Ok so i set everything up and added password for the root and maybe I'm supposed to do this a different way buy i how do i access the drives like i would if i go to "My Computer" and see multiple drives ?

 

I tried smb://tower but no go.

You have to go through "My Network" or type \\tower in explorer.

\\##.##.##.##

(##.##.##.## being your server's ip address)

 

also works

Did you set the name for the Workgroup for unRAID to the one that you are using on your Windows network?  That can be done under 'Settings", "SMB".

 

It is also a good idea to set 'Local Master' to "Yes".

 

Under 'Enable SMB', set to "Yes (Workgroup)"

 

It can also take several minutes for the Local Master to be elected and then for the Local Master to resolve all of the Windows network names, so you do have to patient while everything is being resolved.  (That is why, you want your server to become the Local Master as, most likely, it is the computer that is always on.) 

 

Have you set up a User Share yet? 

 

If you are still having problems, Let us know what version of Windows you are running and how you are trying to find the server. 

Did you set the name for the Workgroup for unRAID to the one that you are using on your Windows network?  That can be done under 'Settings", "SMB".

 

It is also a good idea to set 'Local Master' to "Yes".

 

Under 'Enable SMB', set to "Yes (Workgroup)"

 

It can also take several minutes for the Local Master to be elected and then for the Local Master to resolve all of the Windows network names, so you do have to patient while everything is being resolved.  (That is why, you want your server to become the Local Master as, most likely, it is the computer that is always on.) 

 

Have you set up a User Share yet? 

 

If you are still having problems, Let us know what version of Windows you are running and how you are trying to find the server.

 

 

So the work group name, is that a name i make up or does that have to be the exact name of the computer that will access it.

 

I did set up user share on top of rot, i have dad and then guest,

 

I was hoping to access "My Computer" and se the server there as one like the C drive

 

Running W7 (wifi)

 

So the work group name, is that a name i make up or does that have to be the exact name of the computer that will access it.

 

NO!!!  the workgroup name is the name of the group that SMB will allow connections to be made to.  You can find the Windows assigned workgroup name by 'right clicking' on "Computer" (any place that you find it on the Windows desktop or in Windows Explorer) and then clicking on Properties.  About half way down the page, you will find the name of the Workgroup. 

 

I did set up user share on top of rot, i have dad and then guest,

 

What is "rot"?  It sounds like you are a rank amateur at Networking.  Don't be in a hurry to set up users.  Get a User Share running first. 

 

I was hoping to access "My Computer" and se the server there as one like the C drive

 

You look for the server under 'Network', NOT Computer!  You do not have to the 'map' the share to a drive letter to be able to use it. (MApping to a drive letter can be done but it not necessary.)  When you click on 'Network', it should open up and show you the servers and computers that are a part of the Workgroup.  If you click on the Server name, you should see the name of your user share that you set up.  You can read and write files from that access point!

 

Running W7 (wifi)

 

Useful because where things are found depends on what version of Windows you are running. 

 

What version of unRAID are you using?

On step one of your answer i did just that but (screen capture added called workgroup) all machines say WORKGROUP, so i typed in WORKGROUP but if i put another name in that box instead of WORKGROUP then it seems not to make a difference.

 

second question, i meant "root" and under sharing i have one set up called backup. Whats the main difference between user and user shares ?

 

3rd, i do see it in network (img called network is added) but if i add a folder called movies, music, software etc... would i add it in the disk 1 and ? and if so how does that share them between 2 disks (it looks like under network i can just add the movies to disk 1 and it wont share it to the other disks ?

 

It's the latest unRaid 5(since I'm running more than 3TB drives.

I was hoping to access "My Computer" and se the server there as one like the C drive

 

You look for the server under 'Network', NOT Computer!  You do not have to the 'map' the share to a drive letter to be able to use it. (MApping to a drive letter can be done but it not necessary.)  When you click on 'Network', it should open up and show you the servers and computers that are a part of the Workgroup.  If you click on the Server name, you should see the name of your user share that you set up.  You can read and write files from that access point!

 

Later if you decide to map a windows drive letter to a unRAID share, that will show under My Computer.

 

 

Running W7 (wifi)

 

Useful because where things are found depends on what version of Windows you are running. 

 

What version of unRAID are you using?

 

In other posts in other threads, DNA has mentioned unRAID 5. I would hope that it is the latest version of 5... but am not sure.

On step one of your answer i did just that but (screen capture added called workgroup) all machines say WORKGROUP, so i typed in WORKGROUP but if i put another name in that box instead of WORKGROUP then it seems not to make a difference.

 

second question, i meant "root" and under sharing i have one set up called backup. Whats the main difference between user and user shares ?

 

3rd, i do see it in network (img called network is added) but if i add a folder called movies, music, software etc... would i add it in the disk 1 and ? and if so how does that share them between 2 disks (it looks like under network i can just add the movies to disk 1 and it wont share it to the other disks ?

 

It's the latest unRaid 5(since I'm running more than 3TB drives.

 

Click on Share and make a User share. User shares will use all disks by default. You can then turn off all of the Disk shares.

On step one of your answer i did just that but (screen capture added called workgroup) all machines say WORKGROUP, so i typed in WORKGROUP but if i put another name in that box instead of WORKGROUP then it seems not to make a difference.

 

second question, i meant "root" and under sharing i have one set up called backup. Whats the main difference between user and user shares ?

 

3rd, i do see it in network (img called network is added) but if i add a folder called movies, music, software etc... would i add it in the disk 1 and ? and if so how does that share them between 2 disks (it looks like under network i can just add the movies to disk 1 and it wont share it to the other disks ?

 

It's the latest unRaid 5(since I'm running more than 3TB drives.

 

Looking at your screen capture called 'network.jpg', it appears that you have four shares available for browsing at this point:  'Backup', 'disk1', 'disk2' and 'flash'.  (BTW, 'flash' is the flash drive with your unRAID software and settings on it.)   

 

If you click (or double click) on any of these shares, you will see a listing of directories (folders in Windows) and files that are stored there.  I would guess that Backup, disk1 and disk2 are blank at this time.  However, you can copy files to those shares; You can copy files from those shares; you can delete files from those shares; you can read the files after they are copied there.  (You should most cautious about writing or deleting from the flash share.  Use the other shares for any experiments until you know what you are doing!) 

 

Grab a file, drag it, and drop it on one of the shares  (Backup, disk1, or disk2) and the file will be copied there.  Just like you do with a 'drive' that shows up under 'Computer' in Windows. 

 

Hope this helps...

 

second question, i meant "root" and under sharing i have one set up called backup. Whats the main difference between user and user shares ?

 

Didn't answer this part of the question.  A "User" is a name assigned to a computer user who has certain privileges when accessing the server (unRAID in this case).  Login is required for the "User" to gain access.  (unRAID allows 'guest' access which requires no login to access shares by default.  This is why I suggested you not add any users until you know why you need a user type setup.)

 

A "User Share" is the name which unRAID gives to a special file setup which links one or more hard disks together to form a storage array or virtual disk, if you like.  This storage array (User Share) has a size which is the sum of the size of the disks assigned to it-- Example:  2-3TB drives  = 6TB of User Share space.  As someone mentioned in a earlier post, by default, all data disks are assigned to any new User Share. 

On step one of your answer i did just that but (screen capture added called workgroup) all machines say WORKGROUP, so i typed in WORKGROUP but if i put another name in that box instead of WORKGROUP then it seems not to make a difference.

 

second question, i meant "root" and under sharing i have one set up called backup. Whats the main difference between user and user shares ?

 

3rd, i do see it in network (img called network is added) but if i add a folder called movies, music, software etc... would i add it in the disk 1 and ? and if so how does that share them between 2 disks (it looks like under network i can just add the movies to disk 1 and it wont share it to the other disks ?

 

It's the latest unRaid 5(since I'm running more than 3TB drives.

 

Looking at your screen capture called 'network.jpg', it appears that you have four shares available for browsing at this point:  'Backup', 'disk1', 'disk2' and 'flash'.  (BTW, 'flash' is the flash drive with your unRAID software and settings on it.)   

 

If you click (or double click) on any of these shares, you will see a listing of directories (folders in Windows) and files that are stored there.  I would guess that Backup, disk1 and disk2 are blank at this time.  However, you can copy files to those shares; You can copy files from those shares; you can delete files from those shares; you can read the files after they are copied there.  (You should most cautious about writing or deleting from the flash share.  Use the other shares for any experiments until you know what you are doing!) 

 

Grab a file, drag it, and drop it on one of the shares  (Backup, disk1, or disk2) and the file will be copied there.  Just like you do with a 'drive' that shows up under 'Computer' in Windows. 

 

Hope this helps...

 

Hi Frank, yes it help thank you. One thing about the drag and drop. if i drop a movie into one of the files say disk one will it only store in disk one or spread it out like raid usually does ? or is that what the user shares are for and if the user shares are for that then how does the drag and drop work (will it show all the drives )

 

BTW i followed this for setting up

So i logged n from my laptop that's on the network and the user names was root with password, i added files onto the MainBackup file (in the img) and then i clicked on disk 1 and saw the same files as the files in MainBackup but when i clicked on disk 2 i saw nothing.

 

Under "shares" i have MainBackup and the split level to 1,

 

 

 

Hi Frank, yes it help thank you. One thing about the drag and drop. if i drop a movie into one of the files say disk one will it only store in disk one or spread it out like raid usually does ? or is that what the user shares are for and if the user shares are for that then how does the drag and drop work (will it show all the drives )

 

BTW i followed this for setting up

 

You have to understand that unRAID is not RAID.  The files are not striped across more than one disk.  A File is NEVER split between disks.  The parity disk calculates the parity across all of the disks in the array.  This allows it to reconstruct any single disk in the event that that disk has failed.  (If you should ever have a more than one disk fail, you do not use all of your files with the unRAID scheme.  You can still read all of the files that are on the good disks and recover them.) 

 

You should read this section of the 'Unofficial unRAID Manual':

 

    http://lime-technology.com/wiki/index.php/Un-Official_UnRAID_Manual#Shares

 

In fact, you probably need to read the entire thing.  It will answer many of your questions.

 

So i logged n from my laptop that's on the network and the user names was root with password, i added files onto the MainBackup file (in the img) and then i clicked on disk 1 and saw the same files as the files in MainBackup but when i clicked on disk 2 i saw nothing.

 

Under "shares" i have MainBackup and the split level to 1,

Read This:

 

      http://lime-technology.com/wiki/index.php/Un-Official_UnRAID_Manual#Allocation_method

 

                          and

 

      http://lime-technology.com/wiki/index.php/Un-Official_UnRAID_Manual#Split_level

 

You have to understand that unRAID is not RAID.  The files are not striped across more than one disk.  A File is NEVER split between disks.  The parity disk calculates the parity across all of the disks in the array.  This allows it to reconstruct any single disk in the event that that disk has failed.  (If you should ever have a more than one disk fail, you do not use all of your files with the unRAID scheme.  You can still read all of the files that are on the good disks and recover them.) 

 

You should read this section of the 'Unofficial unRAID Manual':

 

    http://lime-technology.com/wiki/index.php/Un-Official_UnRAID_Manual#Shares

 

In fact, you probably need to read the entire thing.  It will answer many of your questions.

 

Reading now.

 

Ok so i went with this YouTube video (pretty good so far) and he mentions that there is something called "split level" where if i set it to 0 it will save ll the info on the same disk and if i set it to 2 then it will share them across all boards ?

 

 

Reading now.

 

Ok so i went with this YouTube video (pretty good so far) and he mentions that there is something called "split level" where if i set it to 0 it will save ll the info on the same disk and if i set it to 2 then it will share them across all boards ?

 

 

He does not say, "will share them". He says, "may split them...", and, "can split them...", not will but it may. It has permission to place discrete files on multiple disks.  File are allocated to disks as indicated by the allocation method. Split level has precedence over allocation method.

ok, i think i got what you meant by "may", or what he said, i was expecting it to be defined on its actions towards splitting them or not....then again i was in the Raid mentality.

 

So when i open up the network i get the Flash, Disk 1 and Disk 2. I made a shared folder called MainBackup. I would like it when i place folders in MainBackup that it will automatically load the files where it can on Disk1 and 2 as it sees fit "i think that's what high water will do" ?

Yes; although, split level has precedence over allocation method.