAN Configuration .............................................................................38
LAN Configuration...............................................................................39
DHCP Configuration ............................................................................39
WLAN Configuration............................................................................40
AFP (Apple Network Setup)..................................................................41
NFS Setup.........................................................................................41
User and Group Management ..............................................................42
Local User Configuration......................................................................42
Adding Users ............................................................................................ 42
Modifying Users.........................................................................................43
Deleting Users .......................................................................................... 43
Local Groups Configuration ..................................................................43
Adding Groups .......................................................................................... 44
Modifying Groups ......................................................................................44
Deleting Groups ........................................................................................ 44
Batch User and Group Creation.............................................................44
ADS Configuration ..............................................................................45
System Settings ..................................................................................46
System Notifications ...........................................................................46
System Logs......................................................................................47
Time and Date Settings.......................................................................48
System Configuration Backup and Restore .............................................48
Module Management...........................................................................49
Reset to Factory Default Settings..........................................................49
Upgrading System Firmware ................................................................50
Change Administrator Password............................................................50
Reboot and Shutdown System..............................................................51
Logout ..............................................................................................51
Chapter 5: Additional Feature Setup............................................ 52
Overview.............................................................................................52
FTP Server...........................................................................................52
iTunes® Server....................................................................................53
Media Server .......................................................................................53
Adding Media Share Folders .................................................................54
Connecting DMAs to the Media Server ...................................................54
Printer Server......................................................................................55
Windows XP SP2.................................................................................55

6
Windows Vista....................................................................................56
Download Manager..............................................................................59
Adding an HTTP Task ..........................................................................60
Adding an FTP Task ............................................................................63
Adding a BT Task................................................................................67
Deleting Tasks ...................................................................................70
Scheduling Downloads.........................................................................70
Chapter 6: Using the N4100PRO.................................................. 72
Overview.............................................................................................72
Login Page...........................................................................................72
Using WebDisk ....................................................................................72
Photo Server .......................................................................................73
Windows XP Publishing Wizard..............................................................73
Managing Albums and Photos...............................................................79
Creating Albums.................................................................................79
Password Protecting Albums.................................................................79
Uploading Pictures to Albums ...............................................................80
EXIF Information................................................................................80
Slide Shows.......................................................................................80
Mapping a Client PC to the N4100PRO.................................................81
Windows ...........................................................................................81
Apple OS X........................................................................................81
File Backup..........................................................................................82
Nsync ...............................................................................................82
Adding an Nsync Task................................................................................83
Setting Up an Nsync Target on an Nsync Device............................................. 83
Setting Up an Nsync Target on Another Device .............................................. 83
Designating N4100PRO as an Nsync Target ...................................................84
Thecus Backup Utility..........................................................................84
Windows XP Data Backup ....................................................................85
Apple OS X Backup Utilities..................................................................85
Chapter 7: Tips and Tricks........................................................... 86
USB Storage Expansion .......................................................................86
Adding a Spare Disk ............................................................................86
Firewall Software Configuration..........................................................86
Replacing Damaged Hard Drives .........................................................87
Hard Drive Damage ............................................................................87
Replacing a Hard Drive........................................................................87
RAID Auto-Rebuild..............................................................................87
Chapter 8: Troubleshooting ......................................................... 88
Forgot My Network IP Address............................................................88
Can't Map a Network Drive in Windows XP..........................................88
Restoring Factory Defaults ..................................................................88
Problems with Time and Date Settings................................................88
Appendix A: Product Specifications ............................................. 90
Hardware Specifications......................................................................90
Software Specifications.......................................................................90
Appendix B: Customer Support.................................................... 92
Appendix C: RAID Basics ............................................................. 93
Overview.............................................................................................93
Benefits...............................................................................................93
Improved Performance........................................................................93
Data Security.....................................................................................93
RAID Levels.........................................................................................93
RAID 0..............................................................................................93
RAID 1..............................................................................................94
RAID 5..............................................................................................94

7
RAID 6..............................................................................................94
RAID 10............................................................................................94
JBOD................................................................................................94
Stripe Size...........................................................................................94
Disk Usage ..........................................................................................95
Appendix D: Active Directory Basics............................................ 96
Overview.............................................................................................96
What is Active Directory? ....................................................................96
ADS Benefits........................................................................................96
Appendix E: Licensing Information.............................................. 97
Overview.............................................................................................97
Source Code Availability......................................................................97
CGIC License Terms.............................................................................98
GNU General Public License.................................................................98

8
Chapter 1: Introduction
Overview
Thank you for choosing the Thecus N4100PRO IP Storage Server. The Thecus
N4100PRO is an easy-to-use storage server that allows a dedicated approach to
storing and distributing data on a network. Data reliability is ensured with RAID
features that provide data security and recovery—over one Terabyte of storage is
available using RAID 5 and RAID 6. Gigabit Ethernet ports enhance network
efficiency, allowing the N4100PRO to take over file management functions,
increase application and data sharing and provide faster data response. The
N4100PRO offers data mobility with a disk roaming feature that lets you hot swap
working hard drives for use in another N4100PRO, securing the continuity of data
in the event of hardware failure. The N4100PRO allows data consolidation and
sharing between Windows (SMB/CIFS), UNIX/Linux, and Apple OS X
environments. The N4100PRO’s user-friendly GUI supports multiple languages.
Product Highlights
File Server
First and foremost, the N4100PRO allows you to store and share files over an IP
network. With a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device, you can centralize your
files and share them easily over your network. With the easy-to-use web-based
interface, users on your network can access these files in a snap.
To learn about the Web User Interface, go to Chapter 6: Using the N4100PRO
> Using WebDisk.
FTP Server
With the built-in FTP Server, friends, clients, and customers can upload and
download files to your N4100PRO over the Internet with their favorite FTP
programs. You can create user accounts so that only authorized users have
access.
To set up the FTP Server, refer to Chapter 5: Additional Feature Setup > FTP
Server.
Backup Server
Don’t leave precious data to chance. With advanced backup capabilities, you can
easily upload mission critical files to the N4100PRO, and even automate your
backup tasks for true peace-of-mind.
To find out how to backup your files with the N4100PRO, refer to Chapter 6:
Using the N4100PRO > File Backup.
Printer Server
With the N4100PRO’s Printer Server, you can easily share an IPP printer with
other PCs connected to your network.
To set up the Printer Server, refer to Chapter 5: Additional Feature Setup >
Printer Server.

9
Superior Power Management
N4100PRO supports schedule power on/off. With this feature, administrator can
set at what time to turn on or off the system. This feature is a big plus for people
who want to conserve energy. Wake-On-LAN enables administrator to remotely
turn on the system without even leaving their own seat.
To schedule system on and off, refer to Chapter 4: System Management >
System Settings > Reboot and Shutdown System > Scheduled Power
On/Off.
Package Contents
Your N4100PRO package should contain the following items:
QIG
CD-Title
Ethernet Cable
Screw Kit
Please check to see if your package is complete. If you find that some items are
missing, contact your dealer.

Front Panel
The N4100PRO’s front panel displays the unit’s array of status LED’s and is also
where you’ll find the power buttons. See the table below for a detailed
explanation of each:
Item Description
HDD Trays •There are four hard disk drive (HDD) trays. Each tray
supports a 3.5-inch SATA HDD. The trays have locks for
added physical security and keys are provided with the
package.
Power LED •Solid blue: N4100PRO is powered on
Busy LED •Blinking orange: system startup or maintenance; data
inaccessible
•Off: system startup complete; system operating normally
WAN LED
•Solid green: network link
•Blinking green: network activity
LAN LED
•Solid green: network link
•Blinking green: network activity
Error LED •Solid red: system error detected
Power Button •Power on/off N4100PRO
Hard Disk Tray
The N4100PRO’s hard disk
trays each have a lock, a latch,
and two indicators.
10

Item Description
Lock •The tray lock lets you physically secure the HDD with
accessory keys.
Latch •Use the latch to open and remove or close and secure the
tray.
HDD Power LED •Solid blue: HDD is powered on
Access/Error LED •Blinking yellow: data is being accessed
•Blinking red: hard disk error
Rear Panel
The rear panel of the N4100PRO houses the USB and Ethernet connections, as
well as the power connector. See the table below for descriptions of each:
Item Description
Power Connector •Connect the included power cord to this connector
WAN Port •WAN port for connecting to an Ethernet network through a
switch or router
LAN Port •LAN port for connecting to an Ethernet network through a switch
or router
USB Ports
•USB 2.0 ports for storage expansion
11

Chapter 2: Hardware Installation
Overview
Your N4100PRO is designed for easy installation. To help you get started, the
following chapter will help you quickly get your N4100PRO up and running. Please
read it carefully to prevent damaging your unit during installation.
Before You Begin
Before you begin, be sure to take the following precautions:
1. Read and understand the Safety Warnings outlined in the beginning of
the manual.
2. If possible, wear an anti-static wrist strap during installation to prevent
static discharge from damaging the sensitive electronic components on the
N4100PRO.
3. Be careful not to use magnetized screwdrivers around the N4100PRO’s
electronic components.
Hard Disk Installation
The N4100PRO supports four standard 3.5” Serial ATA (SATA) hard disks. To
install a hard disk into the N4100PRO, follow the steps below:
1. Remove a hard disk tray from the N4100PRO.
2. Slide the new SATA hard disk into the tray and fasten the screws.
3. Insert the hard disk and tray back into the N4100PRO until it snaps into
place and lock it with a key if desired.
4. The LED blinks green when the hard disk is accessed.
NOTE
If your HDD was part of a RAID 1 or RAID 5
array
previously, it
automatically rebuilds. If you replace all the drives with higher capacity
drives, you will need to go to Administrator login and format the drives.
12

Cable Connections
Make the following connections on the Thecus N4100PRO and then power up the
unit:
1. Connect an Ethernet cable from your network to the WAN port on the
back panel of the N4100PRO.
2. Connect the provided power cord into the universal power socket on the
back panel. Plug the other end of the cord into a surge protected socket.
3. Press the power button on the front panel to power on the N4100PRO.
Checking System Status
After making connections on the N4100PRO and powering up, check whether the
system status is normal or has trouble by observing indicators on the front panel
and hard disk trays.
System Status Normal
The system status is normal if:
1. The front panel Power LED glows blue and the WAN LED glows or blinks
green.
2. The HDD Power LED on each HDD tray glows blue.
System Trouble
The system has trouble if:
1. Any LED glows red.
1. The system emits a continuous beeping sound.
If the system has trouble, please refer to Chapter 8: Troubleshooting.
WARNING There are no user serviceable parts inside the N
contact your distributor for service. 4100PRO. Please
13

Chapter 3: First Time Setup
Overview
Once the hardware is installed, physically connected to your network, and
powered on, you can configure the N4100PRO so that it is accessible to your
network users. There are two ways to set up your N4100PRO: using the Thecus
Setup Wizard or the LCD display. Follow the steps below for initial software
setup.
Thecus Setup Wizard
The handy Thecus Setup Wizard makes configuring N4100PRO a snap. To
configure the N4100PRO using the Setup Wizard, perform the following steps:
1. Insert the installation CD into your CD-ROM drive (the host PC must be
connected to the network).
2. The Setup Wizard should launch automatically. If not, please browse your
CD-ROM drive and double click on Setup.exe.
NOTE
For MAC OS X users, double click on Thecus Setup
Wizard 1.1.6.dmg
3. The Setup Wizard will start and automatically detect all Thecus storage
devices on your network. If none are found, please check your connection
and refer to Chapter 8: Troubleshooting for assistance.
4. Select the N4100PRO that you like to configure.
14

5. Login with the administrator account and password. The default account
and password are both “admin”.
6. Name your N4100PRO and configure the network IP address. If your
switch or router is configured as a DHCP Server, configuring the
N4100PRO to automatically obtain an IP address is recommended. You
may also use a static IP address and enter the DNS Server address
manually.
7. Change the default administrator password.
15

8. Finished! Access the N4100PRO Web Administrator Interface by pressing
the Start Browser button. You can also configure another N4100PRO at
this point by clicking the Setup Other Device button. Press Exit to exit
the wizard.
The Thecus Setup Wizard is designed for installation on systems
running Windows XP/2000 or Mac OSX or later. Users with other
operating systems will need to install the Thecus Setup Wizard on a
host machine with one of these operating systems before using the
unit.
NOTE
LCD Operation
The N4100PRO is equipped with an LCD on the front for easy status display and
setup. There are four buttons on the front panel to control the LCD functions.
LCD Controls
Use the Down (▼), Up (▲), Enter (↵) and Escape (ESC) keys to operate LCD to
view system information and USB copy.
The following table illustrates the keys on the front control panel:
LCD Controls
Icon Function Description
▲Up Button Select the previous configuration settings information.
▼Down Button Select the next configuration settings information
↵Enter Enter for the USB copy confirmation message.
ESC Escape Escape and return to the previous menu.
There are two modes of operation for the LCD: Display Mode and Management
Mode.
Display Mode
During normal operation, the LCD will be in Display Mode.
Display Mode
Item Description
Host Name Current host name of the system.
WAN Current WAN IP setting.
16

17
LAN Current LAN IP setting.
Link Aggregation Current Link Aggregation status
Disk Info Current status of disk slot has been installed
RAID Current RAID status.
System Fan Current system fan status.
2006/06/16 12:00 Current system time.
The N4100PRO will rotate these messages every one-two seconds on the LCD
display.
USB Copy
The USB Copy function enables you to copy files stored on USB devices such as
USB disks and digital cameras to the N4100PRO with a press of a button. To use
USB copy, follow the steps below:
1. Plug your USB device into an available USB port on the Front Panel.
2. In Display Mode, press the Enter (↵).
3. The LCD will display “USB Copy?”
4. Press Enter (↵) and the N4100PRO will start copying USB disks connected
to the front USB port.
5. All of data will be copied into system folder named “USBcopy”.
Typical Setup Procedure
From the Web Administration Interface, you can begin to setup your N4100PRO
for use on your network. Setting up the N4100PRO typically follows the five steps
outlined below.
For more on how to use the Web Administration Interface, see Chapter 4:
System Management > Web Administration Interface.
Step 1: Network Setup
From the Web Administration Interface, you can configure the network settings of
the N4100PRO for your network. You can access the Network menu from the
menu bar.
For details on how to configure your network settings, refer to Chapter 4:
System Management > Network Management.
Step 2: RAID Creation
Next, administrators can configure their preferred RAID setting and build their
RAID volume. You can access RAID settings from the menu bar of the Web
Administration Interface by navigating to Storage > RAID.
For more information on configuring RAID, see Chapter 4: System
Management > RAID Configuration.
Don’t know which RAID level to use? Find out more about the different RAID
levels from Appendix C: RAID Basics.

18
Step 3: Create Local Users or Setup Authentication
Once the RAID is ready, you can begin to create local users for the N4100PRO, or
choose to setup authentication protocols such as Active Directory (AD).
For more on managing users, go to Chapter 4: System Management > User
and Group Management.
For more information on configuring Active Directory, see Chapter 4: System
Management > User and Group Management > ADS/NT Configuration.
For information about the benefits of Active Directory, see Appendix D: Active
Directory Basics.
Step 4: Create Folders and Set Up ACLs
Once users are introduced into your network, you can begin to create various
folders on the N4100PRO and control user access to each using Folder Access
Control Lists.
More information on managing folders, see Chapter 4: System Management >
Folder Management.
To find out about configuring Folder Access Control Lists, see Chapter 4: System
Management > Folder Management > Folder Access Control List (ACL).
Step 5: Start Services
Finally, you can start to setup the different services of the N4100PRO for the
users on your network. You can find out more about each of these services by
clicking below:
SMB/CIFS
Apple File Protocol (AFP)
Network File System (NFS)
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
iTunes Server
Media Server
Download Manager
Printer Server

Chapter 4: System Management
Overview
The N4100PRO provides an easily accessible Web Administration Interface.
With it, you can configure and monitor the N4100PRO anywhere on the network.
Web Administration Interface
Make sure your network is connected to the Internet. To access the N4100PRO
Web Administration Interface:
1. Type the N4100PRO’s IP address into your browser. (Default IP address is
http://192.168.1.100)
Your computer’s network IP address must be on the same subnet as
the N4100PRO. If the N4100PRO has default IP address of
192.168.1.100, your managing PC IP address must be 192.168.1.x,
where x is a number between 1 and 254, but not 100.
NOTE
2. Login to the system using the administrator user name and password. The
factory defaults are:
User Name: admin
Password: admin
If you changed your password in the setup wizard, use the new password.
Once you are logged in as an administrator, you will see the Web
Administration Interface. From here, you can configure and monitor virtually
every aspect of the N4100PRO from anywhere on the network.
Menu Bar
The Menu Bar is where you will find all of the information screens and system
settings of the N4100PRO. The various settings are placed in the following groups
on the menu bar:
Menu Bar
Item Description
Status Current system status of the N4100PRO.
Storage Information and settings for storage devices installed into the
N4100PRO.
Network Information and settings for network connections, as well as
various services of the N4100PRO.
Accounts Allows configuration of users and groups.
System Various N4100PRO system settings and information.
Language Choose your preferred language here.
Moving your cursor over any of these items will display the dropdown menu
selections for each group.
In the following sections, you will find detailed explanations of each function, and
how to configure your N4100PRO.
19

Language Selection
The N4100PRO supports multiple languages,
including:
•English
•French
•German
•Italian
•Traditional Chinese
•Simplified Chinese
•Japanese
•Korean
•Spanish
On the menu bar, click Language and the
Change Language screen appears. This
screen allows you to select preferred
language for the N4100PRO. Press Apply to
confirm your selection.
Status Menu
The Status Menu on the menu bar allows you to see various aspects of the
N4100PRO. From here, you can discover the status of the N4100PRO, and even
find out other details like firmware version and up time.
Product Information
Once you login, you will first see the basic Product Information screen
providing Manufacturer, Product No., Firmware Version, and Up Time
information.
Product Information
Item Description
Manufacturer Displays the name of the system manufacturer.
Product No. Shows the model number of the system.
20