Bought yourself a QNAP NAS drive recently? Well, you're going to want to get the device set up with your Mac device. Today we'll be going through how to get the QNAP NAS showing up on your Mac, how to set up shared folders and new users/groups, how to set up storage drives (volumes and disks), and finally how to map the network drive for your QNAP device, so you can access it the same way on any remote device!
Step 1: Setting up your account and connecting the NAS drive
First things first, you want to get your device switched on. To do so, plug the supplied power cord into the wall and the other end into the back of the NAS drive. Then take an ethernet cable and plug one end into your WIFI router, and the other end into the supplied ethernet port that is also on the back of your NAS drive.
Once the lights are all solid green and the second light begins to flicker, you are ready to head to your Mac.
From a search browser like Safari or Chrome, type in https://www.qnap.com/en-uk/utilities/essentials
On this screen, select the Mac download option that is displayed for the Qfinder Pro.
By downloading this firmware, you simply skip the delicate process of trying to connect your NAS drive to the internet from typing in your IP address, this download will do this automatically for you.
Ensure you allow for changes to be made to your Mac (when the install is prompted), and accept any terms and conditions/agreements that pop up while the download takes place.
Once your device has been recognised, you should receive a pop-up that says server not initialised yet - Click yes on this pop-up. You'll now be taken to a new webpage where you can begin the registration process.
Registration process:
Part 1: Enter the name you'd like your NAS drive to be visible as in your Mac's Finder. You'll also need a username (admin will be set as the default username), and an admin password (This will need to be entered twice for confirmation. Click next.
Part 2: We recommend you keep your date and time settings untouched, and simply choose the option titled "Synchronise with an internet time server automatically". Click next.
Part 3: For the IP address options, we recommend you select the "use static IP address" option. A static IP address will mean your device can always be found in the long run, as any time you search for it online, you won't need to keep a log of new IP addresses, like those generated when you choose to have a dynamic setup (Or DHCP for short). Click next.
(Note: When the pop up appears, click proceed (Unless you're on a very busy network where multiple devices hold the static IP address you intend to register with, then there is no need to change your IP).
Part 4: Check the tick boxes if there will be any other environments you will be accessing the NAS drive from remotely. The Mac option will already be ticked as you are setting the NAS drive up from an Apple device.
Part 5: Review all of the information you have entered, ensuring no errors are present. Once you are happy, click apply.
The settings will now be applied to your drive - Please allow some time for this...
When this is done, you'll be taken to the user login screen - Enter your username (admin) and the password you created in the last step. After you login, a selection of helpful guides will appear - If you don't want these to appear when you open your portal in future, simply tick the boxes that say "Don't automatically open INSERT GUIDE NAME".
The licenses that pop-up can also be closed off, as you most likely won't need these until your device is fully synced and in use.
Step 2: Setting up storage for your NAS Drive
As you are using a QNAP NAS drive, you may have a 2-bay setup, a 4-bay setup, or more. When selecting a storage system, you will have the choice of different RAID levels. RAID 5 is the most used type for business/enterprise use as it provides the best balance of speed and storage across each drive. If you're on a smaller setup, however, perhaps for home use, then RAID 1 is the best option, as it simply ensures your data is mirrored, without affecting read and write performance that much.
Firstly, click on storage and snapshots, followed by clicking the icon that says "No storage pool". Here we can set up our RAID system (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks).
In the introduction section, click next, as nothing needs to be changed regarding your tiered storage
In the select disk(s) section, tick both disks in the table, then choose your preferred RAID type (e.g. RAID 1) - Click next.
In the configure section, choose a storage percentage for when you'd like to be notified that your NAS drive is getting full. This is set to 80% by default.
In the summary section, check everything looks okay with regards to your new drive preview, then click create. (A warning will appear saying that the disk(s) will have their data erased - Make sure to click OK. These are new drives, so you will have no data in them to lose anyway!
Your RAID drive may take a few hours to fully set up and sync with your local storage, so we suggest you setup your first volume i.e. a location to store your data.
A pop-up will appear stating that your storage pool has been created, from here, click on new volume.
Please note: You can have as many volumes as you like, but it is recommended you always leave space after creating a volume, this space can then be prioritised for areas like surveillance and backup of your most important/sensitive files.
In the select type section, Make sure the location is storage pool 1, then click Next.
In the configure section, you can rename your volume alias (The name that is visible on the folder location. You can also choose the volume capacity (The select disk(s) section is skipped as you are already using your RAID disk to set up this volume in) - Click next.
In the summary section, ensure all of the information looks okay and correct, then click finish.
Step 3: Setting up a shared folder and adding users to your network
Creating a shared folder
In your NAS drive, shared folders allow both local and remote access to take place, so files can be added, changed or removed by any user that is given unique access to the drive.
Firstly, from the user portal click on File station --->Create folder --->Shared folder.
Next, give the shared folder a name, and select "specify path automatically" (This makes it easier to share the file location to other users with access to the drive) - All of the other sections on the shared folder pop-up can be left blank or in their default setting - click create.
Adding new users and changing permissions
To add a user, log in to your QNAP user portal online, and select the control panel icon, followed by users.
Click the create button, here you'll be provided a setup page where you supply the following information:
User photo
User's name
A user password (This needs entering twice for confirmation purposes)
The user's email address & phone number (This is optional for notification purposes) - You can then also tick the notification box, so the user receives an email confirming their user is set up for access.
You will then be required to submit the user group they will belong in, as well as their folder permissions. Folder permissions are as follows:
Read-only access - The user can only view the contents of a shared folder.
Read/write access - The user can view and make changes to a shared folder, such as remove, add or edit files.
Deny access - The user cannot view or amend a shared folder whatsoever, their access is completely restricted with this option.
Lastly, you can edit the user's application privileges - We strongly recommend you only give users file management access, unless you trust them completely (Such as with your wife/parents), this is the safest way to ensure your administrative controls aren't jeopardised.
Click create.
Creating user groups
To add a new user group, log in to the user portal online, and select control panel, followed by user groups
Click on the create new group icon. Next, fill out the following details:
User group name
User group description (Optional)
Assign the users you wish to belong to the group by clicking edit, and then selecting the box beside their username
Edit shared folder permission - Please note that if you add an individual user to your new group, and they don't currently have permission to a shared folder, they will gain privileges to that folder if you give the full group a different level of access e.g. read/write access.
Click create - Your new user/s, groups and shared folders are ready! The last thing to do is to map your network drive...
Mapping the network drive for your QNAP TS-251A device
If you need to keep your internal storage within your NAS drive, while still accessing your files in a local sense, you'll need to map the network drive. On the Mac, this is referred to as "mounting the folder"
To do so, head back to your Qfinder Pro software that was installed in step 1, and select network drives.
From here you may be asked to log in to your network drive folder (using your admin login details).
Keep the IP address and protocol (SMB/CIFS) as the default option that is already displayed, and make sure to tick the box that says "add mounted folders to 'favourites' in finder".
When the confirmation message appears (titled check for updates), click yes.
When prompted, enter your Mac user name and password and click OK.
Choose the shared folder you'd like to mount the network onto, then press OK. Your shared folder will now be mapped as a network drive, and you'll be able to find it using Qfinder Pro!
To add files to your NAS drive, simply drag and drop them into the shared folder from your local storage, or save your downloads to the shared folder location.
