Maxtor's Shared Storage Does NAS At Home

Digging In To The Web Interface

Configuration Wizard Helps With Setup

Despite the fact that working with the Maxtor Easy Manage Software is, in fact, easy, you cannot avoid using the Web interface for configuration purposes. If you click on certain menu points of the Maxtor Easy Manage Software, you open a browser which takes you to the Web configuration interface in question.

This interface can also be called up without the Easy Manage Software, just by entering the IP address of the Maxtor Shared Storage II. The default user name and password is "admin", and again, simple operation is the focus. If you do not wish to use Maxtor Easy Share, you have a Web interface with a wizard that takes you through initial setup instead.

Integrated Print Server

The interface is clearly structured. The main page can be used to call up the various menu points in order to create user accounts, manage folder releases or change the system configurations. Thus you can determine the detailed TCP/IP configuration as well as the time at which the device is to be put into standby mode. USB drives can also be connected into the rear of the Maxtor Shared Storage II unit, and formatted via the Web interface. You can also configure any connected printers.

RAID Settings

Whether the device is to be operated in RAID 1 or RAID 0 mode can be specified under the Advanced Settings menu point. It is recommended that this setting is made prior to final implementation to meet the relevant requirements. If data is already stored on the device when the RAID mode is changed, all data will be lost.

An idiosyncrasy in the display of the drive size can also be seen here. If you change the RAID mode from RAID 0 to RAID 1 and then call up the RAID settings menu again, incorrect overall capacity are shown on the Web interface.

Media Server

The Universal Plug and Play server (UPnP-Server) conforms to the DLNA standard and is integrated in the Maxtor Shared Storage II; it is just as quickly and easily set up. When activating the media server functions, users can set whether their personal folders are to be searched for media files or only the publicly available folders. If an option is selected, the Maxtor Shared Storage II automatically searches in the appropriate folders for images, music or video files.

Marcel Binder
  • badboy4dee
    kwl review for this device. I wonder though if it allowed for mtu/jumbo, vpn security config n such. Prob not but that woulda been a nice touch.

    The Silent Majority
    Reply
  • deck
    These home NAS storage solutions need raid 5 and support for at least 4 drives. Until then my old AMD 500 will continue to chug away...
    Reply
  • serp9000
    "But the fact that a user may wish to replace the drives has not been taken into consideration. Should a drive fail and you need to replace it yourself, you’ll have to take the unit apart and break the warranty seal."

    If a drive fails and it's still under warranty, it would only seem logical to invoke the warranty protection and get a free drive. If a drive fails and it isn't under warranty, then breaking the warranty seal wouldn't be a problem. Doesn't seem like a particularly important detail.
    Reply
  • What's the point of the tiny images where I can't read anything?
    Reply
  • hellwig
    largerimagespleaseWhat's the point of the tiny images where I can't read anything?"...And so, with a clash of lightning that split apart the heavens, and with a mighty voice, God said unto Abraham: 'Click on the image twice you doofus!'".

    I do agree that clicking on the image once to get the main image page, and then a SECOND time to get the full-sized image is stupid, but if they were to insert the full-sized image in the main article, the article would be pretty hard to read through.

    I had one of those little warranty stickers on my old Mactor One-Touch. With a razor and some patience you can get that sucker off without breaking it.
    Reply
  • snarfies1
    serp9000If a drive fails and it's still under warranty, it would only seem logical to invoke the warranty protection and get a free drive.
    Except that this will involve sending your still perfectly functional drive away, where it will be perused by whoever while you have no access to it yourself. Not an acceptable solution to me. This is yet another FAIL solution for home NAS, I'm afraid.
    Reply
  • serp9000
    the problem is you'll have to do without your data while you wait for the warranty work. do you really trust sending out your one good copy?
    Reply
  • oldmangamer
    Let me see...Raid 1 means you can replace a failed drive with a new one and the second drive (the "mirror") still contains the data. But now, you have to replace the failed drive so the mirror can be rebuilt...but you cannot without voiding the warranty. Do I have this straight? If so, this is simply a disaster waiting to happen. Especially with the high drive failure rate reported by customers. Still waiting for a good home NAS.
    Reply
  • xxsk8er101xx
    Buy this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817707125Buy your drives.
    Call it a day.
    Reply
  • kschoche
    Performance is lackluster at best, especially in raid-0! Let me rephrase, performance is TERRIBLE.
    The chances of the working disk getting damaged while shipping the whole box back for a single failed drive are WAY higher than the chances I'll damage it opening it, but considering the literacy of the users of such a slow NAS... I'll stick with my homebrew NAS kthx

    Reply