MediaVault

D1200 | R1200 | R3600

Introduction

Welcome to this guide for the CODEX MediaVault NAS systems, high performance shared storage devices for small workgroups in media production.

This guide is intended for system administrators who need to set up and configure the MediaVault.

Getting Started

The MediaVault is shipped with the disks (and front cover for R1200 and R3600 only) packaged separately to prevent damage. Upon receiving the MediaVault, begin by unpacking the boxes.

You can then mount the MediaVault in a rack (R1200 and R3600 only), install the disks, and configure network connections.

Information and instructions for all of these procedures are documented in this guide.

For further information and assistance please contact your rental house, reseller, or CODEX Support directly at support@codex.online.

Tools Required

The MediaVault D1200 requires a 2mm Hex Key for side panel removal in order to fit the disks. Disks can be fitted into the R1200 and R3600 without any additional tools.

What’s in the box?

D1200

The following items are included:

  • MediaVault D1200 chassis.
  • 12 x Enterprise NAS HDD (a range of capacities are available) shipped separately.
  • Mains power leads.
R1200 and R3600

The following items are included in box 1

  • MediaVault  chassis (disks packaged separately)
  • MediaVault front panel
  • Rack mounting kit
  • Mains power lead
  • 1 x Enterprise 3.5” HDD spare disk (optional)

The following items are included in box 2:

  • 12 x Enterprise 3.5” HDD (R1200)
  • 36 x Enterprise 3.5" HDD (R3600)

Hardware Overview

D1200
D1200 Front view

D1200 Rear view showing connectivity

The left side of the MediaVault should only be removed by qualified personnel for hardware service.

R1200
MediaVault with Front Panel

MediaVault with Front Panel Removed

Front chassis features

Numbered itemFeatureDescription
1 to 12Hard drive carrier

Logical drive bay number for hard disk drives.

When installing or removing hard drives from the MediaVault for transportation, the ordering of the hard drives does not matter. Any of the included hard drives can be installed in any slot on the system.

13Control panel

See next section for details.


Control Panel Overview

Control panel features

Numbered itemFeatureDescription
1Power button

Use the power button to switch the MediaVault on and off. Turning off system power with this button removes the main power but maintains standby power. The system should be unplugged before any servicing tasks are undertaken.

2Reset button

Use to reboot the system.

3Power LED

Indicates power is being supplied to the system power supply. This LED is lit when the system is operating.

4Power fail LED

Indicates a power supply module has failed. This LED should be off when the system is operating normally. If lit, the second power supply module is used to keep the system running but the failed module must be replaced.

5HDD LED

Indicates activity on a hard drive when flashing.

6Information LED

See the table below for the status shown by this LED.

Information LED states

StatusDescription

Continuously on and red

An overheat condition has occurred. (This may be caused by cable congestion.)

Blinking red (1Hz)

Fan failure: check for an inoperative fan.

Blinking red (0.25Hz)

Power failure: check for an inoperative power supply.

Solid blue

Local UID has been activated. Use this function to locate the server in a rack environment.

Blinking blue (300ms)

Remote UID has been activated. Use this function to locate the server from a remote location.


MediaVault Rear View

R3600
MediaVault with Front Panel

MediaVault with Front Panel Removed

Front chassis features

Numbered itemFeatureDescription
1 to 24Hard drive carrier

Logical drive bay number for hard disk drives.

When installing or removing hard drives from the MediaVault for transportation, the ordering of the hard drives does not matter. Any of the included hard drives can be installed in any slot on the system.

25Control panel

See next section for details.


Control Panel Overview

Control panel features

Numbered itemFeatureDescription
1Power button

Use the power button to switch the MediaVault on and off. Turning off system power with this button removes the main power but maintains standby power. The system should be unplugged before any servicing tasks are undertaken.

2Reset button

Use to reboot the system.

3Power LED

Indicates power is being supplied to the system power supply. This LED is lit when the system is operating.

4Power fail LED

Indicates a power supply module has failed. This LED should be off when the system is operating normally. If lit, the second power supply module is used to keep the system running but the failed module must be replaced.

5HDD LED

Indicates activity on a hard drive when flashing.

6Information LED

See the table below for the status shown by this LED.

Information LED states

StatusDescription

Continuously on and red

An overheat condition has occurred. (This may be caused by cable congestion.)

Blinking red (1Hz

Fan failure: check for an inoperative fan.

Blinking red (0.25Hz)

Power failure: check for an inoperative power supply.

Solid blue

Local UID has been activated. Use this function to locate the server in a rack environment.

Blinking blue (300ms)

Remote UID has been activated. Use this function to locate the server from a remote location.

MediaVault Rear View

Populating Disks

D1200

The MediaVault is shipped with the disks packaged separately to prevent damage. The disks need to be installed following the procedure below.

  1. Unbox the MediaVault and the disks from their packaging.
    MediaVault D1200

    Disk in Caddy

  2. Use a 2mm hex key to unscrew the fastening bolts from the right side panel of the MediaVault and remove the panel.
    Unscrewing the disk cover panel

    Unscrewing the disk cover panel

  3. Install the disks into the correct numbered slots. To do this first push the blue tab on the disk caddy to open the locking lever. Push the disk into the slot, and then push the locking lever to secure the disk in the slot.
    Unscrewing the disk cover panel

    Unscrewing the disk cover panel

  4. Refit the side panel.

Important: If you need to ship the MediaVault between locations the disks should be removed and boxed separately, in the same way as the system was originally received. This is critically important to prevent damage to the system during shipping.

R1200

Use the procedure below to load the disks.

  1. Unbox the disks from the original packaging.
  1. Install the disks into any slot. To do this first push the red tab on the disk caddy to open the locking lever. Push the disk into the slot, and then push the locking lever to secure the disk in the slot.



  2. Attach the front cover. This fits magnetically to the MediaVault.

Important: If you need to ship the MediaVault between locations the disks should be removed and boxed separately, in the same way as the system was originally received. This is critically important to prevent damage to the system during shipping.

R3600

Use the procedure below to load the disks.

  1. Unbox the disks from the original packaging.
  1. Install the disks into any slot. To do this first push the red tab on the disk caddy to open the locking lever. Push the disk into the slot, and then push the locking lever to secure the disk in the slot.



  2. Attach the front cover. This fits magnetically to the MediaVault.

Important: If you need to ship the MediaVault between locations the disks should be removed and boxed separately, in the same way as the system was originally received. This is critically important to prevent damage to the system during shipping.

Prerequisites to rack-mounting the MediaVault

Read the following guidance notes prior to rack-mounting the system (R1200 and R3600 only):

Location

  • The system should be installed in a restricted access location, for example, a server room.
  • Ensure there is a grounded AC power supply nearby.
  • The environment should be dust-free and well ventilated.
  • No heat, electrical noise or electromagnetic fields should be generated nearby.
  • There should be enough clearance around the rack to allow the front door to be completely opened and, at the rear, to allow adequate airflow for cooling, and access for servicing.
  • The MediaVault should not be in direct sunlight, or in ambient temperatures outside of the operating temperature range of 0-40 degrees Celsius.

Physical stability

  • Before installing components, ensure that the rack sits firmly and evenly on the floor.
  • When more than one rack is used, make sure the racks are stable by coupling them together, by attaching stabilizers, or by bolting them to the floor.
  • Install the heaviest components at the bottom of the rack and work upwards. If there are not enough components to fill the rack, fill the slots closest to the floor.

Electrical considerations

Caution: Electrostatic discharge can damage electronic components. To prevent damage to printed circuit boards, use a grounded wrist strap, handle all printed circuit boards by their edges, and keep them in anti-static bags when not in use.

  • To protect the server from power surges and to prevent downtime, it is recommended to use a regulating uninterruptible power supply.
  • Before connecting any equipment to a power supply, consider the effect of circuit overloads on overcurrent protection and power supply wiring.
  • A reliable ground is necessary at all times. The rack should be grounded.

Day-to-day use

  • During day-to-day use, keep the front rack door closed and all panels in place to maintain proper cooling.
  • Allow components to cool before handling them.
  • Extend only one server or component at a time to avoid destabilising the rack.

Rack-mounting the MediaVault

R1200

Follow the procedures below to mount the MediaVault in a rack.

To rack-mount the MediaVault:

The MediaVault is supplied with a set of two rack-mounting rails. Each comprises an inner rail (to be attached to the side of the chassis), and an outer rail (to be attached to the rack).

  1. Separate the inner and outer rails.



    1. Extend the rail assembly (A and B).

    2. Press the quick-release tab (C).

    3. Separate the inner and outer rails (D).

  1. Secure an inner rail to either side of the MediaVault chassis making sure the rails face outwards.

  2. Secure an outer rail to either side of the rack slot.
    The outer rails are extendable to allow for different rack depths.



    1. Secure the back end of the outer rail to the rack using the screws provided (A).

    2. Press the button where the two outer rails are joined to retract the smaller outer rail (B).

    3. Hang the hooks of the rails onto the rack holes and use screws to secure the front of the outer rail onto the rack (C).

  1. Install the MediaVault chassis into the rack.



    1. Extend the outer rails.

    2. Align and engage the inner and outer rails.

    3. Slide the MediaVault into the rack until it clicks into the locked position.

  1. Secure the MediaVault with the screws provided.



  2. Fit the magnetic front panel.


To remove the front cover

The front panel is magnetic and has finger-holds (shown in the diagram below) to the left and right.



Using the finger-holds, gently ease the front panel forward to remove it from the chassis.


To remove the MediaVault from the rack:

  1. Remove the front panel as above.
  2. Remove the two screws that secure the MediaVault to the rack.
  3. Use the handles to the left and right of the front of the chassis to slide the MediaVault out of the rack.


    Warning: Take care that the rack does not destabilise and tip over.

    Warning: Take care that the MediaVault does not fall and cause injury.

R3600

Follow the procedures below to mount the MediaVault in a rack.

To rack-mount the MediaVault:

The MediaVault is supplied with a set of two rack-mounting rails. Each comprises an inner rail (to be attached to the side of the chassis), and an outer rail (to be attached to the rack).

  1. Separate the inner and outer rails.



    1. Extend the rail assembly (A and B).

    2. Press the quick-release tab (C).

    3. Separate the inner and outer rails (D).

  1. Secure an inner rail to either side of the MediaVault chassis making sure the rails face outwards.

  2. Secure an outer rail to either side of the rack slot.
    The outer rails are extendable to allow for different rack depths.



    1. Secure the back end of the outer rail to the rack using the screws provided (A).

    2. Press the button where the two outer rails are joined to retract the smaller outer rail (B).

    3. Hang the hooks of the rails onto the rack holes and use screws to secure the front of the outer rail onto the rack (C).

  1. Install the MediaVault chassis into the rack.



    1. Extend the outer rails.

    2. Align and engage the inner and outer rails.

    3. Slide the MediaVault into the rack until it clicks into the locked position.

  1. Secure the MediaVault with the screws provided.



  2. Fit the magnetic front panel.


To remove the front cover

The front panel is magnetic and has finger-holds (shown in the diagram below) to the left and right.



Using the finger-holds, gently ease the front panel forward to remove it from the chassis.


To remove the MediaVault from the rack:

  1. Remove the front panel as above.
  2. Remove the two screws that secure the MediaVault to the rack.
  3. Use the handles to the left and right of the front of the chassis to slide the MediaVault out of the rack.


    Warning: Take care that the rack does not destabilise and tip over.

    Warning: Take care that the MediaVault does not fall and cause injury.

Installation

There should be sufficient space at the front and rear of the MediaVault to allow for air intake and exhaust for cooling purposes.

The MediaVault should not be in direct sunlight, or in ambient temperatures outside of the operating temperature range of 0-40 degrees Celsius.

D1200

Ensure the MediaVault D1200 is positioned upright on a flat, secure surface.

The MediaVault D1200 should not be installed laid on its side panels as this may cause hardware issues or not allow for correct cooling.

R1200 and R3600
Please see the Rack-mounting the MediaVault section above.

Power Up

Connect the MediaVault to a mains power supply between 110V and 250V. If there are concerns about the reliability of the power supply then it is recommended to use an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) unit.

Press the Power button on the front of the MediaVault. The LED Status ring will flash blue while the system is starting, and change to constant blue when the MediaVault is ready to use.

Status Ring

The Status Ring colour depends on the system / Storage pool status (see the Storage section for more information):

Flashing BlueSystem is starting up.
BlueSystem is running, Storage Pool is ONLINE.
Amber System is running, Storage Pool is DEGRADED.
Red System is running, Storage Pool has FAILED to load.
White System is running an ’Integrity Check’ (periodic disk check) on the Storage Pool.

If the Storage Pool status is shown as ONLINE this means there are no disk issues to attend to. In this case the Status Ring on the MediaVault front panel will be blue.

If the status is shown as DEGRADED this means there has been a disk issue but data is still accessible. In this case the Status Ring on the MediaVault front panel will be orange, and any disk issues should be investigated and remedied. After this the Storage Pool can then be returned to ONLINE with assistance from CODEX.

If the status is shown as FAILED this means that the data on the Storage Pool is not accessible. This can happen if there have been issues with multiple disks that exceeds the redundancy provided by the filesystem.  For this reason, it is critical to attend to any disk issues as soon as the status changes from ONLINE to DEGRADED.

Network Cabling

The MediaVault can be connected either directly to client computers or via a network switch. Additionally, ports on the MediaVault can be bonded if required. Some examples of network cabling configurations are shown below:

Direct Cabling
D1200 - Direct connection for up to 4 clients over 10GbE as standard.
Direct Connection

With an optional second standard Network Interface Card, direction connection is supported for up to 8 clients over 10 GbE.

With an optional second higher performance Network Interface Card, direction connection is supported for up to 2 clients over 25, 40, or 50GbE.

R1200 and R3600 - Direct connection for up to 6 clients over 10GbE as standard.

Direct Connection

With an optional second standard Network Interface Card, direction connection is supported for up to 10 clients over 10GbE.

With an optional second higher performance Network Interface Card, direction connection is supported for up to 2 clients over 25, 40, or 50GbE.

Connection via Switch
With the MediaVault connected to a switch, the number of clients is only limited by the number of ports on the switch.



Clients will share the bandwidth available between the MediaVault and the switch.

Connection via Switch with Bonding


Provided that the switch also supports bonded connections, the MediaVault can be configured with bonded ports.  This can be used to provide higher performance through link aggregation between the MediaVault and the switch, or failover protection in the event of a problem with one of the ports or cables that is in use.

Finding the Media Vault 10GbE network IP address

By default the 10 GbE ports on the MediaVault are configured as DHCP. If the MediaVault is connected to a network with a DHCP server it will be assigned an IP address.

D1200
The 1GbE LAN connection port on the rear of the MediaVault D1200 (Port 1) provides a DHCP server and can be used to log into the system and determine the address(es) of the 10 GbE ports.

R1200 and R3600
Port 1 on the MediaVault R1200 and R3600 rovides a DHCP server and can be used to log into the system and determine the address(es) of the other 10 GbE ports.

Set your computer network port to be DHCP and connect a cable directly from your computer to the MediaVault Port 1 LAN connection. The MediaVault Port 1 LAN connection has a fixed network IP address of 192.168.2.2.

Start a web browser and enter the IP address of the MediaVault Port 1 LAN connection. Depending on the web browser it may be necessary to precede the IP address with “https://”, for example, https://192.168.2.2

If there is a security warning shown click the option to Proceed/Advance/Visit Website (etc. terminology varies depending on the browser being used). This refers to how public websites trust each other. This is not important as your device is on your local network, behind a firewall.





The MediaVault login screen will then be shown:



Enter the following information:

User name:  storageadmin
Password:  storageadmin

Click ‘Log In’ and the Overview screen will be shown:



From the Users area you can set a new password for the storageadmin and storageuser accounts.  This is required to allow those accounts to access any Shares that are configured. Be sure to keep a secure record of any passwords that you set, in particular the password for storageadmin which will be used for subsequent logins to perform administration on the MediaVault.

*For security reasons, we would strongly advise to change the password of both of the default Users (storageadmin and storageuser). 

Click the Networking option on the left of the screen:



This will show the different network ports and IP addresses:

  • The ‘eno1’ port is the 1 GbE LAN connection admin port (D1200 only) or 10 GbE LAN connection admin port (R1200 and R3600)
  • The remaining ports are the main 10 GbE connections. Note the network IP address of a 10 GbE connection. If you need to manually set the address for a 10 GbE port follow the instructions in the later section Admin Web Interface > Editing the network configuration.

CODEX Device Manager software will detect any MediaVaults on your network and provide options to access the Admin Web Interface and to mount the storage. See the Device Manager Integration section for more information.

Mounting the Media Vault storage over a network

The MediaVault comes configured with a share (network shared volume) called ‘mediavault’ that can be mounted over a network using the SMB protocol. The SMB protocol has been selected for ease of use and performance. The method for mounting the storage depends on the client operating system and is detailed in the following sections. The IP address will have either been assigned automatically by the DHCP server on your network or set manually. Use the correct IP address when mounting the storage - the methods below use 192.168.1.100 as an example IP address.

Note: mediavault is the name of the default share and storageuser is the default user account. The system can be reconfigured with customised shares, users, groups and permissions following the instructions later in this guide.

Mac OS
Use the Finder application and press the Cmd-K shortcut or from the top menu select Go > Connect to Server. In the Server Address field enter smb://<MediaVaultIpAddress>/mediavault, for example:


Click Connect and in the next window enter the username and password for your MediaVault user account, and click Connect again.  The share should now be mounted. If you want your computer to automount the share after a restart then open System Preferences > Users & Groups and under the Login Items add the share to the list.

CODEX Device Manager software will detect any MediaVaults on your network and provide options to access the Admin Web Interface and to mount the storage.  See the Device Manager Integration section for more information.

Please Note:  If you are attempting to connect using one of the default user accounts (storageadmin or storageuser), then you will need to ensure you have changed the default password first.

WIndows
Use the Explorer application to Map a network drive as detailed on this support page: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4026635/windows-map-a-network-drive. In the Folder field enter: \\<Media VaultIpAddress>\mediavault, for example:
Map Network Drive

Select the tickbox for ‘Connect using different credentials’ and click Finish and in the next window enter the username and password for your MediaVault user account and click Connect, and the share should be mounted. Select the tickbox for ‘Reconnect at sign-in’ if you want your computer to automount the share after a restart.

Please Note:  If you are attempting to connect using one of the default user accounts (storageadmin or storageuser), then you will need to ensure you have changed the default password first.


Device Manager Integration

CODEX Device Manager (version 6.0.0 or above) allows you to easily mount a MediaVault share onto your Mac and access the Admin Web Interface. 

For more information, see the MediaVault Integration section of the Device Manager Help Centre page.

Storage Access Control

The diagrams below demonstrate how Storage, Shares, Groups, and Users are related on the MediaVault:

  • Storage - There is one pool of Storage that is used by all Shares for storing data. 
  • Shares - There may be one or more Shares for storing data.  Share access can be Managed (at Group level), or Open to All Users.
  • Groups - There is an ‘All Users’ Group which is used when a Share is set up in Open access mode (either Read/Write or Read Only).  There can also be one or more additional Groups configured for access to Managed Shares, with the access level set for each Share to either Read/Write, Read Only, or No Access.
  • Users - There are typically multiple User accounts on the system, and a User may belong to one or more Groups.

The diagrams below demonstrate the difference between Share access in Managed mode (all software versions) and Open mode (available in software release 2.6.4 and above):





Admin web interface

Login
Start a web browser and enter the IP address of the MediaVault.  Depending on the web browser it may be necessary to precede the IP address with “https://”, for example, https://192.168.1.100.

If there is a security warning shown click the option to Proceed/Advance/Visit Website (etc. terminology varies depending on the browser being used).

The Media Vault login screen will be shown:


Enter the following information:

User name = storageadmin
Password = storageadmin

Click ‘Log In’.

From the Users area you can set a new password for the storageadmin user if required. Be sure to keep a secure record of the password that you set. This will be the password for subsequent logins as storageadmin to perform administration on the MediaVault.

For more information on finding your IP address and logging into the Admin Web Interface, please see the Finding the Media Vault 10GbE network IP address section.

Changing the Default Password

IMPORTANT!
When a MediaVault leaves the factory, it will be set up with two default user accounts.  These accounts can access the Admin Web UI, but cannot be used to mount storage or connect into the MediaVault in any other way until the default password has been changed.

The default users and passwords are:

  • user:  storageadmin  password:  storageadmin
  • user:  storageuser   password:  storageuser
In the case that a default user requires a password change, a warning will be displayed in ther Overview section.


An alert will also be displayed next to the user in the Users section:



Click on the  user in the User section to change the password.

Once the default password has been changed for either account, you will be able to mount shares using that account.  See the Users, Groups and Shares sections below for more information.

Summary of Admin Screens
The panel on the left side of the Admin Web Interface provides a main menu to access the following screens:

System
OverviewProvides a useful overview of system information and resource use, as well as disk and network activity (View Graphs).
StorageUse this screen to view and configure the Storage Pool on the MediaVault as required.
NetworkingUse this screen to view and configure the network ports of the MediaVault as required.
SharesUse this screen to view and configure the Shares on the MediaVault as required.
UsersUse this screen to view and configure the User accounts on the MediaVault as required.
GroupsUse this screen to view and configure the Groups of Users on the MediaVault as required.


Tools
Diagnostic ReportsFor Service/Support use only.
LogsFor Service/Support use only.
ServicesFor Service/Support use only.
Software UpdatesUse this screen to install software updates on the MediaVault as required.
TerminalFor Service/Support use only.
Networking
Select the Networking option from the main menu. From the Networking screen you can view and edit the network configuration:


In the table named Interfaces, the port named eno1 (at the top of the list) corresponds with Port 1 on the MediaVault.  Port 1 (eno1) is set up by default as the admin port to connect into the MediaVault for administration (although any port can be used). By default it is configured with the IP address 192.168.2.2 and Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0.  On the D1200, Port 1 (eno1) is a 1GbE port and so is typically used for administration access to the MediaVault only.  On the R1200 and R3600, Port 1 (eno1) is a 10GbE port and so can be used for administration and data transfer.

DHCP Server (software version 2.3.0 or above)
Port 1 (eno1) can be used as a DHCP server to automatically assign an IP address to a host computer.  In order to enable the DHCP server, you will need to ensure that eno1 is set to default settings (Manual mode, fixed IP address of 192.168.2.2 and Subnet Mask of 255.255.255.0).  The host computer will need to have the connected network port set to DHCP mode in order to be assigned an IP address from the Media Vault.  The assigned IP address will be in the range 192.168.2.100 to 192.168.2.200. 

D1200 Network Ports
Port 1
is the 1GbE port labelled eno1 in the image below, and is intended for admin access to the MediaVault.

The standard NIC on the D1200 provides four 10 GbE ports with the names enp101s0f0, enp101s0f1, enp101s0f2, enp101s0f3. These are the names of the ports from left to right, as viewed from the rear of the Media Vault. If any other network cards are fitted, such as a 25/40/50GbE card, these will be assigned a different number such as enp23s0f0:

D1200 Network Ports

R1200 and R3600 Network Ports
The R1200 and R3600 have two 10GbE ports, located next to the USB ports, named Port 1 and Port 2.  The other ports shown will depend on the Network Interface Cards (NIC) that are fitted in the MediaVault. The standard NIC provides four additional 10GbE ports with the names enp101s0f0, enp101s0f1, enp101s0f2, enp101s0f3.  These are the names of the ports from bottom to top, as viewed from the rear of the MediaVault.  If any other network cards are fitted, such as a 25/40/50/100 GbE card, these will be assigned a different number such as enp23s0f0:

R1200 Network Ports

R3600 Network Ports

Click on a port name to view and edit the setup:



Typically the items that would be edited are the IPv4 network address and the MTU setting:





Detailed configuration and optimisation of networking is beyond the scope of this guide, but in particular it is important to note that all machines on a network should have a unique IP Address, and they should all use the same MTU setting - typically on a 10GbE network the MTU of all machines is set to 9000 (sometimes called ‘Jumbo Frames’) for best performance. 

Bonding Network Ports
The MediaVault supports bonding of network ports. To use the bonding features on the MediaVault a network switch must be used that also supports bonding and is correctly configured.

Bonding can be used to provide higher performance through link aggregation between the MediaVault and the switch, or failover protection in the event of a problem with one of the ports or cables that is in use.

On the Networking screen the Add Bond button can be used to configure a bond with two or more network ports on the system.

After clicking Add Bond and selecting the ports to be bonded, the other available options are

Bond Settings


If required set a Mac address for the bond, either based upon one of the selected ports or newly defined.
The following Modes are available:

ModeDescriptionFault ToleranceLoad Balancing
Round RobinPackets are sequentially transmitted/received through each interfaces one by one.YesYes
Active BackupOne network interface is active while another is asleep. If the active network interface goes down, another becomes active.YesNo
XORIn this mode the MAC address of the network interface is matched up against the incoming request’s MAC and once this connection is established the same interface is used to transmit/receive for the destination MAC.YesYes
BroadcastAll transmissions are sent on all network interfaces.YesNo
802.3ad (Dynamic Link Aggregation)Aggregated network interfaces act as one which results in a higher throughput, but also provides failover in the case that an interface fails. Dynamic Link Aggregation requires a switch that supports IEEE 802.3ad.YesYes
Adaptive transmit load balancingThe outgoing traffic is distributed depending on the current load on each network interface. Incoming traffic is received by the current interface. If the receiving interface fails, another interface takes over the MAC address of the failed interface.YesYes
Adaptive load balancingUnlike Dynamic Link Aggregation, Adaptive load balancing does not require any particular switch configuration. The receiving packets are load balanced through ARP negotiation.YesYes

The following Link Monitoring settings are available:

Link MonitoringDescription
MII (Recommended)(Media Independent Interface)This is the default, and recommended, link monitoring option. It monitors the carrier state of the local network interface. You can specify the monitoring frequency and the delay. Delay times allow you to account for switch initialization.
ARPThis sends ARP queries to peer systems on the network and uses the response as an indication that the link is up. You can specify the monitoring frequency and target addresses.

Use of network bonding, as well as the ‘Add Bridge’ and ‘Add VLAN’ features, should only be undertaken by administrators with experience and understanding of how to use these features correctly on a network.
Storage
Select the Storage option from the main menu. From the Storage screen you can view and edit the Pools on the system:


The MediaVault ships by default with a single Pool called ‘cdxstore’ with 2-disk redundancy on a single storage block (D1200 / R1200) or across three storage blocks (R3600).*

*NOTE: MediaVault D1200 and R1200 contain a single 12-disk storage block.  MediaVault R3600 contains 3 x 12-disk storage blocks.  3 x disks would need to fail on a single storage block for data to become inaccessible.

The Storage page lists the Pools alphabetically, along with information about the overall % of Pool capacity used (by all Shares combined) and a status indication, such as ONLINE.  When you click on a Pool, the Pool Details and Device Details information are shown.

If the Pool status is shown as ONLINE this means there are no disk or data integrity issues to attend to.

If the status is shown as DEGRADED this means there has been a disk issue (on 1 or 2 disks) but data is still accessible. In this case the disk issue should be investigated and remedied, and the Pool can then be returned to ONLINE with assistance from CODEX.

If the status is shown as FAILED this means that there has been a disk issue on 3 or more disks on a single vdev, and that data has become inaccessible. For this reason, it is critical to attend to any disk issues as soon as the status changes from ONLINE to DEGRADED.

The Status Ring on the front of the MediaVault indicates the status of the system / Storage Pool.  For more information, see the Status Ring section.

It is not commonly required to create a New Pool. This can only be done if all disks are available and not used in another Pool.

Click the dots on the Pool Details card to access options for Start Integrity Check and Delete:



When deleting there is then a confirmation step:



Click Delete Pool to proceed with deleting the Pool, or otherwise click Cancel. A Pool cannot be deleted if it contains any Shares.

The system will periodically (weekly) run an Integrity Check process to check for any errors that need to be corrected on the filesystem. If the Pool status is shown as DEGRADED then Start Integrity Check can be used to manually start the process which, if it completes and no errors occur, will reset the Pool status to ONLINE. If the Integrity Check completes and the Pool status remains DEGRADED this indicates there is a problematic disk that needs to be replaced.  See the Replacing a data disk in the MediaVault section for more information.

The Device Details card gives details of any disks that have errors:



The State column for each disk may show:

StateDescription
OnlineNo errors or issues with the disk
DegradedErrors have been detected. Run an Integrity Check to see if this clears errors and resets the status to ONLINE. If errors continue to occur then the disk should be replaced before it fails completely.
FailedThe disk needs to be replaced

The disk LEDs will be lit when the status is DEGRADED or FAILED so they can be identified for replacement.
Shares
Select the Shares option from the main menu. From the Shares screen you can view and edit the Shares on the system:

The MediaVault ships by default with a single Share called ‘mediavault’. The space for this Share is not reserved, which means if additional Shares are created that also do not have reserved space (as shown in the example above), then each of these Shares will have access to all unreserved space on the MediaVault. It is also possible to create Shares with reserved space (see Reserve Quota below).



Click the magnifying glass icon and start typing in the search box at the top of the screen to filter the list and find a specific Share.  When a Share is selected the Share Details and Group Access details are shown.



Creating a New Share

From the main Shares page click the + button to create a new Share:



Type the Share Name (which must be unique) and set the Permissions Mode*.

  • Managed - this is the standard permissions mode that has been available in previous releases, whereby Share access is controlled via the Users/Groups setup.
  • Open RW* - in this mode any User can Read and Write the Share without additional setup via Groups, to allow for a more straightforward access model when required. 
  • You can change the Permissions Mode for any Share after it has been created.  This will also allow you to set the Share to Open RO* (open read only).
* Open RW and Open RO Permissions Modes are available in software version 2.6.4 or above.  In earlier versions the Permissions Mode defaults to Managed and cannot be changed.

There are two further options you can use or leave disabled:

Compression

Compression can be enabled on a Share and may provide a small increase in the efficiency of data storage, depending on the type of data being stored.  The Compression is transparent (files appear the same on a Share, whether or not Compression has been enabled), and is lightweight enough to have no discernible effect on performance.

Reserve Quota
Reserve Quota allows you to specify an amount of disk space to reserve for this Share.  This quota can be increased at a later date provided there is enough unreserved and unused space remaining.  The Reserve Quota cannot be made smaller than the amount of data the Share currently contains.

With Reserve Quota disabled, the default behaviour is to freely allocate disk space to any Share as data is written to it.

Click the Create Share button to finish creating the Share.

Deleting a Share

To delete the Share click the dots in the Share Details card:



When deleting there is then a confirmation step:

Delete Share

Click Delete Share to proceed with deleting the Share and all the data it contains, or otherwise click Cancel.

Once a Share has been deleted there is no ‘undo’ function to recover the Share or the data.

Editing a Share



To edit the Reserve Quota or Permissions Mode* click the dots in the Share Details card and then click Edit.

* software version 2.6.4 or above.



To edit which Groups can access the Share click the dots in the Group Access card and then click Edit Access:

Group Access

On the Edit Group Access screen, click in the Permission column to cycle through the modes ‘Read/Write’, ‘Read Only’, and ‘None’:

Edit Group Access

After making changes click ‘Update Permissions’ to save the changes, or ‘Cancel’ to exit without saving.

Groups
Select the Groups option from the main menu. From the Groups screen you can view and edit the Groups on the system:
Groups

The Groups page lists the Groups alphabetically.  Click the search icon in the top right of the screen and start typing in the search box to filter the list and find a specific Group.  Click on a Group to view the Group Details, information about the Share Access and Membership.



Creating a New Group

From the main Groups page click the + icon to create a new Group:



Type the Group Name and the Group Id will be completed automatically. The Group Id must be unique for each Group, and can be modified manually if necessary. Click the ‘Create Group’ button to finish creating the Group.

Editing or Deleting a Group

To edit or delete the Group click the dots in the Group Details card:



When deleting there is a confirmation step:



Click ‘Delete Group’ to proceed with deleting the Group, or otherwise click Cancel. Deleting the Group does not delete the Users it contains, or Shares it has access to. Once a Group has been deleted there is no ‘undo’ function to recover the Group.

To edit which Shares the Group can access click the dots in the Share Access card:



On the Edit Share Access screen, click in the Permission column to cycle through the modes ‘Read/Write’, ‘Read Only’, and ‘None’:



After making changes click ‘Update Permissions’ to save the changes, or ‘Cancel’ to exit without saving.

To edit which Users are members of the Group click the dots in the Membership card:



On the Edit Group Membership screen the right panel shows which Users are members of the Group and the left panel shows Users that are not in the Group but could be added:



Select one or more Users and click the < or > arrows to move them left or right. Click the << or >> arrows to move ALL Users left or right.

Users
Select the Users option from the main menu. From the Users screen you can view and edit the User accounts on the system:


The Users page lists the User accounts alphabetically.  Click the search icon in the top-right and start typing in the search box to filter the list and find a specific User.  Click on a User to display their User Details and information about their Group Membership.



Creating a New User

Click the ‘New User’ button to create a new User account:

Create User Account

Type the User Name and the User Id will be completed automatically. The User Id must be unique for each user, and can be modified manually if necessary. Type the User Email and User Password, and the Confirm Password.

If required select the Admin User checkbox. Admin Users are marked with a star symbol in the User list, and can modify the system configuration, for example:

  • Add or delete Users, Groups, Shares, and Pools
  • Modify the Networking settings
  • Update the software version
Click the ‘Create User’ button to finish creating the User account.


Edit, Delete or Change Password

To edit, delete or change the password for a User click the dots in the User Details card:
User Details

When deleting there is a confirmation step:

Delete User

Click ‘Delete User’ to proceed with deleting the User, or otherwise click Cancel. Once a User has been deleted there is no ‘undo’ function to recover the User.

To edit which Groups the User is a member of click the dots in the Group Membership card:

Group Membership

Groups and permissions are detailed further in the section on Groups.

The MediaVault is configured with two user accounts as standard:

  • storageadmin - for performing administration on the MediaVault via the Admin Web Interface.
  • storageuser - for mounting the MediaVault storage to read/write files. Multiple users can be connected to the MediaVault storage with the ‘storageuser’ account. The ‘storageuser’ account can log into the Admin Web Interface but has restricted privileges and cannot create/delete users or storage pools.
Software Updates

Updating MediaVault Software

The Media Vault software can be updated in the Software Updates screen, which can be accessed in the left panel menu in the Admin Web Interface.

You will need to ensure the following in order to update the software:

  1. Connect the Media Vault to the internet (for example your office network router) and configure your network settings in the Networking screen in the Admin Web Interface.

  2. Click on Software Updates in the Admin Web Interface left-hand menu and ensure Repository is set to mediavault-updates and Branch is set to mediavaultos/standard.


    The currently Running software version will be shown.

    Click on the blue text ‘mediavault-updates’ and click the pencil icon to edit the settings. Untick the box for Use trusted GPG key and click Apply. Then close the Change Repository box, and click Check for Updates.

  3. Click Check for Updates



    The latest version of software will be listed at the top.  If it is a newer version than is currently running, it will be marked as Available with an option to Rebase and Reboot.

  4. On clicking Rebase and Reboot, the version will change from Available to Updating while the Media Vault downloads the new software version.


When the download has completed the software will be automatically installed and the system will reboot, at which point the Admin Web Interface will disconnect. When the Media Vault reboots, the new software version will be running. Depending on the download speed available this process may take up to 1 hour.

We recommend you use the latest available version of Media Vault software,

Modifying MediaVault Software Repository to allow Updates from build 2.3 (and earlier)

The repository (storage location) for MediaVault Software Updates was changed when software version 2.4 was released. MediaVault systems running version 2.4 and above will automatically use the correct settings. For any MediaVault systems running version 2.3 or earlier, the settings will need to be updated manually in order to use the new repository and download software updates.

If there is an error when attempting to run a software update then click the name of the repository ‘mediavault-updates’:



Click on the Edit (pencil) icon, and if the URL is shown as ‘http://mediavault.ndx.at:8000’ then click the Delete option to remove the current settings:



Then click Add New Repository.  For the new repository enter the name ‘mediavault-updates’ and the URL http://mediavault-updates.ndx.at and leave the Use trusted GPG key box unchecked, and click Add.



Click on the new repository name in the pop up, and click Change Repository. These settings will now be used by default, and the correct location will be used when Check for Updates is selected.

Updates to Permission Modes in Version 2.6.4

Please read this information carefully prior to updating your system to MediaVault software 2.6.4.

MediaVault 2.6.4 includes a new underlying permissions system and new permissions modes for Shares.

On earlier MediaVault software releases the permissions system for files on Shares had issues that affected customers in certain situations.  In particular, removing Users from a Group could result in problems for other Users in the Group when attempting to interact with files on a Share.

To address this we have implemented a new permissions system with a simplified model that should avoid the issue described above.

When the MediaVault is updated from an earlier release to version 2.6.4 then:

  • No permissions changes will be made automatically.
  • Shares will temporarily not be accessible over Samba until the ‘Update Permissions’ process has been selected, on a per Share basis.
  • The ‘Update Permissions’ process can be started on multiple shares, but only one Share will be updated at a time, with the others waiting in a queue that will be handled sequentially.
  • If no permissions changes have been applied then it is still possible to roll the software back to the previous version and access data on the Shares over Samba. 
  • Once permissions changes have been applied then the Shares will not be compatible with earlier software versions, and therefore rolling back is not supported.

If there are any Shares which have not been updated:

  • A warning icon will be shown next to the Shares entry in the main menu panel.
  • On the Shares page, a warning icon will be shown on each Share that has not been updated.


  • To update the permissions for each Share, on the Share Details card click the three-dots menu and select the ‘Update Permissions’ option.


  • When ‘Update Permissions’ is complete then the Share will be available over Samba.

Replacing a Data Disk in the MediaVault

If a data disk has developed a fault, it may need replacing.  

A problem with your Storage pool will be indicated by a red exclamation mark appearing next to the Storage menu item.  In the example below, the Storage page indicates that the cdxstore pool is Degraded. 

To replace a data disk click the ... next to your Storage pool and select Replace Disk to open the Disk Replacement wizard.



If a disk is Failed or Offline, it will be available to select for replacement.  If for some reason you wish to replace a disk which is not in a Failed or Offline state, you can click Show all disks to allow selection of any disk.



Rules for Disk Replacement:

  • You cannot replace a disk with the same disk.

  • The replacement disk has to be of equal or greater capacity to the original disk.

  • Only 1 x disk in the Media Vault can be replaced with one of greater capacity. *

(*We recommend to use disks or the same model and capacity, but if you need to replace one in an emergency, it is possible to use 1 x disk of greater capacity as a replacement).

Once you have selected the disk to replace, please follow the on-screen instructions to Remove Disk, Load Disk and then Start Rebuild. 

The Rebuild can take several hours to complete.  The time taken for the Rebuild process will depend on the amount of data stored on the Share, and by how much usage the Share has during the Rebuild.  The Media Vault performance may be reduced during this time.  Progress will be shown in the Pool Details card.  In the example below, it shows "Running 4% complete".  A yellow warning triangle will show next to the Storage menu item whilst the pool is rebuilding.



Once the Rebuild is complete, the warning icons next to the Storage menu item will disappear, and performance will return to normal.

PLEASE NOTE:  The Disk Replacement feature is only available in Media Vault software version 2.3.0 or above.

Support and Service contacts

For any Support or Service enquiries your Dealer or Rental House should be the first point of contact. If they cannot resolve the issue directly you should be put in contact with the product Distributor or with CODEX Support (support@codex.online).

Replacing a System Disk in the MediaVault

This section will be completed in a later version of the guide.

Troubleshooting

When deleting files using Mac Finder I get a warning that folders are “in use”, and not all files get deleted.
Mac will cache the contents of directories by default, which can lead to this problem when deleting files on a Samba mount. To disable this feature on your Mac refer to the section ‘Disable directory caching’ on this support page: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT208209:

Your Mac caches file and folder metadata temporarily in local memory. This improves browsing speeds, especially on high-latency networks. Systems with more memory installed can cache more file information.

If you’d like to disable directory caching so that macOS re-downloads the full contents of the folders and metadata every time you browse an SMB share, you can create or edit /etc/nsmb.conf. See the nsmb.conf man page for more information on how to edit this file.

If your system doesn’t already have an /etc/nsmb.conf file, use the following Terminal commands. Note that you must be logged in as an administrator with sudoer privileges to set this file:

echo "[default]" | sudo tee -a /etc/nsmb.conf
echo "dir_cache_off=yes" | sudo tee -a /etc/nsmb.conf

Note: The Finder ‘Preview’ functionality may also interfere with the process of deleting files. To disable this use the Finder top menu bar and select View > Show View Options and untick the box for Show Preview Column.
Mac Finder does not refresh the contents/properties of the storage until I unmount and remount.
Again this can be caused by the default directory caching that Finder does, and can be improved by opening Terminal and running these commands with sudoer privileges:

echo "[default]" | sudo tee -a /etc/nsmb.conf
echo "dir_cache_off=yes" | sudo tee -a /etc/nsmb.conf
How do I view/delete hidden files and folders in Finder?
To view hidden files and folder in Finder use the shortcut Cmd + Shift + . (dot). Use the same shortcut again if you want to hide them.
When playing back files over Samba using a Mac I am having performance issues.
On macOS 10.13.3 and earlier Samba packet signing is on by default, which can lead to reduced performance when reading files from the Media Vault. To disable this follow the instructions at https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT205926
I am experiencing performance/reliability issues with the network connection to the MediaVault
macOS Sierra and higher has a “disk speed throttle” that can be troublesome for connected devices or network backups. This can be disabled on a session basis by entering this line via Terminal:

sudo sysctl debug.lowpri_throttle_enabled=0

This change will not persist after a reboot. To make the change permenant, use a plain text editor to add this new line to /private/etc/sysctl.conf :

debug.lowpri_throttle_enabled=0
I am experiencing slow writes/renders to the MediaVault
This can happen if the system has been running and under heavy use for several weeks. In this case it is recommend to reboot the system and check whether performance has returned to normal levels.

Our support team is available to answer any questions:

8.00am - 5.00pm telephone and email support is available through our teams in London and Los Angeles.

Codex Support Email: support@codex.online
Codex US Support: +1 323 283 8929
Codex UK Support: +44 203 7000 999
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Effective date: May 25, 2018
Last updated: November 9, 2020