| Article Index |
|---|
| Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ Review |
| Functionality |
| The Out Of Box Experience |
| Performance |
| Is the ReadyNAS NV+ For Me? |
| Conclusion and Thoughts |
| All Pages |
The Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ supports just about any type of computer likely to be found in its native SOHO environment:
- Windows® using SMB (Server Message Block) - aka CIFS (Common Internet File System). Note that OSX and Linux can generally use SMB as well as their own native protocols
- Mac OS 9/X using AFP - Apple Filing Protocol
- OSX, Linux and UNIX using NFS v2 / v3 - Network File System
- Web browsers using HTTP and Secure HTTP (the normal protocols for Web pages)
- FTP clients using FTP and Secure FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
- Various clients and other Netgear NAS devices using RSYNC (Remote Sync)
By default, all management is performed using a web browser. While the specifications list protocols like SSH, which allow for command line access to, and management of the ReadyNAS NV+, SSH is not listed in the manual and required a manual download and installation process documented on the community website ReadyNAS.com.
Interestingly the download and installation of the latest ReadyNAS firmware (v4.1.5) and the extra addon modules for SSH revealed the first bug in the Netgear UI - despite the system being configured for Australian Eastern Time (AEST), the date and time in the alert messages and system logs are all in Pacific Daylight Time - roughly 18 hours behind the local time. This would likely confuse a less technical administrator - given the overall quality of the web interface, this bug was quite a surprising find.
One function missing from the ReadyNAS Duo is the ability to join a Windows Domain - this is possible with its big brothers, and worked very well on the ReadyNAS NV+. While it's uncommon for a home to have a domain, the existence of Windows Small Business Server and Windows Foundation Server are common in tiny and small businesses (under 15 users) and it was nice to be able to integrate the ReadyNAS NV+ with the domain rather than needing to manually create accounts for each person, and duplicate groups and permissions.
Bonus points go to Netgear for correctly implementing the Active Directory functionality - unlike the Intel SS4200-E, the Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ had no arbitrary restrictions on the name of the domain; it joined our test domain on the first attempt, did not require a restart, and even placed itself in the right location in the directory.
