NAS

( Comes out of the closet )

Greg ThomasTexas A&M University

Our History of File Sharing

“Repurposed” older computers hidden away in closets

• Upkeep• Access Security ( profound lack of it )• Updates• Management Access ( physical and virtual )• Geographic challenge• Network security issues• COUNTY IT “HELPERS”

We had a tiger by the tail and GROWING demand

Network Attached Storage

AKA: The Server, Shared folder, P drive, Common drive, Shared drive

Where we started ^ Where we are ^

• Security issues• Hacked up Linux OS• NTFS backup destinations *

So, A&M has a network?

El Paso to California575 miles

250 county offices

Bunch of Researchand Extension facilities

County offices connected to WAN almost entirely by private ISP

More and more connected to host county networks

Most - really notSome - really good

Netgear ReadyNAS RN 10221D

www.smallnetbuilder.com/nas/nas-charts/view

www.pcmag.com/products/25618?Price=[0%20TO%20500]

www.smallnetbuilder.com/nas/nas-reviews/32161-netgear-readynas-rn102-reviewed

The criteria used to decide:

Needed to be under $400 (less if possible)Needed to be 1 Terabyte (upgradable to more)Needed to be RAID 1 (some level of protection) *** Uses “X-RAID” or RAID version whatever…Needed to support USB 3.0 and/or eSATA for external backups, using NTFS file systemNeeded to have a decent warranty ( 3 year with 24 X7 phone support )Needed to have a cloud storage / access feature ( allows us some level of remote management i.e. ReadyCloud)Needed to have a built-in backup utility with scheduler that might support network/cloudNeeded to have some level of security / encryptionNeeded to be at least somewhat easy to setup

Relevant Reviews

We settled on the NetGear ReadyNAS RN10221D –2 bay model that comes with 2 - 1TB drives. Listed as 2 Terabyte capacity but with RAID 1 - really get 900 + GigabytesIt is upgradable by replacing the drives with 2TB or 3TB drives

Most vendors list this model around $350We have paid from $230 to $355 for themSupply is not a problemProbably can get quantity discounts from CDWG et al

Can be purchased with no drives for less than $150 (model RN10200) If you have a supply of drives - that makes sense

* We’ve have had 1 drive go outNetgear support sent a replacement the next dayBays are hot swappable and the box was never really downWe rebooted it anyway...

The Standard Configuration Template

County Office NAS Configuration Notes

County Office:

Date of installation:

Regional IT Specialist:

Unit hardware & Network

Unit Make / Model Netgear Ready NAS RN102

Unit Serial Number

Firmware version

Unit Name

IP number assigned

network mask

gateway

administrative login account

password

Groups and Folder Structures

Groups created

Include names & permissions

granted

Shared Folders created

Include names groups allowed

access

Available online for RITSWord documentHeld in county named folders

County Office NAS Records Template.docx

The SCT provides:

• Consistency across state• Pre-deployment configuration• Few surprises for third parties• Standard drive mappings• Standard backup jobs• Standard User Accounts• Standard folder names• Standard permissions for folders

What’s Under the Hood…

The NAS does a WHOLE lot more thanjust sharing files…• Office on-site/off-site backup• Media sharing• Remote file access (ftp, sftp, web)• ReadyDrop / Dropbox interface• PC, Mac and Linux environments• Disaster recovery

The Grittys and Nittys

Accessing across the LAN

Which one is it?

RAIDar program discovers NAS

Configurable mgt accounts

Accessing across the WAN

ReadyCloud – meh…Way better than nothing but you can’treally get your hands dirty

Good overview and status monitoringof numerous installations where ever

Accessing across the WAN

Some drill-down butno real management

Remote access by VPN or remote control software ( TeamViewer ) allows-- really good remote management --

• Various protocols for remote file access• Secure protocols, ports etc. configurable• User account/protocol access configuration• User account access control via “cloud” management tools

The MENUS -

The MENUS -

Shared elements

Power timing – off on weekends?Backup ( here ) means replicating the NAS

Alerts – handy and useful tool

Accounts

Groups - First

Users - Second

Interface is NOTIntuitive and some Linuxexperience is comforting

Interface is also very efficient once you catch the rhythm and beat

User accounts• Extreme granularity• Easily created/deleted• Effects are immediate

Assign rights andpermissions to groups…then add users to each group

User accounts and Group accounts offer sharp focus on rights and permissions

Way more tools and applications available…

Cloud access…

Useful but remotely disappointing

BACKUP ( worth the price alone )

Little bit quirky… not in a bad way

Each folder requires it’s own backup job, schedule, destination etc.

Creating a Backup job – The usual stuff in the usual way…

• Give the job a name• Tell it a source (folder)• Tell it a destination

Destinations can be external HD’s or network locations

Creating a Backup job – The usual stuff in the usual way…

• When it will happen• How often it happens

Creating a Backup job – The usual stuff in the usual way…

Each item (folder) is adifferent job

Quirky…maybe – BUTvery granular

Program the magic buttonto do whatever.

Front USB (3) port workswell with external HD’s

Assign the “Friday swap”to one staff member

Q&(maybe) A