How to set up a LAN-to-PC connection with a Thecus N7700

[jrobbins50]

I want to direct connect my Thecus N7700 NAS unit via ethernet cable to my C.A.P.S. PC. I now realize that it is not just as simple as plugging one into the other. LAN connections are new to me and I have no idea how to configure the LAN connections between the two devices. Can someone walk me through step-by-step how to do this?

 

A related question. The Thecus unit has a WAN port as well. I do want to access the media files wirelessly throughout the rest of my home, so would the correct device to attach to the WAN port be a wireless bridge?

 

Thanks in advance for the help. JCR

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi JCR - This is how I have my NAS configured much of the time. It works well.

 

Plug the WAN port into your whole network so you have access throughout the house.

 

Use the LAN port for the C.A.P.S. server.

 

Set the manual ip address on the server to 10.0.99.1 and the ip address on the NAS (LAN port) to 10.0.99.2. Set the subnet mask on both machines to 255.255.255.0 and don't worry about a default gateway. If it makes you enter one just put 10.0.99.254.

 

Map a drive from the server to the NAS using \10.0.99.2Folder name on the NAS.

 

Remember since the server only has one network interface it will not have Internet access and you won't have any remote control access.

 

 

 

 

 

[jrobbins50]

Chris, I am (slowly) starting to understand. Some noob-like follow up questions:

 

To set the manual IP address on the C.A.P.S. server, what do I do? Same question as to the Thecus unit. I take it that these are both fixed IP addresses. I know how to get things to work wirelessly, but I've never set up a LAN network. So, this part is all new.

 

I do (think I) understand how to map the drive (whew, something anyway).

 

I have a wireless N adapter plugged into the server and that's, of course, giving me internet access now (the Broadcom decoder is working nicely to output 1080i to my TV). Won't I be able to continue to access the internet wirelessly through that and the NAS files over the LAN at the same time? If not, can I accomplish the task by plugging the LAN port of the NAS and the LAN port of the server into a 5-port switch (http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/EG005W), and then plug the switch into a wireless ethernet bridge (http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/WET610N)?

 

Thanks. JCR

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi JCR - Follow-up questions are always expected and encouraged :~)

 

Since you have a wireless adapter on the server then you'll be totally fine for accessing the Internet and the rest of your network.

 

Thecus - Go to the administration web page by typing in the IP address of the Thecus' LAN port. You can set the LAN IP address from the front panel for initial setup if you want. You can also plug it into your router or LAN switch and it should receive a dynamic address. The front panel should then show you the address. On the Thecus web page there is a Network menu. On that menu are places to config the LAN and WAN addresses.

 

C.A.P.S. - Go to the Control Panel >> Network and Sharing Center >> the click on "Change Network Adapter Settings" in the upper left. This will show you your network cards. Right click your wired card and select Properties. On the following window select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCPIP v4)" then select properties. Then you can enter a static IP address by clicking "Use The Following IP Address."

 

[jrobbins50]

Chris, it was even simpler. I merely configured the ethernet bridge with the Linksys software for DHCP, plugged the WAN out of the NAS, my PC and bridge into the switch and I had nothing more to do. Voila! I am playing music off of the NAS!

 

By the way, one of my Seagate 1.5TB 7200 drives (ST31500341AS) has failed in the first week and a second one has bad sectors showing Warning already. Not a good track record, but it's the only 1.5TB drive on the Thecus list for the N7700. I wanted 1.5TB so I could use six of them in a RAID6 array and stay under the limit so as to use the ext3 file system (whatever that is -- a friend who is a storage expert recommended this to me).

 

I do however have a different problem, which I will raise here. The CAPS server (with the Xonar Slim 1.3 card in it) is throwing off a low engine droning sound through my speakers. If I power down the PC, the sound disappears, so it's the server all right. Any clue what might be causing this and how to stop it? JCR

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi JCR - Seagate and Hitachi are the only two drive manufacturers I will use.

 

The Thecus will support up to 8 TB RAID arrays using EXT3.

 

It sounds like you have a grounding issue causing the droning sound. The easiest way to test this theory is to float the ground using a three-to-two prong cheater plug. If this works then you know it's the ground issue. Are you using balanced XLR cables in the rest of your system? They can do wonders for certain noise issues. One brand of components I have here I simply can't listen to with single ended RCAs. The droning noise is terrible. Switching to XLRs was golden.