The acronym NAS in ReadyNAS is short for network-attached storage. Your local area network (LAN) is an integral part of managing and using your ReadyNAS storage system. Connecting your ReadyNAS storage system to the Internet expands your ability to access data stored on your ReadyNAS system when you are away from it. It also allows you to share data with people located around the world.
A typical network setup that includes a ReadyNAS system resembles this illustration.
In most environments, your ReadyNAS storage system’s default network settings allow you to connect and communicate with your ReadyNAS storage system over your local area network and the Internet. However, you can adjust these settings to accommodate your needs.
MAC Addresses
Every device that uses Ethernet technology has a unique MAC (media access control) address that is used to identify the source device and the destination device. MAC addresses are assigned when a device is manufactured. Your ReadyNAS storage system’s MAC address is listed on the system’s label. You can also view it by selecting Network on the local admin page.
IP Addresses
IP (Internet Protocol) addresses are another key component for sharing data over a network. A unique IP address is assigned to every network-connected device. IP addresses come in two varieties: static and dynamic. Static IP addresses do not change, but dynamic IP addresses do change.
Unlike MAC addresses, IP addresses are not assigned by the device’s manufacturer. Static IP addresses are assigned by your ISP (Internet service provider) or network administrator. Dynamic IP addresses are assigned by a DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) server. In most cases, the DHCP server belongs to an ISP, but a router or other device can also act as a DHCP server.
Ethernet
Your ReadyNAS storage system uses Ethernet technology to transfer information on your local area network. Ethernet technology divides data into smaller pieces, called packets or frames, before transmitting it on your network. Ethernet technology includes methods to check for data transmission errors.
MTU
You can also configure the maximum size of packets that are sent across a network. This setting is called MTU (maximum transmission unit). A large MTU can help speed data transmission in some circumstances. However, using a large packet size becomes inefficient if an error occurs during transmission. That is because if any part of a large packet is corrupt, the entire large packet must be resent. If you use a smaller MTU, smaller packets are resent if a communication error occurs.
Your ReadyNAS system supports a maximum MTU size of 9000 bytes. Use this MTU size only if all components of your network, for example network interface cards (NIC), hosts, and your switch support packets of this size or larger.
DNS
DNS is short for Domain Name System. Because IP addresses are a string of numbers, they are hard to remember. It is easier to remember a name (for example, www.readynas.com) than a string of numbers when you want to visit a website. A DNS server translates IP addresses into website names and website names into IP addresses.
You can specify up to three DNS servers in your ReadyNAS storage system.
If you selected the option to assign an IP address automatically when you configured your Ethernet settings, the DNS fields are populated with the DNS settings from your DHCP server and cannot be edited.
If you selected the option to assign an IP address manually when you configured your Ethernet settings, you must manually specify the IP addresses of the DNS servers and the domain name to access your ReadyNAS system over the Internet. Your network administrator can help you determine your Domain Name Server IP address.