NASLite Network Attached Storage

The following are planned for v2.04:

1. Network configuration will be changed to always use the last NIC found. Currently NASLite-2 always configures eth0. The change will allow the use of external NICs even if on-board NICs can not be disabled. For most installations the change will be transparent.

2. The "Printers and Faxes" icon will be removed from the root shares. The printer spools share is not used by NASlite-2 and is therefore not required.

3. The NASLite-2 OS level will be reduced to 0 in order to lower browser authority and always allow other members of the workgroup to become master browser. That should correct problems experienced on some networks.

4. Check source filesystem integrity prior to executing the mirror event. That will ensure that only valid data is mirrored and avoid the destruction of a good mirror due to a damaged source.

5. Provide alarm functionality to the mirror event in order to provide audible feedback on mirror problems.

The above are in the process of being implemented. We are also looking at RAID status and associated event alarms. This will probably become item 6 of the above list once we are positive that it will make it into 2.04.

I also hope that v2.03 was a worth while upgrade and it's features will prove useful to most installations.

As always, your comments, ideas and suggestions are welcome...

Thank you all for your support.

Last know NIC is a nice change, I myself have a Old that has a dead NIC and you cant disable the NIC in the bios so this is really welcome.

The filesystem check is worth the extra effort, will dest as well as source be checked before the mirror is performed.

Tony ... greetings.
Out of curiosity, does NASLite HDD come before v2.04?
Thanks

We'll try our best to do both in parallel. The NIC and master browser issues are of equal importance to people that experience the associated annoyances.

I've also been waiting for the HDD version. I'd really like to see that have a higher priority since it's been on the "to do" list for some time now.

I'd also like to see HDD version soon. Upgrading to that from USB would allow me to pull the floppy, giving me room for another HD.

Here's another vote for the HDD version...

An update to the v2.04 state:

1. Network configuration is changed to always use the last NIC found. Currently NASLite-2 always configures eth0. The change will allow the use of external NICs even if on-board NICs can not be disabled. For most installations the change is transparent.

2. The "Printers and Faxes" icon is removed from the root shares. The printer spools share is not used by NASlite-2 and is therefore not required.

3. The NASLite-2 OS level is reduced to 0 in order to lower browser authority and always allow other members of the workgroup to become master browser. That should correct problems experienced on some networks.

4. Provided RAID degradation alarm (2x700Hz + 5X300Hz). This will work only if the RAID driver issues an alert to syslog. Some drivers tend to be quiet, so the kernel will not say anything and nether will NASLite. Most however (3Ware, LSI) will be loud and clear.

5. Rsync is upgraded to latest stable, the mirror event now logs to destination drive and provides a link to that log in the mirror details on the drive status page. Also, added an alarm (1x700Hz + 1x300Hz) that will complain when rsync logs an error.

The only thing left is to update the manual to reflect the changes and then 2.04 CDD and USB will be ready for release.

Thanks everyone for your patience.

Can you confirm the HDD version comes next?

Version 2.04 will be next. The reason we've elected to do that is simple. There are many people that have hardware and data committed to the existing versions of NASLite-2, so the urgency to provide improved performance and support to existing installations is far greater than releasing the HDD. I am sure that the HDD will introduce a host of items that will be unique to it's application, so we feel it will be best if its release is made after any outstanding CDD and USB issues are resolved. We are hopeful that 2.04 will resolve most of what has been noted and will provide for a stable transition into the HDD.

Once again, thanks for your patience.

Tony,

Sorry, i was not clear. Can you confirm the HDD version comes after 2.04? I fully understand the reason and need for the 2.04 items, I am one of the people experiencing the "master browser" problem.

If there is no immediate need for v2.05, then efforts will be focused on the HDD, however I can’t confirm until we evaluate the impact of v2.04.

A nice feature would be a little tweak to the mirror function.

I am trying it out at the moment as my RAID card is not compatible. I have just copied a lot of data onto my NASLite 2 box. It would be nice if I could click a button on the web interface and start the mirror now instead of waiting till the preset.

An update to the v2.04 state:

1. Network configuration is changed to always use the last NIC found. Currently NASLite-2 always configures eth0. The change will allow the use of external NICs even if on-board NICs can not be disabled. For most installations the change is transparent.

2. The "Printers and Faxes" icon is removed from the root shares. The printer spools share is not used by NASlite-2 and is therefore not required.

3. The NASLite-2 OS level is reduced to 0 in order to lower browser authority and always allow other members of the workgroup to become master browser. That should correct problems experienced on some networks.

4. Provided RAID degradation alarm (2x700Hz + 5X300Hz). This will work only if the RAID driver issues an alert to syslog. Some drivers tend to be quiet, so the kernel will not say anything and nether will NASLite. Most however (3Ware, LSI) will be loud and clear.

5. Rsync is upgraded to latest stable, the mirror event now logs to destination drive and provides a view of that log in the mirror details on the drive status page. Also, added an alarm (1x700Hz + 1x300Hz) that will complain when rsync logs an error.

6. Add network device status information that will indicate the connection speed, duplex, port type, link state, etc. in order to make network troubleshooting easier yet. The info is accessible via the Admin interface as well as in the status pages.

7. Update the FTP binary to the latest stable with minor modifications mainly to improve large file support.

8. Add an option in the admin interface NOT to perform a physical media surface scan during manual filesystem check and repair. Currently checking for bad blocks is enabled by default. Due to the time it takes to complete the bad blocks check, many people are opting to use external means of repair. This should take care of that and allow for a quick check and repair without the need to wait on the surface scan.

9. Disallow opening of an admin interface console if one is already running. Administering the system simultaneously from multiple locations is in most cases benign but under certain conditions can cause problems. This change will disallow multiple administrators from manipulating the configuration simultaneously.

10. Rework the connected clients section of the network status screen in order to increase efficiency as well as accuracy. Output should remain unchanged other than NFS connections will now show up accordingly.

11. Updated the manual to reflect the latest changes.

There are some other minor items that are still pending but v2.04 is very near completion.

Thanks everyone for your patience.

This is definitely worth looking at. I’ll see if we can cram it in v2.04. Else, in v2.05 for sure.