BlackArmor NAS - FAQ

What is the difference between Seagate BlackArmor NAS 400, 420 and 440?
All the Seagate BlackArmor NAS 4XX series products have the same 4-bay NAS enclosure.  The second digit in this number scheme refers to the number of drives that ship with the device.
BA NAS 440 – ships with 4 drives
BA NAS 420 – ships with 2 drives
BA NAS 400 – does not ship with any drives

The default RAID configuration of a 4-drive unit is RAID 5.
The default RAID configuration of a 2-drive unit is RAID 1.

What capacities are available with the BlackArmor NAS products?

The Seagate BlackArmor NAS 4XX series comes in the following sizes:

4TB, 6TB, 8TB, 12TB (the BA NAS 400 does not ship with any drives)

2TB, 4TB, 6TB

1TB, 2TB, 3TB

BA NAS 4XX Series:

• Targeted to the SMB/SOHO customer
• Designed to support up to 50 clients
• Ships with 10 licenses for Backup Software for Windows

BA NAS 220:

• Targeted as an entry-level small business NAS
• Designed to support up to 20 clients
• Ships with 5 licenses for Backup Software for Windows

BA NAS 110

• Desktop Network Storage
• Designed to backup 10 systems
• Ships with 5 licenses for Backup Software for Windows

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

Seagate BlackArmor Backup included in the Seagate BlackArmor family of products is a comprehensive Backup Utility made by Acronis and customized for use with Seagate Black Armor NAS products. BlackArmor Backup can perform Full-System, Incremental and Deferential backups and supports Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.   It does not support Windows Workstation, Windows Server, or MacOS operating systems.

For users who want to use the BlackArmor family of storage products with Windows Workstation and Server Operating Systems, Seagate has partnered with Acronis to provide Seagate BlackArmor users with special pricing on the award winning Acronis Backup and Recovery 10 family of products. 

To learn more about Acronis Backup and Recovery 10, go to http://www.acronis.com

To take advantage of this special offer, simply go to http://www.acronis.com/promo/blackarmor/

How can I obtain additional Seagate BlackArmor Backup client licenses?

Additional licenses can be purchased in 2- and 5-set increments.

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, Windows Vista or Windows 7 computer.
With this CD, you can boot up your system, access an imaged saved on the BlackArmor, and Restore from a complete system backup.

Can I use Apple Time Machine to Back Up my Mac to Seagate BlackArmor NAS products?

Apple does not support the use of Time Machine with networked drives, with the exception of its own Time Capsule.
The November 2010 firmware update added Apple Time Machine backup support for the Seagate BlackArmor NAS products.  You can use Apple Time Machine to create backups for saving to the BlackArmor NAS as well as perform file restores, system rollbacks, and Bare Metal Restores.
Please see the BlackArmor NAS product page to ensure you have the last firmware.

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 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:

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

The Seagate BlackArmor provides support for most USB printers when properly configured. Windows Users should configure a network printer and Mac Users should do the same or try connecting through a Windows printer if one is configured for Windows Users.
Please see Document ID: 210991 for more information.

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

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. For a list of compatible drives, please see Document ID: 212777 - Seagate BlackArmor NAS Servers: Drives that can be used for replacements.

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. If more than one drive is removed when the power is off, make sure to replace them before powering the unit back on or there is a risk of data loss.

Circumstances where drives cannot be removed without data loss:
RAID 0/JBOD: Removing any drive(s) will make the data volume invalid.

Circumstances where drives can be removed without data loss:
RAID 1: Any drive(s) from the mirrored volume may be removed.
RAID 5: One drive may be removed.
RAID 10: This is a mirrored RAID 5. One drive from either or both mirrored volumes may be removed.

RAID Usage Tips

• Never replace a failed drive with a drive that was part of a previous RAID system; always zero-fill the replacement drive before using. SeaTools for DOS can do this. Please see Document ID: 201271 for instructions.
• If a drive is making unusual mechanical noises, turn it off immediately and get assistance.
• Have a valid backup before making hardware or software changes.
• Label the drives with their position in a RAID array (ie, 1, 2, 3, 4).
• Do not run volume repair utilities on suspected bad drives.
• Do not run defragmentation utilities on suspected bad drives.
• In a power loss situation with a RAID array, if the file system looks suspicious or is un-mountable, or if the data is inaccessible after power is restored, do not run volume repair utilities.

Offline storage system - Avoid forcing an array or drive back on-line. There is usually a valid reason for a controller card to disable a drive or array, forcing an array back on-line may expose the volume to file system corruption.
Rebuilding a failed drive - When rebuilding a single failed drive, it is import to allow the controller card to finish the process. If a second drive fails or goes off-line during this process, stop and get professional data recovery services involved. During a rebuild, replacing a second failed drive will change the data on the other drives. 

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

If a single hard drive fails on the BlackArmor NAS 4XX or the BlackArmor NAS 220, a warranty return order can be performed for that single drive, eliminating the need to send in the whole desktop server. Along with hard drives, you can also replace the following accessories:

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

The BlackArmor NAS 110 does not have removable drives and has no fan so if anything breaks on the BA NAS 110, the whole desktop server would need to be replaced.

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.
For better remote access performance, Users can also enable FTP and opt to provide remote access through Dynamic DNS.

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.

Supported File Types:
Video: MPEG1, MPEG2, DivX, Xvid. WMV, MPEG4 (Part2), MPEG4 (H.264), VC1, .m4b, *.rmvb, *.rm, *.m4v, *.divx, *.xvid, *.mkv, *.mts, *.flv using open source “ffmpeg” library

Audio: MP3, AAC (*.aac, *.mp4, *.m4a, *.m4p),  AC3 (*.ac3, *.dts) , LPCM (*.pcm), WAV;  ogg vorbis (*.ogg);, WMA, 3gp ;
Images: JPEG (*.jpg, *.jpeg, (*.jpe); GIF (*.gif); BMP (*.bmp); PNG (*.png); TIFF (*.tif, *.tiff); PSD

What are the differences between the BlackArmor NAS 4XX, 220, and 110 Servers?

The following table displays differences between them:

What are the System Requirements for the BlackArmor NAS 440?

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