The Interface:
The
Vantec NexStar LX provides a browser based interface for configuration and maintenance. You either type "http://storage" in your web browser or "//storage" in Windows Explorer. You are supposed to be able to type "storage" without any prefix in your web browser, but mine all access a search page on the Internet instead of accessing the device, so adding the "http://" is the easiest way to go.
The series of screens we will look at provide the basic controls for the NexStar LX. The below left screen is the home page that you land on after entering your user name and password. From here you can configure some basic settings and access the balance of other screens. The below right screen shows where you establish an IP address, either manually or automatically via your existing network.
The below left screen is where you can update the device's firmware, reboot, or restore all settings to factory defaults. The below right screen is the disk utility area where you can format the disk, set the inactive sleep time, as well as being able to run a scan disk on your NAS. One thing I noticed after an initial format of the drive inside the NexStar LX is that the FAT32 file system is your only choice.
The next two screens are where you configure the various server settings. The below left screen shows the FTP page, where you can establish accounts, what privileges these accounts have, and what folders are to be shared. You can create multiple accounts, and can even establish anonymous FTP if you should choose. The below right screen shows the SMB page, where you can set up your local share folders, as well as password protecting folders of your choosing.
Overall the interface was easy to navigate and allowed for a quick setup. Being familiar with SMB as a basic file sharing protocol is all you really need for local use. Its not as if you have to understand the protocol, just that it is what you are going to use for your local shares. FTP was easy to setup as well, and if want to share with the outside world, configuring your firewall may be the hardest part. With the firewall configured properly, I was able to setup a dynamic DNS service and a free URL through http://www.dyndns.com/ in order to make accessing the device a snap from anywhere. None of this is necessary, but it did make using the device even more convenient, and didn't take much time at all.
