LuCifer

Not sure if this is the correct place for this thread but i need some help with setting up LG home NAS, the people who convinced my client to buy this didnt set it up correctly. hes been under the impression its been working the whole time, i sat at the computer with the software for it and both 1tb drives in there have 0 data in them =/ now he wants to pay me to do it except ive never done it. I let him know that but he just said figure it out or find help. I wanna help him out so if anyone here knows something about this some help or advice to steer clear would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

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Tipstaff

Which NAS is it? Given that it has 2TB I assume it's either the N2B1DD2 or N2R1DD2 (I've only used the N2R1DD2, the DVD drive version one time), but which is it? What operating system is he using, and how many computers are to access this NAS (and what OS are they using)? Also, what exactly was supposed to be set up? Automatic backups to the NAS via Comnso Backup (a Windows only software, btw) or some other utility? Were they supposed to create shortcuts to the drives on the NAS that the client could access? Were the people that sold the NAS to this person supposed to set that up, or is it that he "assumes" that they should/would have?

To go through everything would take way too long, so instead I'll give you a few starting pointers:

- First, were any of the applications installed off the CD that came with the NAS? In particular, NAS Detector, NAS Monitor, or Comnso Backup? If not, grab the CD that came with the box as you will need it.
- If the guy has the NAS hooked up to a router NAS Detector will make finding the IP of the NAS easier as most likely the NAS is setup for DHCP. Run NAS Detector, and let it search for the NAS. The default name is LG-NAS. Once you find it, select it, then click on the "Open Web Menu" button. This will bring up the web interface. Default username and password is "admin" (no quotes, both must be lower case). Everything you need to setup is right there. If NAS Detector doesn't find the NAS you can also find out the IP of the NAS by going to it, and changing the "mode" via the left and right arrows to "Information Mode", using S as the enter key. In there is a listing called "IP Information", and it will display the current IP of the NAS (as well as what firmware it is running, so make note of it).
- Also, as part of NAS Detector is a button called "Open Network Folder". If you click on this it will ask about creating a shortcut to the desktop that leads to the NAS, one that shows not only the 2 volumes, but to the optical drive on the NAS, as well as a service folder if you are the admin. Note: If none of these folders show up the NAS was never setup. If they do, then the NAS WAS setup... at least to some point.
- Now, if no Volumes show up while browsing the folder you need to access the NAS via the web interface, and go to System | Volume. My advice would be to set it up as separate or "Individual Disks" under the Volume Configuration. Raid 0, JBOD I do not recommend. If your client is a bit paranoid about losing his data you could set the disks up as "Raid 1" for mirroring, but let your client know he'll only have access to 1TB of space, not 2x1TB.
- The other section you might want to deal with is the Sharing. By default the admin has access to the entire drive, right down to the root. This is the same for pretty much all NAS boxes that run on Linux (like the D-Link DNS boxes). NEVER remove the admin privileges. I can't stress this enough. This is your backup access to the volumes. What I tend to do for users is create a folder on the volumes, say, Storage 1 on Volume 1, and Storage 2 on Volume 2, and use that to store data in. I would even go so far as to create new network shortcuts to those folders for the client so that he never access the root directly.

I can help out more, but it's best to go through things on your own as describing everything could take a long long time here. If you don't have the CD that came with the NAS you can get the LG Installation Wizard off of their site (links below). It works for both the N2B1DD2 & N2R1DD2. Unfortunately you need the CD in order to get the Comnso Backup software. I've never used it personally though. If you can't find the CD, or Comnso wasn't installed already, you can try an alternative like SyncBack. They have a freeware version, but it is limited in function (the main one being that you cannot sync files that are open or in use as they will be locked, however the SE and Pro versions can do this).

LG Installation Wizard
N2B1DD2
N2R1DD2

When doing the firmware make sure you use the RIGHT firmware for the box you're working on. Do not use the N2R firmware on the N2B box, or vice versa.

Last thing, the manual is the same for both units, and you can get that on the LG downloads page. It'll take you through everything you need to do for setting up the format of the drives, updating firmware, it'll walk you through the sharing as well as creating users, and so fourth. My advice: PRINT IT OUT! Makes life easier (no need to flip back and fourth between the PDF and the screens you're working on). Plus you can give a copy to the client, as well as make notes for things where you can't do that with the PDF.

Hope that gets you started. If you hit any roadblocks don't hesitate to post back.

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LuCifer

Alright thanks a ton Tips for info, i'll post back if i get stuck.

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