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Networkstorage

With so many households equippedwith more than one computer, itshouldcomeasnosurprise thathome

networking is more popular than ever. Ascomputer users work with several machines,there will inevitably come a time when onecomputer is in use and a file that is needed isstored on another machine’s hard drive. Withshared folders configured (see page 40), it ispossible to access files on a networked computerandopen themonanotherPC.But,unfortunately,this is only possible if the computer that housesthe file in question is switched on.This is one of the major stumbling blocks of

shared folders, but one that can be bypassedeasily through the use of a network storagedevice. Such devices can take a variety of forms,but by far the most common is NAS (Network

Attached Storage). NAS drives often look likeany other external hard drive that can beconnected to a computer viaUSB, but there is onekey difference. Such drives are connected to arouter using either a standard network cable orusing a wireless connection and, as such, areentirely independent of any of the PCs on

network. They act like miniature com-puters in their ownright, andare thereforenot reliant on other PCs for power oraccess rights.

AlwaysavailableThere are a number of network harddrives that function in very much thesame way as a standard hard drive, withthe added benefit of being accessiblefrom any networked computer. As well asboosting the amount of storage spacethat is available, network drives arealways available. The data they containcan be accessed without the need for aparticular computer – other than the onebeingused toaccessdata– tobeswitchedon. This can help to save a great deal oftime as there is no need to wait for acomputer tobootup,andalsosavemoneyas the drives use much less electricitythan a computer. The drive themselvesare not particularly expensive, althoughthey do tend to cost more than standardhard drives of a similar capacity.But there are also a range of network

drives that boast additional features such asextra USB ports. Iomega’s StorCenter 750GB

Gigabit Ethernet drive (about £230 from

Dedicated network storage devices can be accessed by multiple computers, regardlessof whether other PCs are switched on. We explain how they can be used

H Western Digital produces network storage devices as part of its My Book range of external drives

H A wireless network storage enclosure can transforma hard drive into a network drive with remote access

WideareanetworkstorageIf youwant to be able to accessfiles from any computer with aninternet connection, onlinestoragemay bewhat you need.There are a number of ways

to store files online. You could,for example, use the largeamount of storage spaceoffered bywebmail servicessuch as GoogleMail(http://mail.google.com/) as akind of remote hard drive;simply attach files to emails inorder to upload them. Also,many ISPs provide a small amount of webspace for their broadband customers.Again, this can be used to store any files,not just those that make up awebsite.There are also a number of dedicated

online storage services available, includingMicrosoft’s SkyDrive (http://skydrive.

live.com), which includes 5GB of storagespace free of charge. Another free service isHumyo (www.humyo.com), which offers30GB of free space, but 100GB is availablefor £29.99 per year. Xdrive (www.xdrive.com) offers 5GB of free space, but 50GB isalso available for about £5 amonth.

Homenetworking

Jargonbuster

➧Boot The process a PCgoes through after it isswitched on performing aquick self-test, loadingWindows and so on.

➧Broadband A fast internetconnection, such as ADSL.

➧GBGigabyte.Measurementof storage capacity usuallyfor hard disks.

➧ HarddiskA high-capacitydisk fitted in almost allPCs and used to storeapplications and files.

➧Mediaserver Softwarewhose job it is to share mediawith other computers anddevices over a network.

➧RAIDA system for storingdata efficiently andautomatically backing upcomputer hard disks.

➧Router A device used toconnect more than onecomputer together and/orto the internet as analternative to a modem.

➧UniversalSerialBus

(USB) A standard thatallows quick and easyconnection of externalperipherals such asstorage devices to your PC.

For more Jargon Buster definitionssee page 97 or visit

www.computeractive.co.uk

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www.iomega-europe.com)features two front-mountedUSB ports that can be used toconnect additional storage inthe form of USB hard drive, orto connect a printer that canthen be used by any computeron the network. In addition to aUSB port to allow for storageexpansion, Western Digital’sMyBookWorldEdition (about£100, www.wdc.com) can beaccessed from anywhere inthe world from a computerwith an internet connection,thanks to the inclusion of special software.Not all network drives need to be physically

connected to a router in order to be accessedby computers on the network. D-Link’s DSM-G600 (www.d-link.com) is a wireless networkstorage enclosure. Simply insert a standard harddrive, and optionally connect up to two USBdrives, and the data can be accessed without theneed for network cables. By using such anenclosure, it is not necessary to place thenetwork drive right next to the router; it can beplaced anywhere in the home as long as it iswithin reach of a power socket.

EnsuredatasecurityRegardless what a network drive is used for – beit additional general storage or as a backupdevice – performance or data security maybe of greater importance. Network drivesthat feature two or more hard drives withinthem can make use of RAID technology (Redun-dant Array of Inexpensive Drives or RedundantArray of Independent Disks). RAID can be usedin a variety of ways.RAID 0, also known as striping, splits data

that is stored across two or more drives, helpingto improve access times. RAID 1, also known asmirroring, duplicates the contents of one drive toanother. While this does not improve per-formance, it does mean that if one drive fails,

data is still available on theother. RAID 5 is a combinationof these two techniques andrequires at least three drives.Data is stored on two ormore ofthe drives for enhanced perfor-mance, while the final drivehelps protect against data loss.Buffalo Technology (www.buffalo-technology.com) producethe LinkStation and Terra-Station ranges of networkdrives that employ variousvariants of RAID.Network drives come in a

variety of forms, and whatever you are lookingfor, it is likely there is something suitableavailable. Just like standard hard drives, NASdevices are available in a wide range ofcapacities, so no matter what you intend to storeon them, there is going to be one that is largeenough. Whether you are looking for additionalstorage for a growing digital music collection, ora backup device, there is a network drive at theright price and capacity for you. In addition, theextra features offered by some network drivescan really help to highlight the benefits of settingup a network in the first place.Easy expansion of storage space via USB

means that running out of space is unlikely to bean issue, and the option of transforming astandard printer into a device that can beaccessedvia thenetwork is veryappealing.SomeNAS drives feature usefulmediaserver software,allowing you to stream your music, photos orvideos over the network independently from a‘host’ PC. Meanwhile, security features such asRAIDandautomatic data synchronisationhelp toreduce the risk of losing valuable files.On top of that, network storage devices are

easy to set up and configure (as we will seeover the page). And, since the price of suchhardware has dropped in recent years, owninga network drive is something that is now anoption for more people than ever.

H Humyo can synchronise data from your computer

H LinkStation Pro Duo uses RAIDtechnology to either improve driveperformance or reduce the risk of data loss

H TerraStation network drives boast capacities up to 4Tb.Some can even act as a multimedia streaming device

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Set up a networkstoragedevice

Network-attached storage (NAS) can be extremelyuseful, particularly if you want to be able to accessfiles from all the computers on your network

independently of any single PC. NAS devices can also beused for big backup jobs, and many have built-in print

servers and media-streaming capabilities so you canproduce printed documents from all your computers, aswell as store and share your music and movie libraries.

In an ideal world, installing such a device on your net-work would be as simple as plugging it into your router.Unfortunately, setup can be complicated. In this work-shop, we’ll be showing you how to install a NAS deviceand provide you with some tips on configuring your setup.We’ll be using an Iomega 320GB Home Network HardDrive (£100 from Play.com, http://tinyurl.com/6bkdxg),but similar instructions will apply for many other models.

Set up and configuring a network storage system that all your computers can access

Step2Before you can use your new network drive, you’llneed to install a special utility so that your PCrecognises the NAS device. Boot up one of the PCson your network. Your NAS device should havebeen supplied with a disc of software. Insert thisinto your PC. If Autorun doesn’t start the CDautomatically, go to Start > My Computer, or just‘Computer’ in Vista and double-click on the driveletter for your CD drive. In the case of our IomegaHome Network Hard Drive, we need to choose the‘Automatic Install’ option and follow the on-screenprompts to install the Discovery Tool software.Precise wording may be different with other models,but the principal will usually be the same.

Step1To use a NAS device, you’ll need to have already set up ahome network, as described on pages 22-25. Yournetwork needs to have a router at its heart (or, at thevery least, a network switch). Some NAS devices featurewireless connectivity built in, but it’s usually better to usea wired link to the router if possible, as this will providebetter stability and faster data transfer rates. Most NASdevices will comewith a network (Ethernet) cable in thebox. Simply attach one end to a spare port on your routerand connect the other end to the corresponding networksocket on the NAS unit as shown. Plug in the powersupply and switch the device on.

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Step3Once the software installation is complete, you will need to launch the newutility; the installation procedure may give you the option to run the newsoftware automatically once it has finished, or youmay need to double-click on a new desktop icon. Either way, when you launch the utility, youmay encounter an over-cautious warning from your firewall – here we’vehad amessage fromWindows Firewall asking us if we want to block ourIomega Discovery Home application. Click ‘Unblock’ to allow the utility towork correctly. If you use a firewall other than the one built intoWindows,youmay receive a different type of warning, or youmay need to configureit manually to allow your NAS device’s utility to run. Refer to your firewall’shelp files for advice on how to allow applications.

Step4The main function of the utility you’ve installed is to locate yournetwork disk and mount it as a drive letter on your PC. Beforeyou start using it, you may need to configure the device. WithIomega Home Network Hard Drive, the configuration tools canbe accessed through the Discovery Home tool we’ve justinstalled. Put a check next to where it says ‘Management’, thenclick the ‘Search for Remote Devices’ button. The tool will scouryour network for NAS drives and list them in the main windowalong with its IPaddress, name andWorkgroup name. Click onthe device when it appears to launch the configuration utility.You may be prompted to enter a password. The default logindetails will be provided in your NAS device’s user manual.

Step5The initial page of your configuration utility will look something like this.The most important thing to check here is the Workgroup setting. YourNAS device will need to belong to the same workgroup as the rest of yournetwork. To find out what the name of your network’s Workgroup is, goto Start, right-click on My Computer (or just ‘Computer’ in WindowsVista) and select Properties. On aWindows XP PC, click the ComputerName tab in the box that appears to see theWorkgroup name. On aVista PC, scroll down the System window that opens to view theWorkgroup name. If necessary, you should change theWorkgroupsetting for your NAS device to match. In the Iomega Home Network HardDrive’s utility, this simply involves clicking the ‘Change’ button next to the‘Group name’ setting, entering the newWorkgroup name and clickingOK. Check the workshop on page 40 for more onWorkgroups.

Step6As for mounting your new NAS device as a drive that’s accessible to your PC, theprocedure may vary slightly depending on the make and model of your drive. Withour Iomega device, launch the discovery utility as per Step 3, put a check next towhere it says ‘Mount’, then click the ‘Search for Remote Devices’ button. As before,the tool will look for NAS drives and list them in the main window. Click on the drivewhen it appears to mount it. You may be asked for a username and password at thispoint. Enter the default login details provided in your instruction booklet and clickMount. In the next window that appears, select a drive letter for the device andchoose a folder to mount from the drop-down menu. Click Set > OK. Again, preciseinstructions may vary depending on the device used. Bear in mind that you may alsoneed to install the utility and set up the drive on all the other PCs on your network.