I've got my first array up and running using the Basic edition and I'm ready to copy over files from my home network.  When I click on Tower in My Network Places in WIN XP Pro SP3 I get the following message:

 

\\Tower is not accessible.  You might not have permission to access this network resource.  Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.

 

The network path was not found.

 

What do I need to do so that my other PCs can assess the server.  I also have a XP Home SP3 and a Win7 machine that will be accessing the server as well.  Can someone point me in the right direction

 

 

Ok I found the following instructions from Microsoft...

 

Connect a drive from My Network Places

 

  1. Click Start, click My Network Places, click Entire Network, and then double-click Microsoft Windows Network.

  2. Double-click the domain that you want to open.

  3. Double-click the computer that has the shared resource you want to map. All the shared resources for that computer automatically appear in the window.

  4. Right-click the shared drive or folder that you want to map, and then click Map Network Drive.

  5. Click the drive letter that you want to use, and then specify whether you want to reconnect every time that you log on to your computer.

 

      Note Network drives are mapped by using letters starting from the letter Z. This is the default drive letter for the first mapped drive you create. However, you can select another letter if you want to use a letter other than Z.

  6. Click Finish.

 

I tried this but when I get to step #4 and right click on Media server(Tower) icon the Map Network Drive option is there but not selectable.  What now?

Ok I got it working.  In the Identification area of the Settings page on the Web GUI I changed Local master from No to Yes.  After I did that all my shares were accessible on my XP Pro machine.  Got it working on my Win 7 machine also after I changed my workgroup from "workgroup" to "Mshome".  Copying my movie collection from the win7 machine to the server right now.  Getting about 55-60 MB/s with no parity installed yet.

 

One question if anyone cares to answer.  In windows explorer should I see my shares and each individual disk as well?

Ok I got it working.  In the Identification area of the Settings page on the Web GUI I changed Local master from No to Yes.  After I did that all my shares were accessible on my XP Pro machine.  Got it working on my Win 7 machine also after I changed my workgroup from "workgroup" to "Mshome".  Copying my movie collection from the win7 machine to the server right now.  Getting about 55-60 MB/s with no parity installed yet.

 

One question if anyone cares to answer.  In windows explorer should I see my shares and each individual disk as well?

It depends. 

 

If you have the disk shares set to export read only or export read/write you'll see them.  If you have them set to hidden, you'll not see them.

 

Joe L.

I set all of my shares to export read/write so I was expecting to see all my shares.  I wasn't sure if I should be seeing each individual disk.  Based on your response I get the impression that each disk will be displayed and there is no option to hide them.

I set all of my shares to export read/write so I was expecting to see all my shares.  I wasn't sure if I should be seeing each individual disk.  Based on your response I get the impression that each disk will be displayed and there is no option to hide them.

 

I'm a newby too so stand to be corrected. However, if you go to "shares", at the top is "Export Settings". Here you have "Flash Share (SMB)", "Disk Shares (SMB)", "Disk Shares (NFS)" and "User shares". So,if you set Disk Shares to "Export read and write" (or just read), you'll see them, if not you won't. At lesat I think that's right - no doubt someone will correct me if I'm wrong.   

I set all of my shares to export read/write so I was expecting to see all my shares.  I wasn't sure if I should be seeing each individual disk.  Based on your response I get the impression that each disk will be displayed and there is no option to hide them.

On the "Settings" page there is a drop-down list for "Disk Shares"  It is for the individual disks (disk1, disk2, etc)

It has 5 possible choices, three of which will hide the disk shares on the LAN.

 

Export Read/Write  (Visible on the LAN)

Export Read Only    (Visible on the LAN, but not writable)

Hidden Read/Write  (NOT visible on the LAN but accessible if you type in the path  \\tower\disk1 \\tower\disk2 etc)

Hidden Read Only  (NOT visible on the LAN but accessible if you type in the path  \\tower\disk1 \\tower\disk2 etc)

Don't export  (they will NOT be visible on the LAN)

 

Many of us like to control exactly where we put our data do write directly to the disk shares.  I have mine set to Hidden Read/write for that reason.  When I browse the network with my media player it sees only the User-Shares which I normally keep as Read-Only.

Alright I think I understand it now.  I read through the Shares section in the manual several times but it did not come across clearly until you guys explained it.

 

So I should probably make the Flash share Hidden Read/Write so that nobody accidentally deletes a system file but I can still access it remotely when needed by typing it's address in directly.  I suppose I could make individual shares folders Export Read Only but then I would have to manually manage the space on the array and pick what disk I wanted to write files to like you mentioned.  So I'd have more control over what disk the files are on but that also is more work for me. Hmm, I'll have to think about that some more.  Oh and for my Recorded TV folder that share would have to be set as Export Read/Write so that my HTPC can write to the server when needed.  Thanks for the help I think I've got it now. 

 

BTW, I'm loving my new unRAID media server.  Now if I could just get sleep and WOL working properly.  Here's my post on that topic.  I'll be working on that one this morning.