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Products => Solved Storage Threads => : wilda December 20, 2008, 08:54:56 AM

: Questions about new product : DriveStation 2Share
: wilda December 20, 2008, 08:54:56 AM

   

Hello,

First sorry for my poor english ... I'am french.

 

I'm very interrested by the new product DriveStation 2Share but I'am few questions :

1- Do the the USB 2 and the RJ45 connections can be plugged at the same time ? (one on a PC to acces it as an external drive and the other on a router to access it as a network drive). If the answer is yes, can i access simultaneously (USB and network ) to the DriveStation 2Share ?

2- I'm an apple user and I want to know if the DriveStation 2Share can be formatted to HFS+ and if Time Machine work to save data of my mac book pro ?

 

Thanks for your answers and again sorry for my poor english :)

 

Stef

: Re: Questions about new product : DriveStation 2Share
: Paul December 20, 2008, 12:35:45 PM

The unit has a switch on it that will allow one mode or the other.   The unit has to stay in FAT32 in order to keep both modes. 

 

This Drivestation Has a button on the front with two options. Thebutton is transparent and if pressed will switch between Green forLAN(NAS mode) or Orange for USB mode.

• In USB mode the drive functions like a normal externalhard drive. By default it is formatted into FAT32, when exploring thedrive you still see the default share folder and and any other shares auser may have created. Additionaly it is designed to be accessedlocally only via usb and not via ethernet. You will have to connect itinto a router for the ethernert function to work properly and reliably.Meaning that if you attach the device directly into a computer's LANport the NAS Navigator utility may not recognize it. However, it willalways recognize it if you have it in USB mode. It will populate withIP information etc, everything you would normally see. You can accessthe Web Interface in this manner.
• In LAN (NAS) Mode the drive behaves as a normal NAS device with the addition of the Time Machine and Direct Copy tabs.
  • The Time Machine tab simply allows you to enable the service and select an Apple computer as a target.
  • The Direct Copy Function allows you to copy info from one share to a share on another compatible NAS.

 

: Re: Questions about new product : DriveStation 2Share
: wilda December 21, 2008, 06:39:51 AM

   

Thanks for these informations.

 

I have still another question : can i partition the disk : one partition in fat32 to allow the switch button still work and another partition in hfs+ to allow apple time machine to work (the aim is that the drivestation will be the target od timemachine) ?

 

Stef

Message Edited by wilda on 12-21-2008 02:24 PM

: Re: Questions about new product : DriveStation 2Share
: ScottP December 22, 2008, 09:07:51 AM

Because the Network access doesn't take will to non-default settings on the disk, my first instinct is to say "no, this will not work."  However, I will admit that I haven't personally tested the drive to see if the NAS function will still work if there's a smaller, but still FAT32, partition on the drive.  I will test this out for you and post my findings here.  I have an Apple laptop that I can use to test Time Machine with, but did not bring it to the office today, so I must ask for your patience in giving my a day or two to run some tests.

 

I will post my findings as soon as possible.

: Re: Questions about new product : DriveStation 2Share
: wilda December 22, 2008, 09:37:04 AM

   

OK, thanks for your investigations :smileyhappy:

 

Just a precision, I don't want a small FAT32 partition, in fact the two partitions will have the same size becuase the HFS+ partition is for my Time Machine backup and the FAT32 partition for my videos and photos to be played by a HD box (the WD HD TV).

This box has only an USB port ...  (no ethernet access).

 

To resume (again sorry for my poor english) : 

 - ethernet access : the two partitions (HFS+ and FAT32)

 - USB : FAT32 (except if i can format the drivestation in hfs+, but if a understand paul the switch button to USB mode work only if a FAT32 partition exist)

 

Stef

 

 

Message Edited by wilda on 12-22-2008 04:41 PM

: Re: Questions about new product : DriveStation 2Share
: ScottP December 24, 2008, 10:11:24 AM

I did my testing today.  In Disk Utility on my Mac, I partitioned the drive into two 250GB halves.  Partition 1 was made a FAT32 partition and Partition 2 as HFS +.

 

Both partitions worked over USB on the Mac, but only the FAT32 worked in Windows as expected.

 

The LAN mode still works, but only for the FAT32 partition.  I didn't think it would work at all, as the netowrk OS that runs the LAN mode isn't deisgned to handle multiple partitions.  BUT, it looks like the OS is able to locate the existing FAT 32 Partition and still use it without error.

: Re: Questions about new product : DriveStation 2Share
: wilda December 29, 2008, 02:54:21 AM

   

Thanks for your testing.

Unfortunatly, for my case, the inverse behaviour will be nice : ethernet : 2 "visible" partitions and USB : one partition (the FAT32) :(

 

Again thanks for the time you passed to search.