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[EmuMatte]

Hey Hey,
I thought I'd drop a note to let people know how the DNS-323 can be used in your environment...

I received a DNS-323 unit for Christmas, 2008.  This was something I had asked for, and the wife was lucky enough to find one through a local PC Parts distributor.  I had done a lot of background reading, and believed that the DNS-323 was the unit for me.

Reasons why I looked at this as a solution: 
--Inexpensive
--Popular (more likely to get patches/updates)
--Proven (hadn't heard a lot of failures)
--Open technology (no, not supported, but there are solutions available if you are unsatisfied with the official product, and want to extent the functionality of the unit)
--Interoperability w/both PC/Macs

Initially, between January and March, I threw a couple older drives in the 323 -- a 250GB, and a 320GB to test.  This was originally with FW 1.05.  All seemed well -- I was able to use Disk1 as my Primary data store, while copying regularly to Disk2 (not RAID).  Itunes worked (although slowly, with constant disk activity).  The unit also worked well with my various HTPC devices (XBMC on an original XBOX, and an old Laptop using XP/MPC).

Eventually, I purchased 2x 1TB WD drives.  These *worked*, although due to the the issues which 1.07 fixed, I did not put any production/needed data on the unit until recently.  Since v1.07 has come out, the drives now work through restarts/power-down without issue.  This is good!

Currently, I use the unit as a Media box, though primarily only as a file-share for movies (xvid's etc).  XBMC sees the unit without any issues -- likewise with my HTPC.

I have designated Volume1 as the Primary data-store.  I have scheduled separate jobs on the unit to copy specific directories from Volume1 to Volume2 throughout the week (ie. MP3's every day, Pictures 3 times a week, movies once a week), and after the initial copy, the differential backups are working good.

Although I'm in a 10/100 network, using the DNS-323 as an Adobe Lightroom volume is working ok.  Its a bit slow, but functional.  Thats my issue -- not DLINK

Both of my Mac's are able to see, and use the DNS-323 without issue.

I have purchased Chronosync, which automatically mounts, and sync's data from our laptops to the DNS323 nightly, and this has also performed flawlessly, and transparently.

Bittorrent is functional with the DNS-323, but...(see below).

I would, and do recommend this unit to anyone.  Its solid, robust, and a great little unit overall.

Issues:
Theres a few, but I have a feeling FW 1.08 will resolve these..

--Itunes Server:  Doesn't work.  It *used* to -- but no longer.  Activating this feature brings up an error page on the webpage.  A little unsatisfactory.  Another weird thing, is that if I created the ITunes share on the DNS by copying my local ITunes folder to the unit -- I get playlists that were included in my local library...however, i have no way to manage or create them on the unit.

--Time:  My unit continues to slowly lose time, or not realize that I'm in the Atlantic Timezone (-4), and is currently 1 hour off.

--Bittorrent:  I installed this with FW 1.06.  It seems like a glass canon.  I can use it -- but if I stay on the BT page too long, it locks up the DNS web page, and the unit needs to be restarted.  Further to that, the 'add from URL' functionality no longer works.

--Schedule Downloads:  This bit of functionality doesn't seem to know how much its copied, when copying by folder.  Question:  Is this using RSYNC internally, or some other unixy copy functionality (cp?).  How do we know if there are any failures?

Things That Would Be Nice:
--Actual, functional, supported Apple support.  I would love to use this unit as a Time Machine Host.  I know thats probably got some licensing issues, but thems' the brakes.

--Better backup options/logging

--Ability to hide shares/volumes from everyone (ie. Volume2).  This would allow me to better, and simply map objects on the DNS323.  I don't use volume2, except as a backup host for Volume1.  Therefore, I don't want anyone to see it.  Add to that -- I don't want anyone to see Volume1, only the exposed shares that I have created.

--Mail notification from Torrent completions/starts from the queue.

Anywho -- I still love this unit, and am only starting to get the best use out of it.

Cheers,
Matte

[rocaddict]

{snip}
--Time:  My unit continues to slowly lose time, or not realize that I'm in the Atlantic Timezone (-4), and is currently 1 hour off.

= Just an off-handed idea. you might want to check the Daylight Savings settings.

--Bittorrent:  I installed this with FW 1.06.  It seems like a glass canon.  I can use it -- but if I stay on the BT page too long, it locks up the DNS web page, and the unit needs to be restarted.  Further to that, the 'add from URL' functionality no longer works.

= I had the same issue, and you explained the cause above.
=  I too installed the Bittorrent client /w a previous version of the firmware and had the exact same time.
== To solve this, I used the latest version of the Easy Search Utility, and installed the latest version of the Bittorrent client. It seemed to work properly after that.
(likely compatibility issue /w the newer firmware)

--Schedule Downloads:  This bit of functionality doesn't seem to know how much its copied, when copying by folder.  Question:  Is this using RSYNC internally, or some other unixy copy functionality (cp?).  How do we know if there are any failures?

= MIne has been like this since Firmwware 1.00

--Better backup options/logging

= AMEN!  This unit needs a logging option!

--Ability to hide shares/volumes from everyone (ie. Volume2).  This would allow me to better, and simply map objects on the DNS323.  I don't use volume2, except as a backup host for Volume1.  Therefore, I don't want anyone to see it.  Add to that -- I don't want anyone to see Volume1, only the exposed shares that I have created.

= This is a wndows thing. Just go into My Network and delete the auto-populated list of mounts. You can still browse to it via "entire network' and drill down to the NAS specifically. (but if your Users don't know about it.... )

Anywho -- I still love this unit, and am only starting to get the best use out of it.

[alios]

--Bittorrent:  I installed this with FW 1.06.  It seems like a glass canon.  I can use it -- but if I stay on the BT page too long, it locks up the DNS web page, and the unit needs to be restarted.  Further to that, the 'add from URL' functionality no longer works.

= I had the same issue, and you explained the cause above.
=  I too installed the Bittorrent client /w a previous version of the firmware and had the exact same time.
== To solve this, I used the latest version of the Easy Search Utility, and installed the latest version of the Bittorrent client. It seemed to work properly after that.
(likely compatibility issue /w the newer firmware)

i think i`m dumb.. but how do you do that ??
recently i`m having the same problem, adding torrent files via url or browse seems to end in a browser error...
could someone explain how you upgrade the bittorent client on the NAS ??

many thanks

[rkaye]

fyi, switching from 100mbps network to gigabit only increased my network speed by 33%, not 10x as one would initially assume. to get faster speeds I needed to configure my dns323's and all my pcs to use multiple drives in raid0. (under cat5e with a gigabit network switch)

all my dns323 units 'lose time' as well. once a week or so I connect using the config utility and update them to my PC which autosyncs to a timeserver. it's usually off by some minutes, never as much as an hour though.

we got frustrated with the itunes server way long ago, so i found a utility online that converted the itunes files to mp3 files. now we just have our own play-lists on our PCs. works fine for us.

re: Schedule Downloads, as far as i know there isn't a way to monitor how much data is copied, although you can have the DNS323 email you if you get close to capacity. if you are backing up pcs and vol1, the pc software should tell you if the backup failed.

re:bittorrent, never tried running it on the DNS323, was always way too nervous that running the bittorrent client might open the DNS323 up as an attack vector for a hacker. scary.

in order to get a semi-private folder on vol2/backup you simply need to do this (sorta ghetto private folders, but nonetheless):

• do NOT make the dns323 a part of your domain,
• turn off (setup, advanced) LLTD and UPnP so it won't broadcast to the network that it exists.
• put shortcuts on your user desktop (or wherever) that directly point to the shares you want them to see.
  

Caveats:

• nested directories will always be visible (if you map a shortcut to: vol1/family, you wont be able to hide: vol1/family/pixofwifenaked)
• users will still be able to 'see' folders if they navigate via explorer using the shortcut you provide on the desktop.
  

fyi-

• deleting the nas/share icon(s) from the 'network neighborhood'/'my network places' on PC's running on the network wont work-- the PCs will add the icon right back soon thereafter.
• not sure if 'funplug' will do this for you
• normally in linux, any file/folder that starts with a "." is hidden. the dns323 wont allow you to name a folder .hidden but i wonder if you telnet into the dns323 if you can make a hidden folder?  if you can, you'd just need to map it. i think ill test that out tonight, unless someone here knows the answer?

[fordem]

fyi, switching from 100mbps network to gigabit only increased my network speed by 33%, not 10x as one would initially assume. to get faster speeds I needed to configure my dns323's and all my pcs to use multiple drives in raid0. (under cat5e with a gigabit network switch)

Please bear in mind that failure of a single drive in a RAID0 array will result in the loss of all of your data, and I would strongly suggest that you test throughput with a RAID0 array rather than assume that it is faster - it has been my experience, and that of other DNS-323 users, that RAID0 on the DNS-323 offers no performance advantage and is therefore not worth the increased risk.

As far as gigabit performance goes, any transfer that exceeds 100mbps can be considered gigabit, and it is extremely rare to find consumer grade equipment that can transfer data anywhere close to 1000 mbps.

[kizer_rezik]

Exactly what he said. I'd highly encourage the use of Raid opposed to doing your own backups. I've not noticed any degrade of performance running with my drives mirrored. If so I would only imagine while writing data not reading.

When I watch the lights I see one drive light blink when I read and two when I write. For obvious reasons, but most of the time I spend more time reading than writing so its kinda a moot issue for me. 

[mig]

Exactly what he said. I'd highly encourage the use of Raid opposed to doing your own backups.

That's not what fordem said.  Please re-read fordem's signature.  ( RAID1 != backup )

[kizer_rezik]

Mig,

Thank you for the clarification since somehow I've replied to the wrong post?

As well I humbly stand corrected on the Raid1 as a backup. Its a mirror of data and of course bad data in = bad data out.

Kinda makes me rethink my storage 

[mig]

Kinda makes me rethink my storage 

Kizer_rezik,

RAID1 is a "good thing".  Not only does it keep you working through a single hard drive failure,
but when a hard drive fails, since you data is still accessible, you can make a backup right
before you attempt to replace the failed drive; thus capturing any data that has changed
since your last backup.

IMHO, RAID1, along with a periodic (in my case daily) backup allows me to sleep well at night
knowing my digital images and other irreplaceable family memories will not be lost to technological
problems.