| Article Index |
|---|
| Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ Review |
| Functionality |
| The Out Of Box Experience |
| Performance |
| Is the ReadyNAS NV+ For Me? |
| Conclusion and Thoughts |
| All Pages |
Unpacking and setting up the ReadyNAS NV+ was a simple affair. Since the test unit was the ReadyNAS NV+ RND4000, it came without hard disks. We chose to install all the disks before turning on the system for the first time - once powered up, the NV+ automatically created a 4 disk X-RAID set - 1.4TB - from our 500GB drives. The entire initial setup process consisted of just 5 steps:
- Unpack the ReadyNAS, the network cable and the power supply;
- Install the hard disks in the drive caddies (more bonus points for supplying more than the minimum number of screws - we received 20 screws leaving 4 spares), and slide the drives into the NAS;
- Connect the network cable to the ReadyNAS and the switch;
- Connect the power supply
- Open the Web Admin page (http://nas-xx-xx-xx/admin)
This could not be made much simpler, except that the default name for the NAS is NAS-xx-xx-xx - where the x's are the last half of the NAS' network identity, printed on the sticker at the back of the NAS. Luckily, though, the IP address is displayed on the LCD panel at the front of the ReadyNAS and this is an easy alternative to using the name of the NAS.
The NAS comes with two shares defined by default:
| Share Name |
Share Description | Share Configuration |
| backup |
Backup Share |
CIFS (Windows Networking) On |
| media |
Media Server Share |
CIFS (Windows Networking) On AFP (Macintosh Networking) On HTTP (Web Networking) Off |
Unlike the ReadyNAS Duo, the NV+ comes configured for Share level access control. In this mode, each share requires only a password rather than both a username and a password. This made access from Windows 7 troublesome, although surprisingly Windows 2008 had no issues accessing the shares.
Switching to Active Directory mode quickly cured this problem, and since this mode and share password mode are the most likely configurations for this device, they are the two configurations we tested.
Both shares allow guests to read and write all files by default. Not the most secure configuration but definitely the simplest for a novice user to unpack and have "just work".
Once converted to Active Directory mode, the shares were configured for read/write access by all, including Guest. As a result, no authentication is required to access the data.
Disappointingly, there is no way to use Windows access control lists to restrict access to folders or files - so anyone who can access a share on the ReadyNAS NV+ can also access all the data in that share.
There are no user accounts defined other than the default Admin account. Surprisingly, however, this account is not able to access shares - it is used only for administrative access. Once converted to Active Directory mode, those users are copied to the ReadyNAS and can be viewed in the normal user list.
Also, the only protocols enabled by default for these shares are for Windows and Mac OS. The NFS protocol preferred for OSX, Linux and UNIX is completely disabled by default, as is access to shares using a web browser, FTP and Remote Sync (RSYNC).
The basic steps therefore, from box to production, need to include creating the right user accounts in addition to the basic tasks previously listed or joining your Windows domain, and enabling the right protocols for your network.
The ReadyNAS Web UI, called Frontview, makes this pretty straightforward. 6 clicks and 3 pieces of information (username, email address and password) will create a user account, 6 pieces of information will join a domain, and another dozen clicks enables the NFS and FTP protocols for the default shares.
It's a piece of cake, and because Frontview responds quite snappily, you're up and running in less than 5 minutes. That's really respectable.
