Software

There are two programs that come with the BlackArmor NAS that you will need to install. First is the BlackArmor Discovery and the second is BlackArmor Backup.

BlackArmor Discovery

BlackArmor Discovery is the utility that discovers and connects to the BlackArmor NAS. Without it, you could not setup and configure your NAS.

When executed, BlackArmor Discovery automatically seeks out the NAS on the network and identifies it by name and IP. From here you can view the drive details.

Under "Drive Details", you can now view the shared folders and log into the NAS by clicking on "Manage". By clicking on "Manage", BlackArmor Discovery launches your default web browser which takes you to the NAS log-in screen. Once you have input your user name and password you can now view and configure a wide array of settings.

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The first screen you will see is the "System Tab". From here you can view the system status, configure settings, setup email notifications, change the admin password, update the firmware, and even manage an optional UPS.

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Under the "Network" tab, you can view or manage the NAS IP, configure the HTTP, FTP, UPnP, and NFS services, configure the workgroup or domain, configure dynamic DNS, or configure an attached printer.

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Under the "Storage" tab you can view the installed hard drives, create and manage volumes, create and manage shares, manage USB shares, and much more. There is also where you would rebuild the RAID array if you ever had the need to swap out a bad hard drive.

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Under the "Access" tab, you can add users and groups, as well as assign special permissions to each. Of all the settings I've played with, this one impressed me the most.

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The BlackArmor permissions is one of the best I've seen. It's quick and easy to use and totally self explanatory. Best of all it WORKS unlike some software suites I've seen. There is no fighting with the software or rebooting the NAS or workstations. You simply add the users and assign permission and you're done.  Once you have created shared folders and have assigned permissions, you can now map each folder on the workstations of your choice. Whenever you access the folder, it will either let you in if it's a public folder or it will ask you for a user name and password. Again, the folder permissions worked flawlessly in Windows XP, Vista and even Windows 7. It just doesn't get any better than this...