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

See also: Administrator's Manual
™
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

    Netherlands, Norway, 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 ......53 Setting up the WD Sentinel DX4000......53 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

    In the following table, write the serial number and model number of your new WD product found on the label on the bottom of the device. Also, write the purchase date and other notes such as your operating system and version. This information is necessary for technical support.

  • Page 7: About This Guide

    Extra, but not vital, information Important: Essential Information to know or to prevent problems when using the WD Sentinel server WARNING! Vital information for operating the WD Sentinel server or to prevent damage to the server or your computer. WD SENTINEL DX4000 ADMINISTRATOR’S GUIDE...

  • Page 8: 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 9: Key Features

    Simple Server Setup: Whether you’re an IT expert or not, the simple wizard-based setup process allows you to integrate WD Sentinel server into your office network like a pro. Each WD Sentinel server comes pre-installed with the operating system; hard drives pre- configured with RAID protection (units with two pre-installed drives in RAID 1 and units with four pre-installed drives in RAID 5) so the unit is ready to be set up right out of the box.
  • Page 10 Automatic RAID Migration and Capacity Expansion: Adding storage capacity to your WD Sentinel server is as easy as changing a light bulb. Just open the door and add the hard drive in one of the empty storage bays. WD Sentinel server does the rest. It seamlessly migrates to the appropriate RAID level and automatically expands the server’s storage...

  • Page 11: Package Contents

    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 12: System Requirements And Compatibility Information

    • Leopard ® • Snow Leopard • Lion™ * * For Mac OS X 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 13: Technical Specifications

    CIFS/SMB, NFS, HTTP, HTTPS, WebDAV 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. 24x7 reliability With 1.2 million hours MTBF (tested at 100% duty cycle), these...

  • Page 14: 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 15: 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 16: Lcd Alerts

    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 17 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 18: 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 19: 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 20: 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 21: 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 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 RAID levels 1 or 5 to enhance performance and data protection. RAID is an acronym for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. With two drives installed, the WD Sentinel server uses RAID 1 (mirror). With three or four drives installed, the server uses RAID 5, which offers fast performance by striping data across all drives.
  • 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

    Periodically, WD issues software updates for your WD Sentinel DX4000 server. 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.

  • 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. Enable and Control 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: through the Server Settings section in the Dashboard or through the power switch on the front panel of the server.

  • 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: Using Usb Storage

    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: Replacing A Failed 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 1. Verify that the LED for the bad drive is solid red. 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.

  • 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 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 3. Click the right arrow to display the Launchpad, which lists three tasks that authorized users can perform: Backup, Remote Web Access, and Shared Folders. Note: On a Mac computer, the Dashboard is not available.
  • Page 41 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES Managing the Launchpad To disable the Launchpad after signing in (Windows PC): 1. Sign in to the Launchpad. 2. Click the menu arrow at the top right and select Settings from the drop-down menu.

  • Page 42: Accessing Shared Folders Over Your Network

    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 43 Remote Web Access on your WD Sentinel server. The following web page displays in your browser. 2. Enter your WD Sentinel server user name and password, then click the arrow to display the Remote Web Access: Home for User window:...

  • Page 44: Backing Up (Windows Pc)

    Backing up (Windows PC) The WD Sentinel server backup is based upon block level de-duplication, a process that backs up data without unnecessarily backing up the same data more than once. This powerful process uses less network traffic for execution, provides a full back-up at each backup time (although it behaves as if it is incremental), and by executing de-duplication across all client computers, the storage capacity requirements are significantly reduced.
  • Page 45 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES 3. Click Additional client computer backup tasks in the task panel. 4. Enter the Start time and End time for daily backups and click OK. Initiating Backups By default, backups are performed at night for up to 25 client computers in a sequential order.
  • Page 46 USING THE WD SENTINEL SERVER’S FEATURES 1. On the Launchpad, click Backup. The Backup Properties page displays: 2. Click Start backup. 3. Enter a name for the backup and click OK: The Backup Properties page re-displays and tracks the progress of the backup.

  • Page 47: Recovering/Restoring (Windows Pc)

    To restore a Windows PC that has been backed up: 1. Click Computers and Backups on the navigation bar. 2. Select the computer that was backed up. 3. Insert a USB flash device into one of the WD Sentinel server’s USB ports. WD SENTINEL DX4000 ADMINISTRATOR’S GUIDE...
  • Page 48 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 49: To Recover Individual Files And Folders

    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 50 Perform a recovery These options are explained below. 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 51 2. Click Next and enter the password previously set to lock the drives. Keep in mind that this password is not the WD Sentinel server’s Administrator password. It is the locked drives password (see “Lock/Unlock” on page 23). If the Administrator password was used to lock the drives, enter it here.
  • Page 52 Allow the recovery process to complete. When it is done, the LCD displays "UNLOCK DRIVES SUCCESS." Recreating the storage With this option, you can restore the WD Sentinel server’s operating system without deleting any data files. 1. On the Server Recovery Utilities page, click Recreate my storage.
  • Page 53 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. 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.
  • Page 54 8. Upon completion of the process, the Recreate Storage page displays: 9. Follow the instructions under Next Steps: 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 55 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: 2. Click Next The Getting Started page displays: 3.
  • Page 56 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 57: 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 58: 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 59: 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 60 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 61: 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 62: 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 63: 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 64: 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 65 Internet. iTunes—An audio playback program used to import songs and other media files from your hard drive or 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 66 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 67: Index

    Launchpad accessing 17 Mac computer 35 tabs 18 Windows PC 34 tasks 18 accessing shared folders description of WD Sentinel DX4000 4 via network 38 document conventions 3 via Remote Web Access 38 domain server accessories 7 joining 27...
  • Page 68 Home page 19 Updating Software 24 tasks RAID storage 29 Dashboard 18 recovering the WD Sentinel server 45 Health 21 reference resources 13 Home page 19 registration, online ii tasks pane 18 regulatory compliance 57 technical specifications 9...
  • Page 69 55 drive not connecting to network 55 LEDs do not light up 55 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) 57 updating Microsoft software 25 updating WD Software 24 sharing files and folders 30 storage 30 user accounts 15 user assistance 13...
  • Page 70 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