NAS- Network Attached Storage

Owned by Former user (Deleted)
Last updated: Aug 31, 2022 by Former user (Deleted)
3 min read

Introduction

The Drobo, external data storage, died on Expedition 395E. The replacement option to use part of the already existing Black Pearl NAS has been chosen as an adequate solution. During Exp395C we tested the NAS’s performance to support video editing and started to set-up the assets.

The NAS can be accessed via the Desktop shortcut “NASIMG alias”, where we have created two users, one for the IM specialists with admin capabilities and one read-only login for guest to easily assess our digital assets. For login details ask MCS.

We have created two main folders:

  1. Read-only folder that has 4 subfolders:

    1. _Photo Archive: which houses previous expedition’s F&F’s photos

    2. Logo Collection

    3. Sample Video

    4. Ship Photos

       2. Password protected folder that has 3 subfolders:

  1.  

    1. Headshots

    2. Templates: group photos, headshot posters, ID badges, WRLSC, etc

    3. Training Video

NAS server information:

  • How to connect:

    • macOS Connect to Server: smb://165.91.150.50/NASIMG

    • Windows File Explorer: \\165.91.150.50\NASIMG

    • On the new Imaging PC, a desktop shortcut has been established to connect to the NAS. It auto-connects without password.

  • A NAS can be accessed by multiple users at once and each can have a dedicated speed and priority of access depending on their task needs.

  • It is connected to our network over a 20 Gb high speed lag

  • Note that the bandwidth limitation would come from which ever workstation you are on, where the IMO’s main computer currently has 1Gb NICs.

  • The NAS currently has 91 TBs of unused space

  • The 5-year plan for the NAS should only take up 1-2TB

  • The NAS utilizes CIFS or NFS protocols to present storage to servers or end users over the network.

  • The NAS has RAID 5, which is a popular option for video editors. It offers much greater speeds than a single drive (though not quite as fast as a RAID 0), with protection against drive failures.

The NAS is not to be used as the primary backup for digital assets produced by the IM Specialists but a tool to aid shipboard, and at times shore, request for content. I would also recommend to store your current video projects and to edit them via the NAS to ensure you don’t choke up your RAM speed on your computer and they are safely backed up if your computer crashes.

General Folder Structures

Create the following temporary folders on the NAS (shipboard digital asset storage):

In a weekly folder named Week XX, create the following folders on Scratch:

Weekly submissions need to have sub folders by name.

These folders are to be taken back to shore for archiving purposes, but only the edited F&F photos and headshot posters should be stored long term on the NAS to keep things well organized. It is helpful to work on the NAS during your expedition, especially for video editing due to the large amount of storage and backing up capabilities due to the RAID 5.