I believe many people are like me. They often worry about how to back up and store the precious audio and video data in their mobile phones or cameras, or find an efficient way to archive and store important work data? Although cloud data backup is fast and simple, it is inevitable that the data will be lost due to accidents. It would be more secure if you have a local device that can quickly access your data at any time. The best recommendations for such devices are NAS (Network Attached Storage) network storage servers and DAS (Direct-Attached Storage) direct-connected devices. store.
The DAS device is directly connected to the computer without installing software. Just pay attention to whether the file format of the storage disk can be read by the computer system to be used. However, NAS systems require basic setup and operation learning to get started. Therefore, most people have learning difficulties with devices like NAS because they think it must be complicated to learn how to install and set up. But in fact, you don’t have to worry. ASUSTOR’s UI interface is designed to be easy to understand, and the hardware installation process is also quite simple. It’s simple, just install the hard drive into the hard drive slot in the NAS, and then you can start the system installation process!
This article is here to recommend AS3304T v2, a very value-for-money NAS product launched by ASUSTOR. In addition to its stylish design and not being cold, the product is also very easy to install. You can also use your mobile phone or computer to access the Internet when you are away. Lu Lian can go back to access information, which can be said to be the best assistant when working in a different place!
asustor AS3304T v2 unboxing
First, let’s take a look at the outer packaging of 4Bay’s AS3304T v2 product. The design is quite simple and gives you the feeling of buying a high-quality product and bringing it home~
The accessories section mainly includes transformers, AC connections and network cables.
There is a high-quality rose gold logo on the upper right corner, and the panel adopts a magnetic detachable design which is very convenient!
The panels on both sides and the front have three-dimensional bevel angles, and the design is fashionable and stylish! The dimensions are: 170(H) x 174(W) x 230(D) mm, net weight 2.2 kg.
I also took a picture of the left side for everyone to see~
After removing the panel, you can see that there are four quick-release bays; there is a power-on button on the left side, as well as various status indicator lights. There is a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port and a data backup button below.
The way to take out the hard drive box is quite simple~
There is also a diamond-shaped cutout design on the right side! There are also small grooves for easy removal of the decorative cover ~
The back end of the host is where the cooling fan is located. There are also two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports and a super-fast 2.5GbE network port! The size of the fan is 120mm, and it is very quiet at 19.7dB when the hard drive is not running!
The power consumption is 25.1W (during operation) / 8.4W (hard disk hibernation), which is very good! The operating temperature falls between 0°C~40°C
The elevated legs provide circulation of heat dissipation and convection below.
The recommended price of AS3304T v2 with 4 Bay is NTD11,990. This series of products also has 2 Bay models which are even cheaper. After the AS33 series was upgraded to the second generation, the performance of the processor has been greatly improved. The core 1.4 GHZ is increased to 1.7 GHz (21% increase), the memory size is 2GB DDR4, and the flash memory is 8GB eMMC; the built-in GPU has been upgraded to double the performance, greatly increasing the reading and writing speed and providing smoother Storage experience (processor architecture is ARM64 64-bit).
With built-in 2.5GbE network port, hard disk hot-swappable design, hardware 4K decoding and streaming and other functions, it can provide audio-visual studios with a more efficient file storage and multi-processing environment! The second-generation AS3304T adds Btrfs file format support, which can protect files by enabling Snapshot, so that when the files are subject to unexpected changes, the files can be further restored to ensure file integrity.
This test demonstration is with two WD Red Plus 4TB NAS dedicated hard drives~
The hard drive rack can support traditional 3.5″ HDD and 2.5″ HDD or SSD.
The screw-free fixing design is super convenient!
The way to install a hard drive is very simple. Remove the quick-release latches on the left and right sides, put the hard drive inside and then put it back. The hard drive can be easily fixed and has a certain degree of shock suppression capability. If you are worried about it being unstable, , you can also add screws to the bottom to fix it!
Installing an HDD is easy and fast!
Easily push it all the way in to secure it!
Powerful ADM system
AS3304T v2 is equipped with the latest ADM 4.2 system out of the factory, which incorporates multiple security measures, including a revised version of Dr. ASUSTOR, which can analyze and diagnose overall security. At the same time, ADM 4.2 can also detect and provide security recommendations for immediate optimization, eliminate suspicious security vulnerabilities, and help users effectively reduce security risks and the possibility of being attacked by malware.
After installing the hard disk, connect the power supply and turn on the computer, remember to install the ASUSTOR Control Center software on the Win / Mac system first, and then you can start the painful installation (as shown in the picture above) ~
At the beginning, you need to decide on the appearance of the software and the setting mode. I would recommend choosing advanced settings, as the choices are more diverse.
First, you need to confirm the storage space type to be recommended. If you haven’t decided on this part yet, you can select “Single” first, because it will be no problem to decide the space type when you expand other hard drives in the future ~ But if you have already decided, then Decide directly! For example, RAID 1 allows two hard drives to use the mirror function to automatically copy a file into two hard drives in the NAS.
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The system will also intimately guide you on what to pay attention to when selecting the mode, and list the installed hard drive information to facilitate making the right choice~
In addition, JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) can combine several physical hard disks into one logical hard disk in the operating system to directly increase capacity. However, this mode does not have an error recovery mechanism and is more suitable for people who just want to use the NAS system as a network storage device.
The ADM 4.2 system interface is as above, very simple and clear!
In the resource monitoring function, you can keep track of system performance status, as well as data access speed and network speed~
In “Storage Space”, you can keep track of the space usage status of the storage disk at any time~
It can also perform data backup and restore functions, and can perform remote synchronization, allowing enterprises to carry out mutual backup applications of multiple NAS~
Small companies or individual users can use the USB Port to connect external storage devices to read data. It is very flexible in use! This part can be used as an external storage device, and it is very easy to read files in the external device! For example, you can back up multimedia files on a flash drive or memory card to the NAS at any time!
The “Network” function allows you to keep track of the network status at any time~
For home users, we are more concerned about how the lights on the NAS will affect sleep. In this case, we can use the LED night mode for scheduling. For example, we can set the status indicator light to turn off from 12 pm to 10 am.
The “Event Notification” function can thoughtfully remind you of any system operation emergencies.
After completing the settings, the status indicator lights on the left panel can let us know the operating status of the network and data storage disk at any time.
Various USB interface storage devices can be connected externally to read/access data.
Main application sharing
The main application of NAS is data backup and reading, and more diverse applications can be achieved through ASUSTOR’s powerful various expansion apps. Since there are so many of these softwares, we will not introduce them in detail in this article. I’ll share more when I have the opportunity in the future~
In the “File Manager” function, just like the Windows operating system, you can access various files at any time.
MyArchive
This article mainly shares ASUSTOR’s very convenient “MyArchive” function, which allows us to add a hard drive at any time and treat it as an independent data storage disk, which can be taken out and used by other computer systems at any time in the future! For people who are not familiar with NAS operations, it can be said to be a very useful design!
To do such an application, you need to first place the new hard drive in one of the hard drive storage slots in the NAS, then enter the “Storage Manager” of ADM and create “MyArchive” in the hard drive group.
For example, I placed the WD Red Plus 4TB NAS dedicated hard drive in the third hard drive slot to use it as a MyArchive space hard drive.
You need to select the file format of the hard drive first. I would recommend choosing exFAT, so that the hard drive can be removed and read on a Win or Mac computer in the future without any problem!
Go back to the “Storage Manager” and you can see that the newly added MyArchive storage disk has appeared ~
This function allows our NAS hard drive to become a collection hard drive that can be immediately unmounted. When we need files, we can directly insert the MyArchive hard drive to access the content, allowing us to enjoy the convenience of plug-and-play immediately!
MyArchive has a high degree of freedom. Basically, the number is N-1 that can be set as MyArchive hard drives; taking AS3304T v2 as an example, such a 4 bay model can have 3 MyArchive hard drives. And when we access the data in a certain MyArchive hard drive, other MyArchive hard drives can still remain in sleep state to reduce power consumption. When used with the local backup function, files with different attributes can also be backed up into separate MyArchive categories.
In this way, we can flexibly use storage disks for various RAID data protection, or independent MyArchive storage disks to access data, which is full of flexibility!
Just like an external hard drive can be called a hard drive, we can use the “alias” field to customize the label, so that after multiple MyArchives are mounted, the content can be quickly identified through the ADM file manager. Using it is as easy as using a computer!
The MyArchive mechanism can format the hard drive into various file systems such as EXT4, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+, Btrfs, etc., which greatly expands the flexibility and usability of the MyArchive hard drive. In addition to being installed on other ASUSTOR NAS, the unmounted MyArchive hard drive can also be placed in an eSATA/USB external box for direct access through Windows PC (NTFS file system) or Apple Mac (HFS+ file system).
For example, music lovers may back up their CDs to a hard drive, or purchase high-quality digital music files to play music on a high-end multimedia sound system. With the “MyArchive” function, you can share high-capacity high-quality music databases with audiophiles at any time. You can directly plug in the MyArchive hard drive to transfer data without having to go through a long network transmission!
The MyArchive hard drive also supports AES 256bit encryption, and can set the automatic mounting function on 20 trusted NAS, making it more flexible to use. In addition to entering a password and importing an electronic key, the decryption method can also bind a USB device as a physical key, allowing us to control data security with one key.
The encryption function allows us to take full advantage of the security of external hard drives, unlike ordinary external hard drives which have no security at all!
Scheduled backup is more secure, and ADM also adds support for automatically mounting and unmounting MyArchive when backing up important data from ASUSTOR NAS to the MyArchive hard drive. ADM will automatically mount MyArchive installed on the NAS when the backup starts, and automatically uninstall MyArchive after the backup is completed. In addition to making it easier to achieve the 3-2-1 backup principle, it also more comprehensively protects the security of MyArchive data from various sources. kind of threat.
Supports Btrfs and snapshots to strengthen the protection of backed-up data. The MyArchive snapshot function can help with version control of MyArchive hard disk backup, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally deleting files or overwriting wrong files. With the features of MyArchive, you can mount the MyArchive hard drive on other NAS that supports Btrfs. The snapshot center of the new NAS can still manage, read and restore the snapshots of this MyArchive, strengthening the protection of the data that has been backed up in MyArchive!
Good news for creators: WebDAV functionality
In today’s era full of “creators”, many people need a team to perform video shooting and post-production tasks. At this time, ASUSTOR’s WebDAV function can be used to allow team members to remotely store videos through the Internet. Fetch and manage files, and Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Premiere and other software directly support WebDAV!
For example, using the built-in WebDAV function of Lightroom to mount a photo library, we can easily access the remote photo library no matter where we are. Additionally, Lightroom is designed to keep the original file separate from the edited file, so we don’t need to worry about overwriting the original photo file when editing at the same time as others. Modified photos can also be synced to the NAS so that others can see the updated version!
These features are very useful for photographers, designers and other professionals who need to perform image post-production. No matter where you are, as long as you have an Internet connection, you can instantly transfer the photos you took back to the NAS through various methods (such as the camera’s built-in FTP transfer). The post-production and editing team only needs to open Lightroom to find photos from the material library and perform post-processing on the photos. This makes teamwork more convenient and faster. Multi-person teams can edit and manage photos at the same time without overwriting other people’s projects or original photo files, and all modifications can be synchronized instantly.
ADM Defender
Finally, let’s share the ADM “Defender” function; it can protect our NAS from being vulnerable to malicious network attacks to ensure system security, and this is the most important requirement when purchasing a NAS system! ADM Defender allows us to set firewalls, trust lists, risk lists, blacklists and whitelists; although some network sharers have simple network protection functions, they are inferior to NAS systems and ASUSTOR’s “Defender” functions. The functions are quite different, so don’t think that once the network sharer is connected to an external data storage device, it can be used as a network hard drive. The security is a concern!
The risk list is only supported by ADM 4.2.6 and above. After enabling IP risk detection, ADM will check any IP that attempts to connect to the NAS. IPs that are not in the denied IP list and trust list set by the firewall will be examine. By comparing it with ADM’s stored risk list or the AbuseIPDB online database, IPs that are in the ADM risk list or IPs that exceed the specified risk value will be directly blocked, and login and connection are not allowed. The blocked IPs will be directly added to the risk list.
The automatic blacklist will automatically block client IP addresses that have failed to log in multiple times within a set period of time, which can effectively prevent attackers who intend to invade our network!
When we know which networks are also at risk, we can make good use of blacklists to block specific client IP addresses, entire IP ranges, or entire regions from connecting to our NAS. IP addresses that are not included in the automatic blacklist or this blacklist can connect to your NAS. On the contrary, you can also use the whitelist to prevent certain people from being able to connect to our network.
The black and white list can proactively defend against malicious network attacks and prevent network hackers from continuously trying to log in. This is very important for those who want to set up their own website or data server! The services it supports include: ADM system login (HTTP/HTTPS), SAMBA/CIFS, Apple File Transfer Protocol (AFP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Secure Shell (SSH), SFTP, and WebDAV.
Summary of usage experience
In addition to the advantages of simple installation and operation, the second generation asustor AS3304T also has the convenience of MyArchive and WebDAV, which can be very effective in an era when more and more people are joining the ranks of “creators”. Or multimedia files created by a team, work independently or collaboratively, and maintain strong data security and backup mechanisms!
In addition, I hate the noise of noisy electrical appliances and used to turn off the NAS when not in use. ASUSTOR, like most series of NAS products, operates at only 19 decibels in standby operation; even when the system is running, it is only about 32 decibels, which is equivalent to the volume of a library and can meet the requirements of a high-quality living environment!
Wireless Wi-Fi 6 or even Wi-Fi 7 and wired 2.5GbE high-speed network environments have become a trend. It is recommended that you consider this specification when choosing related network equipment products to avoid being unable to upgrade in the future. asustor AS3304T v2 is equipped with 2.5GbE network speed specifications. Whether it is paired with a Wi-Fi Router or Switch, it can enjoy the advantages of 2.5GbE high-speed network data transmission!
In addition, if you are an enterprise user, it is recommended to purchase at least 4Bay or above, so that you can use RAID 5 for data rescue and backup applications, and the capacity of the two hard drives can be used in total. For example, three 4TB NAS HDDs can store 8TB of data, and when one hard drive fails, the data can still be read and used normally!
AS3304T v2 main specifications:
CPU: Realtek RTD1619B 1.7 GHz Quad Core Processor Memory: 2GB DDR4 Disk Slots: 2 x (2.5” / 3.5” SATA HDD or SSD) 4 x (2.5” / 3.5” SATA HDD or SSD) Ethernet connection Ports: 1x 2.5 Gigabit (2.5G/1G/100M speed) 2.5GbE network port sequential read/write performance up to 287 MB/s / 293 MB/s (RAID 5) External port 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (front) ), 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (rear) supports maximum hard drive capacity of 44TB/88TB (AS3302T v2 / AS3304T v2) supports hard drive hot-swappable and tool-free quick removal of hard drives supports disk array management RAID 0/1 /5 /6 /10, Single, JBOD Supports painless system migration Supports MyArchive Cold backup technology supports dual network wake-up technology (local network Wake on LAN and remote Wake on WAN)
This article ASUSTOR AS3304T v2 NAS unboxing and usage sharing: Rich in features, it is definitely the best data storage and backup device for creators first appeared in Computer DIY。
