First of all, what in the heck is an NAS (Network Attached Storage) server anyway? NAS, which offers ample storage space, allows any user to write data to and read NAS data via a LAN connection. Normally, pre-configured NAS servers with 500 GBytes or more capacity can easily cost several thousand dollars.
Open-E proves there is a cheaper and quicker alternative with the two IDE flash modules NAS 2.0 and NAS Soho, which differ only in controller support. While the Soho module is only compatible with onboard IDE controllers, the NAS 2.0 module can manage IDE, SCSI and serial ATA RAID controllers.
The Soho module is completely sufficient for use at home or in smaller networks. For larger companies that also need to keep an eye on data security, i.e. RAID, only the NAS-2.0 module is an option.

This flash module holds the license-free NAS server operating system.
Both modules are operated in exactly the same way. Simply plug the Open-E flash module into the first IDE port of the motherboard and you can get right down to the configuration. The NAS server's hardware requirements are fairly modest. The manufacturer recommends a CPU speed of at least 600 MHz, 128 MBytes RAM and a network card. The hard drive capacity is up to the individual user. Since the Soho module does not support an additional IDE or RAID controller, only two extra hard drives at most can be connected to the second IDE channel. If the IDE controller supports hard drives in excess of 128 GBytes, these are recognized and integrated by the Soho server without any problem. Thus, for example, it is possible to use two Samsung 160 GByte hard drives that together go for less than $250. More capacity requires using the slightly more expensive NAS-2.0 solution. This flash module supports a wide range of standard RAID controllers for IDE, SCSI or serial ATA hard drives.

The flash module is simply plugged into the first socket of the IDE interface.
Configuring The NAS Server
After booting up for the first time, all you need to do is allocate the NAS server with an IP address. If the network has a DHCP server or an Internet router, the module can be automatically routed to the network environment. Using the key combination CTRL+Alt+N, you can manually input the IP address as well as the submask and gateway. After resetting the system, the NAS server will then work with the predefined network environment and you can get down to the actual configuration of the hard drive and users.

The first network setting has to be made on the server.
The NAS server can be configured using any web browser. Keying in http://ancom calls up a password query mask and then the main menu. The NAS server is configured in the four submenus, while a further menu serves as a help function. The resources menu item is for setting up users and groups and for creating directories on the connected hard drive. The drive should logically be allocated to the server and formatted beforehand under Setup | Disk manager.
To allow different users to access the NAS server, they have to be set up via the Web interface. Each user can be assigned individual rights for the NAS server. It is also possible to assign each individual user his/her own subdirectories. This is easier to do if a user group is set up first and then used as the basis for the individual users. It is also possible to allocate several directories or hard drives. Data access can also be restricted to read-only.

After logging in, the main menu of the Soho server appears.

Each user can be assigned individual rights to the NAS server.

Groups or users share data directories via a shared access.
The users and groups as well as the connected hard drives are managed via the different menu items. In the case of the Soho NAS module, the disks are registered as separate drives. With NAS 2.0, the hard drives are managed by the RAID controller. After integration, which can be done with a simple mouse click, the NAS server can now access the new drives.

Clicking on Add integrates the new hard drive into the server.

The Open-E Soho-NAS manages each connected hard drive separately
The status display shows which network and IDE controllers are available and can be used for the NAS server. In the case of the NAS 2.0 flash module, the connected RAID controllers are listed, too.

Under Status | devices, the NAS server displays the hardware with which it is equipped.
Specifications Of The Flash Module
| Hardware requirements | |
|---|---|
| NAS Soho | NAS 2.0 |
| x86 - compatible PC | x86 - compatible PC |
| Network card | Network card |
| CPU 600 MHz Pentium III upward | CPU 800 MHz Pentium III upward |
| IDE port | Hardware RAID controller
3 Ware Adaptec ICP Vortex Intel |
| Supported client OS | |
| Microsoft Windows | Microsoft Windows |
| Apple OS X | Apple OS X |
| Linux | |
| Unix | |
| Network transport protocols | |
| TCP/IP | TCP/IP |
| NetBEUI | NetBEUI |
| Network file protocols | |
| SMB Server Message Block | SMB Server Message Block |
| CIFS Common Internet File System | CIFS Common Internet File System |
| FTP File Transfer Protocol | FTP File Transfer Protocol |
| NFS Network File System | |