TRENDnet TS-U100 - NAS Server - USB Reviews
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ArtComSystems.... January 14th, 2012
TrendNet TS-U100 USB Storage Server
Abstract : Set up the TrendNet TS-U100 Storage Server attached to network for storage.Need : The Ricoh 2045 Copier needs an SMB share location to store the files scanned in from the ADF.
Software Implementation
Easyscan appliction : To find the TrendNet device, discover the hostname, map a drive and some other features. It's an application that's not really needed, it only works under Windows, and needs firewall exception(s) to work.
As far as the other functions of this application, their suitability of use, security, etc, they are beyond the scope of this review.
Tip - use updated firmware.
TrendNet Web Administration Interface - access from the browser with http://192.168.1.2
This menu driven interface is used to configure the FTP access, shares, and user names, etc. It is prettey handy, all in all and the menu is simple and easy to use, with few options and very little to foul up. Different appearances of the listed shares appear depending on the browser being used. It is targeted towards Windows users, and certain browsers may not work like Firefox, or Safari, when displaying the tree view to browse the directory structure of the shared volume.
Tip - double check read/write privledges on all shares to ensure you have the rights to access them
Tip - set the time on the TrendNet or else the files will be created with strange creation dates
Windows 7 Home and Win 7 Starter Edition clients can browse to the smb share location or map a drive to it using easyscan or map with the hostname\sharename convention. This would allow the user to work with the uploaded files in a directory window. Ftp access to the share location from a Windows machine is not needed if the TrendNet can be browsed to in a window.
Tip - It's helpful to have the workgroup setting match in the TrendNet and the client side network configuration
Mac O/S 10.7 - These clients can connect to the sahres on the TrendNet via Ftp from the Finder by 'Connect to Server' and typing in the ftp://192.168.1.2/DataVolume
Tip - Samba shares or Sessions can allow you to map a fake root or restrict use of a directory to certain users
Tip - If you want to setup SMB to store files onto O/S 10.7, which we didn't do, you may want to wait past this month for the implementation of smb on 10.7 to be patched.
Mac O/S 10.6 - These clients can connect to the TrendNet also via Ftp. Some files were not able to be opened by clicking on them. Had better luck by copying them to the desktop of the Mac and opening them from there. Some errors were encountered from the Adobe software, and some files failed on opening. Will re-check the format of the data volume to see if it is Fat32.
Ricoh Copier - The copier had no problems connecting at first uploading files to the TrendNet's storage device via SMB. Later on after changing some of the authentication settings, the SMB connection failed. Could not use SMB at all. Ftp worked better and the copier could upload to the USB thumbdrive attached to the TrendNet, provided the authentication credentials in the copier were set to folder authentication (workgroup environment). The pathname was a little tricky to enter into the copier. In the folder entry box there was a 'Test Connection' button, which helped the process of getting the path right.
Download Schedule (Backup) Interface - Used to backup certain files, local or remote, to the attached storage device - not used yet
Summary : This product is more geared toward Windows users, obviously. To use the easyscan application you need Windows. the Web Interface renders correctly only in IE. But they tell us that it doesn't specifically support Mac up front. So if you are using a Mac, there may be other devices which suit your needs better, however with the Ftp access we were able to read the shared files from the Mac platform. Security of the device is the responsibility of the user and there are certain forums that describe the exploitation of the open source software used in the construction of this device, via ftp methods of parent directories. It's a small home/office device that is best kept isolated from the internet. The product is in a durable hard shell plastic case with no moving parts. It's cost effective, because it does not cost much, but there are other products out there that are comparable. It works as advertised for Windows, Unix clients weren't tested here.
Customer Service : We didn't contact TrendNet, but when clicking on the help buttons for some aspects of the Interface, the documentation was sparse. This is a real problem when you need a hint, anything, to try to figure out the workings of the device at first face.