Raid Recovery Tips

What is Seagate BlackArmor and how does it differ from Maxtor BlackArmor?

The name BlackArmor was first introduced in 2008 as a portable Full Disc Encryption drive, however, at that time it was termed the Maxtor BlackArmor.  Now we are extending the use of that product name under the Seagate brand. Seagate BlackArmor is now the family name for a suite of storage solutions packaged for small business.  The Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440 and Seagate BlackArmor NAS 420 network storage servers are just the first two solutions in what will be a complete lineup of BlackArmor products, to include 4 Bay, 2 drive and 1 drive NAS products, Desktop direct attach products and portable products

What are the System Requirements for the BlackArmor NAS 440?

PC On Network

• Pentium III, 500MHz equivalent processor or higher
• Microsoft® Windows® XP or Windows Vista® operating system
  (32-bit & 64-bit support)
• Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, or Firefox 2.X or later
• 256MB RAM or Higher
• CD/DVD-ROM for software installation and system recovery

Mac On Network

• Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later
  (both PPC & Intel-Based Macs supported)
• Apple Safari 3.1 or later
• CD/DVD-ROM for software installation

What is the Warranty Period for the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440?

The Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440 comes with a 3-Year Limited Warranty.

How much does a Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440 cost?

Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440 and BlackArmor NAS 420 will be available for purchase through channel partners and select retailers at a manufacturers’ suggested retail prices (MSRP) of $799.99 USD for 2TB; $1,199.99 USD for 4TB; $1,699.99 USD for 6TB and $1,999.99 USD for 8TB (expected availability scheduled for May).

What capacities are available with the BlackArmor NAS 440?

The Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440 comes in the following sizes:

• 2TB (NAS 420 ONLY)
• 4TB
• 6TB
• 8TB

What is the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 420?

The 420 is essentially the BlackArmor NAS 440 with these differing characteristics:

• Ships with only two (2) hard drives; the other two hard drive bays are empty.
• The default RAID configuration of a 420 is RAID 1, not RAID 5 like its 440 counterpart

Note: Although you will rarely see reference to Seagate BlackArmor 420, all FAQs found here refer to both Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440 and Seagate BlackArmor NAS 420 products together unless otherwise noted.

How many Users can the Seagate BlackArmor support?

The Seagate BlackArmor servers are targeted to the SMB/SOHO customer and are designed to support up to 50 clients.

What is Seagate BlackArmor Backup and what can it actually back up?

Seagate BlackArmor Backup is a comprehensive Backup Utility made by Acronis and skinned for use with the Seagate Black Armor Family. BlackArmor Backup can perform Full-System, Incremental and Custom backup

How many Seagate BlackArmor Backup client licenses are provided with the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440?

BlackArmor ships with 10 licenses out-of-the-box, however, additional licenses can be purchased in 2 and 5 -set increments on the Seagate Website.

Can I perform a Full System Backup and/or Restore with the Seagate BlackArmor Backup software?

Yes you can use BlackArmor Backup software to perform Full System Backup of your Windows XP and/or Vista computer.
You can also recover from system problems via the use of BlackArmor Recovery software included on the CD. With this CD, you can boot up your system, access the BlackArmor and Restore from a complete system backup.

Can I use Time Machine to Back Up my Mac to the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440?

Apple does not support the use of Time Machine with networked drives, with the exception of its own Time Capsule.

What is the difference between Port Aggregation and Port Replication?

The server’s two LAN ports can be configured for link aggregation, which means you can connect both LAN ports to your network at the same time and improve transfer performance. Your BlackArmor server then uses both network connections simultaneously so that it can transfer data at a faster rate.

Note: The speed of your network connection doesn’t change. With link aggregation, your BlackArmor server sends and receives information through both LAN ports at the same time, which increases “throughput”. Link aggregation is not unlike using two hoses to fill a bucket instead of one—using two hoses doesn’t make the water flow any faster, but the bucket fills more quickly.

Alternatively, you can use one LAN port to connect to your network and the other LAN port to set up replication, or archive backup, where an exact copy of the data on your BlackArmor server is created and maintained on a second BlackArmor server.

Can I access the BlackArmor NAS 440 from PCs that are already part of a workgroup or domain?

Yes – by default, the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440 is configured to join the WORKGROUP Workgroup. However, with a couple of setting changes and Domain Admin authentication, the NAS 440 can become part of a Domain. It is important to point out that other factors need to be addressed before this product can effectively participate in Active Directory. Contact your System/Domain Admin if you require assistance.

Is the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440 compatible with Linux?

Yes and No. The Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440’s Web UI can enable NFS access to shares when created or modified. These shares can then be mounted using various Linux GUI (e.g., KDE or Gnome) and/or Command-Line usage. Refer to your Linux documentation for more information.

What Protocols are supported?

The following Network Protocols are supported:

• HTTP

• HTTPS

• CIFS

• FTP

• NFS

• Bonjour

• Microsoft Rally

How do I know if my printer will work when connected to the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440?

The Seagate BlackArmor provides support for USB Printers when properly configured. Windows Users should configure a Network Printer and Mac Users should do the same or trying connecting through a Windows printer if one is configured for Windows Users.

Note: USB, All-In-One (AIO) Printers are not supported

What Levels of RAID are available with the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440?

By default, the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440 comes with a pre-configured RAID 5 Volume. The Seagate BlackArmor 420 comes with a pre-configured RAID 1 Volume. However, both can be set with user-configurable RAID 0/1/5/10 & JBOD volumes. By default the NAS 420 can be configured as RAID 0 or 1. The other RAID schemes become available when two (2) more drives are added to the unit.

Are the hard drives in the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440 hot – swappable?

In the event of a Drive Failure, users can run the BlackArmor in a degraded state and replace the defective drive with a good drive. After which, you can rebuild the RAID volume using the BlackArmor Manager’s Web UI.

Note: Never remove more than one (1) drive from the BlackArmor at any given time while power is on. Failure to do this may result in data loss.

What other replacement parts are available for the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440?

Along with Hard Drives, you can also replace the following accessories:

• Cooling Fan
• Hard Drive Tray/Sled
• Power Supply

How can I remotely access the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440?

Users can remotely access and share content with others via Seagate Global Access. Users can also opt to provide remote access through Dynamic DNS as well.

Can I share my music, movies and photos with media streaming devices?

Yes. The BlackArmor NAS 440 is both iTunes Server and a DLNA Compliant Digital Media Server. This means that not only can you store digital content on your BlackArmor NAS 440; you can also stream it to systems using iTunes and other DLNA Media Adapters.

Where can I find more information and/or help for the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 440?

For more information about your BlackArmor server, see:

• BlackArmor Quick Start Guide (printed)
• BlackArmor Manager Help
• BlackArmor Discovery Help
• BlackArmor Backup User Guide
• BlackArmor Backup Help
• Readme file

For more information, please refer to the Seagate Web site at www.seagate.com.