Western Digital Sentinel DX4000 Administrator's Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. Western Digital Manuals
  4. Network Storage Server
  5. Sentinel DX4000
  6. Administrator's manual

Western Digital Sentinel DX4000 Administrator's Manual

Small office storage server
Hide thumbs Also See for Sentinel DX4000:
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

™
WD Sentinel DX4000
Small Office Storage Server
Administrator's Guide

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading

Related Manuals for Western Digital Sentinel DX4000

Summary of Contents for Western Digital Sentinel DX4000

  • Page 1 ™ WD Sentinel DX4000 Small Office Storage Server Administrator’s Guide...

  • Page 2: Wd® Service And Support

    Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom. Registering Your WD Product Register your WD product to get the latest updates and special offers. You can easily register your product on the user interface of the product software or online at...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents WD® Service and Support....... . ii Important User Information ....1 Important Safety Instructions .
  • Page 4 Best Practices ......60 Setting up the WD Sentinel DX4000......60 Setting up Client Computers .

  • Page 5: Important User Information

    IMPORTANT USER INFORMATION Important User Information Important Safety Instructions Handling Precautions Recording Your WD Product Information About This Guide Important Safety Instructions This device is designed and manufactured to assure personal safety. Improper use can result in electric shock or fire hazard. The safeguards incorporated into this unit will protect you if you observe the following procedures for installation, use, and servicing.

  • Page 6: Handling Precautions

    Do not use this product as a portable drive. Recording Your WD Product Information Remember to write down the following WD product information, which is used for setup and technical support. Your WD product information is found on the label on the bottom of the device. ...

  • Page 7: Product Overview

    The WD Sentinel server offers a full range of powerful features to put you in control to manage and protect your business data. It not only provides a central repository for all of your company information, but also as a backup server for up to 25 computers in your office network, without ever needing to purchase additional backup software licenses.

  • Page 8: Key Features

    Easy maintenance: Replacing one of the pre-installed drives, or adding a new drive, is as easy as changing a light bulb. Just open the door and swap out the drives. WD Sentinel does the rest. It seamlessly migrates the server to the appropriate RAID level and automatically expands the server’s storage capacity.

  • Page 9: Package Contents

    Choose the plan that works best for your business. Visit www.wd.com for details. Why WD?: Western Digital has been making hard drives for over 40 years. We know how to build drives to store and protect your data because we understand that your company’s data is paramount to your business success.
  • Page 10 Ethernet cable visit: www.shopwd.com www.wdstore.com Canada www.shopwd.ca www.wdstore.ca Europe www.shopwd.eu www.wdstore.eu All others Contact WD Technical Support in your region. For a list of Technical http://support.wdc.com Support contacts, visit and see Knowledge Base Answer ID 1048. WD SENTINEL DX4000 ADMINISTRATOR’S GUIDE...

  • Page 11: System Requirements And Compatibility Information

    • Snow Leopard • Lion™ * • Mountain Lion™ * * For Mac OS X Lion and Mountain Lion, ensure that your WD Sentinel server has the latest software updates from Microsoft and Western Digital. Local Network • Router/switch (Gigabit Ethernet recommended to maximize performance) •...

  • Page 12: Technical Specifications

    Internal hard drives 2-4 WD 3.5-inch SATA RAID Edition hard drives with RAID-specific time-limited error recovery (TLER) Pioneered by WD, this feature prevents drive fallout caused by the extended hard drive error-recovery processes common to desktop drives. Improved rotary vibration tolerance...

  • Page 13: Product Views

    Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials Backups 25-client computer support for backup (server based) Recovery • Bare metal restore • File/folder level restore Product Views Front View Power/Status LED Scroll buttons Power button Drive status LEDs Door covering drives WD SENTINEL DX4000 ADMINISTRATOR’S GUIDE...

  • Page 14: Back View

    Button on the back of the server recovers the server (including the operating button system) while using a USB drive in an event of an OS corruption. USB ports Connects with USB 2.0 or 3.0 devices such as a USB storage or a UPS. WD SENTINEL DX4000 ADMINISTRATOR’S GUIDE...

  • Page 15: Indicators

    PRODUCT OVERVIEW Indicators The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) on the front of the WD Sentinel server is a portal into its status. Normally, the LCD displays the name of the WD Sentinel server that the administrator assigned during initial setup along with its IP address. You can use either of these to discover and communicate with the server.
  • Page 16 Color State Description Power LED Blue Flashing WD Sentinel server is currently booting the software. Blue Solid WD Sentinel server has successfully booted the software and is operational. Flashing Indicates that a serious fault has occurred and needs immediate attention.

  • Page 17: Where To Find Help

    Where to Find Help This manual provides step-by-step instructions and other important information regarding your WD product. It is meant for the person serving as the administrator of the WD Sentinel DX4000. You can download translated versions and updates to this manual from http://products.wdc.com/updates.

  • Page 18: User Roles And Responsibilities

    Types of WD Sentinel DX4000 Users How the WD Sentinel DX4000 Fits into Your Office This chapter reviews how the WD Sentinel server fits into your office and delineates the tasks for which the Administrator and Users have responsibilities. Types of WD Sentinel DX4000 Users At a high level there are two categories of users who need to access one or more features of your WD Sentinel server.

  • Page 19: How The Wd Sentinel Dx4000 Fits Into Your Office

    Accesses media library. Note: For each user account, the WD Sentinel server enables the Administrator to set granular permissions for various shared folders as well as server resources, such as Remote Web Access. At all times, the users are only able to access the data on the server and other server resources for which they have permissions.

  • Page 20: Managing The Wd Sentinel Server (Dashboard)

    This chapter assumes you have followed the Administrator's Quick Install Guide to initialize the WD Sentinel server and connect computers, and that you are familiar with the Dashboard and Launchpad. To review the setup steps, please see the hard copy guide that came in the box, or access the soft copy at http://products.wdc.com/wdsentinel.
  • Page 21 MANAGING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER (DASHBOARD) To access the Dashboard (Mac): Windows Server Dashboard 1. In the Application folder, select 2. For first time sign-in, enter the server IP address (found on the LED display of your server) and the Administrator password (created during setup).

  • Page 22: Performing Dashboard Tasks

    Dashboard. To perform these tasks from the Home page, just click the relevant links. The panel on the right offers easy access to the WD Sentinel DX4000 community and to WD resources. The rest of this chapter discusses the tasks the Administrator can perform on the Dashboard.
  • Page 23 WD. Enter the required information and click Register. Optionally, enter the Partner ID of the WD Partner who helped you purchase or install your WD Sentinel server. WD SENTINEL DX4000...

  • Page 24: Managing User Accounts

    MANAGING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER (DASHBOARD) Home Page Tasks Panel In the panel on the right of the Home page displays links to useful WD websites and resources to make the best of your WD Sentinel server. Managing User Accounts On the navigation bar, click the Users icon.

  • Page 25: Monitoring Add-Ins

    Dashboard includes tasks that help you view and manage the WD Sentinel server storage system. To open the Monitor module, click the Monitor icon on the navigation bar. The Monitor module includes two tabs, Health and Software Update, and related tasks in the panel on the right.
  • Page 26 Storage Displays storage information associated with the WD Sentinel server. The WD Sentinel server holds up to four of WD’s hard drives optimized for quality, reliability and performance and features RAID levels 1 or 5 to enhance performance and data protection.
  • Page 27 For security reasons, you can lock or unlock the drives. You cannot lock or unlock an individual drive; you either lock them all or unlock them all, using a password you create here. This password may be but does not have to be the same as the WD Sentinel server Administrator password.

  • Page 28: Updating Software

    Software updates available.The Software Update tab within the Monitor module allows you to update WD Sentinel DX4000 software automatically or manually. Please note that this tab only allows you to apply software updates issued by WD. To manage or apply Microsoft software updates, go to Server Settings on the Dashboard.

  • Page 29: Managing Server Settings

    1. In the Automatic Updates section, click Enable. 2. Click the Change link and select the day and time you want the WD Sentinel server to check for updates every week, and if an update is available, install it. (Example: every Sunday at 3:00 AM) 3.
  • Page 30 HomeGroup. Note that HomeGroup is only available for Windows 7 clients. Remote Web Access With Remote Web Access enabled, you can access the WD Sentinel server from any device using a web browser, such as Internet Explorer, from anywhere with Internet access. You can access shared folders and files (that you have permission for) on the server as well as on your networked computer.
  • Page 31 In the case of the Sentinel DX4000, it enhances security by allowing only users with necessary permissions to access the server. Refer to...

  • Page 32: Shutting Down The Server

    (for example, moving the server to a different location), then follow the procedures below. It is very important that the WD Sentinel server be shut down or restarted in a clean and graceful manner. There are two ways to do this: ...

  • Page 33: Managing Storage On The Wd Sentinel Server

    Dashboard. It is not necessary to power off or disengage the WD Sentinel server to perform this operation. While the server is verifying the RAID array, your data continues to be available although the performance may be impacted.

  • Page 34: To Share Data On Usb Drive

    MANAGING STORAGE ON THE WD SENTINEL SERVER Using USB Storage On the back of the WD Sentinel server are two USB 3.0 ports that can connect to external USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 storage devices or to a UPS device for power outage conditions. For example, WD Passport or WD Essentials may be used to connect to the WD Sentinel server.

  • Page 35: Stop Sharing Data On Usb Drive

    4. Click Yes, then click Close. Replacing a Failed Drive It is simple to replace a failed drive in your WD Sentinel server. First, make sure to go to the WD Store to purchase a compatible replacement drive. For a complete list of approved drive models, search for Answer ID 9443 in the WD Knowledge Base at http://support.wdc.com.
  • Page 36 MANAGING STORAGE ON THE WD SENTINEL SERVER 2. Open the door on the front of the server. 3. Unlatch the handle on the front of the drive. 4. When it snaps open, pull out the drive. 5. Slide the replacement drive into the drive bay, making sure it is seated properly. and that it is facing the right way.

  • Page 37: Adding Capacity By Adding A Drive

    To increase capacity, simply insert an additional drive into the system. The system does not have to be turned off or disengaged from its work to do this. The WD Sentinel server automatically recognizes the drive, checks to see if the drive is approved for use in the WD Sentinel server, and reconfigures the RAID to accept the new drive.

  • Page 38: Using The Wd Sentinel Server's Features

    USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES Using the WD Sentinel Server’s Features Using the Launchpad (Internal Users) Accessing Shared Folders Over Your Network Accessing Computers and Shared Folders Remotely Backing up (Windows PC) Recovering/Restoring (Windows PC) Recovering/Restoring (Windows PC) Recovering the WD Sentinel Server This chapter describes the routine tasks that both the Administrator and permitted users perform on the WD Sentinel server.
  • Page 39 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES 2. Enter your user name and password. 3. Click the right arrow to display the Launchpad, which lists four tasks that authorized users can perform: Backup, Remote Web Access, Shared Folders and Dashboard. Note: The Dashboard option is only useful to a user with Administrative privileges and knowledge of the Administrator password.
  • Page 40 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES  Select Finder>Applications>Windows Server Launchpad Once you’ve accessed the LaunchPad Sign In screen, use the following steps to sign in and use the Launchpad. 1. Enter your user name and password. 2. Click the arrow to display the Launchpad. It lists four tasks: Backup, Remote Web Access, Shared Folders, and Add-ins.
  • Page 41 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES Selecting Launchpad Options (Windows PC or Mac Computer) To select Launchpad options: IF you want to . . . THEN . . . AND ... Back up your Windows PC Click Backup Continue to “Backing up (Windows to the WD Sentinel server PC)”...
  • Page 42 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES 3. Clear the Automatically run the Launchpad when I log on to Windows check box, and click OK. Note: You can also change the type of alerts that display on the Launchpad and select whether to allow Microsoft to send you information about it in this window.
  • Page 43 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES To uninstall the Launchpad (Connector Software) on a Windows PC: Note: When you uninstall Launchpad, you also uninstall Dashboard. They can not be uninstalled separately. 1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and in the Programs section, click Uninstall a Program.

  • Page 44: Accessing Shared Folders Over Your Network

    If all shared folders are mounted on your Mac, click , then open Finder. Click the IP Address of your WD Sentinel under Shared to display your Shared Folders. 3. The selected shared folder displays on your desktop. WD SENTINEL DX4000...

  • Page 45: Accessing Computers And Shared Folders Remotely

    This section assumes that the Administrator has completed the setup and configuration for Remote Web Access through the Dashboard. You can access files stored on the WD Sentinel DX4000 anywhere, as long as you have access to the Internet. Note: You must use Internet Explorer 8 or 9 to access a PC using the Remote Web Access feature.

  • Page 46: Backing Up (Windows Pc)

    Note: Connecting to computers or the WD Sentinel server using Remote Web Access requires the Internet Explorer browser.  Click Connect to connect to your WD Sentinel server or to a computer on your network. If the Internet Explorer you are using does not have Active X Client, click install it, then complete the wizard.
  • Page 47 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES Scheduling Automatic Backups (Dashboard only) To set a schedule for future backups: 1. Access the Dashboard. 2. Click the Computers and Backups icon on the navigation bar to display a list of computers and servers on your network: 3.
  • Page 48 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES Backup Using the Launchpad Note: For information on accessing the Launchpad, see “Using the Launchpad (Internal Users)” on page 34). 1. On the Launchpad, click Backup. The Backup Properties page displays: 2. Click Start backup.

  • Page 49: Backing Up With Time Machine (Mac)

    Help. Backing up with Time Machine (Mac) For Mac users, Time Machine allows you to backup data to your WD Sentinel server. Time Machine automatically backs up your entire Mac, including system files, applications, accounts, preferences, email messages, music, photos, movies, and documents.
  • Page 50 3. Click Set Up Time Machine to display the Time Machine Preferences screen: 4. Click Select Disk and select the WD Sentinel server for your backups: 5. Click Use Backup Disk. A screen prompts for your user name and password.
  • Page 51 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES 7. Enter your assigned WD Sentinel User Name and Password in the Name and Password fields: 8. Click Connect. The Preferences screen returns. 9. To start automatic backups, move the slider to ON. Time Machine begins backing up your files. The first backup may take some time, but subsequent backups are faster because Time Machine only backs up new or changed items.

  • Page 52: Recovering/Restoring (Windows Pc)

    USB flash drive. You will use the key to boot the PC and download the backed-up system. Follow the wizard to complete the process. 6. Remove the USB flash drive from the WD Sentinel server and connect it to the computer you want to restore.

  • Page 53: Recovering/Restoring (Mac)

    USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES 7. Boot the Windows PC from the USB flash drive: a. Start the computer. b. Depending on your computer, press F12 or another key that displays boot options. c. From the Boot menu, select USB Device.

  • Page 54: Recovering The Wd Sentinel Server

    3. Click Restore in the bottom right-hand side of your screen. Recovering the WD Sentinel Server This feature recovers your WD Sentinel server, a process that may be necessary in case the server has a virus that cannot be deleted, bad or corrupted server configuration settings prevent you from starting the server, or the system drive(s) failed.
  • Page 55 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES 2. Download and install a virtual DVD software program. Available virtual DVD programs include:  PowerISO (http://www.poweriso.com/)  Virtual CloneDrive (http://www.slysoft.com) 3. Following your third-party software instructions, mount the Server Recovery ISO to a virtual DVD.

  • Page 56: Unlock My Drives

    USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES Unlock my drives Unlock my drives unlocks the WD Sentinel server’s drives if they are locked. (See “Lock/ Unlock” on page 23.) Before starting any recovery process, unlock the drives with an unlock key.
  • Page 57 6. Click Next to display the “Congratulations and Next Steps” page. 7. Follow the steps listed on this page: a. Shut down the WD Sentinel server. b. Insert the USB flash drive into one of the server’s USB ports. c. Restart your server while pressing and holding the Recovery button on the back of the server.
  • Page 58 2. Click Next. The Recreate Storage page displays: 3. Read the caution and click the check box to indicate you know the process may erase the data on the WD Sentinel server’s drives while it recreates the server’s configuration. WD SENTINEL DX4000...
  • Page 59 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES 4. Insert the USB flash drive into the USB port of the Windows PC, and click Next to display the following page for using the USB key: 5. The USB flash drive should appear in the Select USB flash drive drop-down list. If the USB flash drive is not on the list, click Refresh and search for it.
  • Page 60 Performing a Recovery This option enables the Administrator to restore the server to factory defaults with or without deleting all contents stored on the WD Sentinel server. 1. On the Server Recovery Utilities window, click Perform a recovery: WD SENTINEL DX4000...
  • Page 61 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES 2. Click Next The Getting Started page displays: 3. Read the information on the screen.  If you have previously created a bootable recovery USB flash drive, click the Skip creating the bootable USB flash drive check box and continue to Step 9.
  • Page 62 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES 4. Insert the USB flash drive into the USB port of the Windows PC, and click Next. The Prepare the USB flash drive for server recovery screen displays. 5. The USB flash drive should appear in the Select USB flash drive drop-down list. If it is not on the list, click Refresh and search for it.
  • Page 63 WD Sentinel server. The application searches for the WD Sentinel server and performs the final recovery. When the recovery is done, the default display (WDSentinel and IP address) appears on the LCD. For more information, Microsoft Online Help.

  • Page 64: Best Practices

    WD Sentinel server for backup, be sure that the computer’s operating system is fully up-to-date.  When adding client computers to the WD Sentinel server, it is best not to have any backups active. Using the WD Sentinel DX4000 Efficiently ...

  • Page 65: Replacing Drives

    Avoid pulling a drive out unless there is a failure.  When a drive needs replacement, the WD Sentinel server is still functional but subject to a second drive failure that would result in the loss of data. To minimize this vulnerable time, a good practice is to have another drive ready to replace the failed drive.

  • Page 66: Troubleshooting

    Windows PC on which Launchpad is not installed 1. Right-click (My) Computer and select Map Network Drive. 2. From the Drive drop-down list, choose the letter that you want the WD Sentinel server to have in (My) Computer WD SENTINEL DX4000...

  • Page 67: Cannot Access Windows Pcs Via Remote-Access

    Internet Explorer 8 or 9 is required to access a Windows PC using the Remote Web Access feature of the WD Sentinel server. There is an Active X Client requirement that comes standard with these browsers. For more information, see Knowledge Base Answer ID 8578.

  • Page 68: Regulatory And Warranty Information

    However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by WD could void the user's authority to operate this equipment.

  • Page 69: Obtaining Service

    Environmental Compliance (China) Obtaining Service WD values your business and always attempts to provide you the very best of service. If this Product requires maintenance, either contact the dealer from whom you originally purchased the Product or visit our product support website at http://support.wdc.com...

  • Page 70: Limited Warranty

    REGULATORY AND WARRANTY INFORMATION Limited Warranty WD warrants that the Product, in the course of its normal use, will for the term defined below, be free from defects in material and workmanship and will conform to WD's specification therefor. The term of your limited warranty depends on the country in which your Product was purchased.

  • Page 71: Appendix

    Your WD Sentinel server allows you to create and manage iSCSI targets. The iSCSI target provides storage, similar to a local hard disk drive, but is accessed over a network rather than locally.
  • Page 72 (i.e., available server space; used server space). Create an iSCSI Target To create an iSCSI Target that can be used in the WD Sentinel DX4000 server: 1. Click Create an iSCSI Target in the ISCSI Tasks pane. The New iSCSI Target window appears.
  • Page 73 12 to 16 alphanumeric characters. 6. Click Create Target. Edit an iSCSI Target 1. On the iSCSI Tasks pane, click Edit Target Settings. 2. Modify the required and optional settings as desired. 3. Click Modify Target. WD SENTINEL DX4000 ADMINISTRATOR’S MANUAL...
  • Page 74 Deleting your iSCSI Target completely removes the target. If you’d like to temporarily disable the target, See “Disable an iSCSI Target” on page 70. 1. In the iSCSI tab, select the target you’d like to delete. WD SENTINEL DX4000 ADMINISTRATOR’S MANUAL...
  • Page 75 ".img" file extension. Importing an iSCSI Target To import an iSCSI Target into your WD Sentinel, follow the steps outlined in “Create an iSCSI Target” on page 68, following step 4 (selecting the Create this target from an existing image file checkbox) to import your iSCSI target.

  • Page 76: Glossary

    HTTPS—Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer. A protocol that provides a more secure means of configuring your device than HTTP, but may affect the responsiveness of the user interface. All traffic between the managing computer and the WD Sentinel server is encrypted. See also Protocol.
  • Page 77 WD Sentinel server drive. LAN— Local Area Network. A system in which computer users in the same company or organization are linked to each other and often to centrally-stored collections of data in LAN servers.
  • Page 78 UPnP—Universal Plug n Play. A set of computer network protocols that simplify the implementation of networks in the home by allowing devices to connect seamlessly. See also Protocol. WAN—Wide Area Network. A computer network that crosses metropolitan, regional, or national boundaries. WD SENTINEL DX4000 ADMINISTRATOR’S GUIDE...

  • Page 79: Index

    Mac computer 35 accessing 16 Windows PC 34 tabs 18 accessing shared folders tasks 18 via network 40 description of WD Sentinel DX4000 3 via Remote Web Access 41 document conventions 2 accessories 6 drives adding storage capacity 33 compatible 23 Administrator’s tasks 14...
  • Page 80 RAID 29 USB 30 system health 21 RAID storage 29 system temperature 21 recovering data PC 48 recovering the WD Sentinel server 50 tabs reference resources 12 Home page 19 registration, online ii Updating Software 24 regulatory compliance 64 tasks...
  • Page 81 62 drive not connecting to network 62 LEDs do not light up 62 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) 64 updating Microsoft software 25 updating WD Software 24 sharing files and folders 30 storage 30 user accounts 14 user assistance 12...
  • Page 82 Information furnished by WD is believed to be accurate and reliable; however, no responsibility is assumed by WD for its use nor for any infringement of patents or other rights of third parties which may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent or patent rights of WD.

Table of Contents