Morro Data - Support Center

The Advanced tab contains some features that can help with compatibility with some software packages and devices.

Hostname in LAN

This allows you to set the hostname of the CacheDrive independent of the name shown in MCM.  This may be useful when a file is tied to a hostname but is being shared across multiple locations with their own CacheDrives (for example Revit central files).

Note that this hostname must be unique on the LAN or a VPN-connected multisite network.

In ADS mode, site DNS may be a better solution than setting the hostname manually.

Alias

This allows you to set an alias for the CacheDrive.  The alias will be added to the hosts file of the CacheDrive.

Some customers may want to access the CacheDrive with name that differs from the CacheDrive's hostname.  For example, a user may set a different name in his computer's hosts file for the CacheDrive, then access the CacheDrive with this name.  In this case, the CacheDrive cannot recognize this name and may raise error, which can affect the performance.

Setting an alias for the CacheDrive by setting this option to match the CacheDrive name in the user's computer's hosts file can prevent the error message and performance issue.

Example

You have a CacheDrive named "MorroCacheDrive" in your Morro account with IP address 192.168.168.100.  Instead of  "MorroCacheDrive",  you want to access it as "CloudNAS".  You add it to your PC's "C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts" file, as shown below:

With this configuration, you can access the CacheDrive as "CloudNAS" from your PC. Accessing the CacheDrive as "CloudNAS" will generate errors in the CacheDrive when opening files with some applications, however, and may reduce performance because "CloudNAS" is not a registered name in the CacheDrive. To avoid this problem, set the "Alias" of the CacheDrive to "CloudNAS" from MCM, as shown below:

Note: The "Alias" option is necessary only under the following conditions:

• You access your CacheDrive using the name in your PC's hosts file instead of the name or IP address of the CacheDrive.

and you see one of the following issues:

• Your applications show slow performance.
• You see errors when opening files.

Most applications do not require this setting.  Some applications that may benefit from this setting include:

• Notepad++
• AutoCAD

The differences between "Hostname in LAN" and "Alias"

"Hostname in LAN" replaces the name of the CacheDrive.  After setting "Hostname in LAN", the CacheDrive cannot be accessed by name over SMB.  "Alias" sets an alias for the CacheDrive and does not affect accessing the CacheDrive over SMB by name.

SMB Protocol Settings

The following settings affect which versions of the SMB protocol and NTLM authentication are accepted by the SMB service.  In general, these options do not need to be modified unless older versions of Windows or devices such as printers and scanners are being used with the CacheDrive shares.

Minimum SMB Protocol version

The minimum SMB protocol version that will be accepted for SMB connections.

Maximum SMB Protocol version

The maximum SMB protocol version that will be accepted for SMB connections.

NTLM Authentication

The NTLM version(s) supported for authentication.

SMB Session auto close unless activities

The time for the SMB session auto closes when there is no activity. The range is 10 to 100080 (minutes).

Enable API to control

Enable/disable API availability. After the API has been generated, you can add commands "?cmd=power-off" or "?cmd=reboot" behind the API to shut down or reboot the device remotely. Or add the command "?cmd=firmware-update" behind the API to update the device firmware remotely.

Disk Maintenance

Use this option to configure disk maintenance options. 

Two types of disk maintenance are available:

• Disk defragmentation
• Disk trim, which is useful for solid state disk and thin provisioned virtual disk

You can set a day of the week and start time (UTC) for disk maintenance tasks. The maintenance task will run if there are no normal file operations at the specified start time.  If normal file operations are occurring, the maintenance task will check for file operations every 5 minutes for the next hour. After a successful defrag run, defrag will not run again for 30 days because disk fragmentation will still be minor after 30 days of operation.

You can also manage the Auto TRIM option.  Disks may queue these TRIM commands, so they may or may not be executed while the disk is busy.  If an SSD is full, it may perform an erase then write for write operations, which can reduce performance.

System maintenance

This option will update the firmware automatically when a new version is available. After enabling the "Update firmware if available" option, specify a start day and time. If a new firmware version is available, the firmware update will automatically occur at the start time and day.

Prefetch

To set the prefetch filter by CacheDrive, enable the "On/Off" checkbox, then click Edit. 

Only prefetch specific files by file size

Use this option to limit the file size to prefetch.  Set minimum and maximum sizes to specify the range of file sizes to prefetch.  This option affects both normal file sync operations as well as manual prefetch operations from MCM.

Only prefetch specific files by file type

Use this option to limit the file types to prefetch using a Posix ERE. To create a Posix ERE, use the Sync Exclusion List generator by clicking the "Edit" button.  This option affects both normal file sync operations as well as manual prefetch operations from MCM.

• Easy Edit panel of Edit Regular Expression: 
  • Support enter file names, folder names, file extensions, file name begin with and file name end with to generate Regular Expression. All files or folders meet the setting will do prefetch. If want to prefetch the files or folders in specify path, need manually enter Regular Expression.
• Regular Expression panel of Edit Regular Expression: 
  • If want to prefetch two different folders' contents in same specify path, like "Share/folde r1" and "Share/folder2", can manually enter Regular Expression like "(^|/)Share\/folde r1|folder2(/|$)". (If the folder name contains space, the expression also can contains space.)
  • If want to prefetch one folder that name is folder2 in specify path, like "Share/folder1/folder2", can manually enter Regular Expression like "(^|/)Share\/folder1\/folder2(/|$)".

Note: 

• For prefetch settings, need to enable Prefetch for CacheDrive on share - PERMISSIONs - Gateway panel first.
• The Prefetch settings on the share - ADVANCED - Prefetch panel will be applied to all CacheDrives that enabled Prefetch for this share.
• But if you want some special settings for a CacheDrive, you can edit the Prefetch settings on the device - ADVANCED - Prefetch panel of this CacheDrive.
• If the Prefetch filters have been set to the CacheDrive, the filter settings on the share - ADVANCED - Prefetch panel will be invalid for this CacheDrive.

Cache Out

The Cache Out policy controls which file types will stay in cache when files need to be cached out.

Use this option to create a list of file types that will be kept in the cache when files need to be cached out.  To create an exclusion list, click the "Edit" button and use the Exclusion List generator. The exclusion list affects both automatic cache out and manual cache out operations from MCM.

Lifetime

Use this option to control how long files that match the exclusion list will be kept in the cache when files need to be cached out.  The maximum lifetime is 9999 days.

NAS Mode

When the option "Enable UI on CacheDrive" is enabled, admin can log in to the CacheDrive operation mode configuration page where the admin can switch the operation modes of CacheDrive.

Enable the option "Enable UI on CacheDrive" and then the operation mode configuration page (URL https://device-ip:8080) will be available. You can log in to it with user "admin". (Admin's default password is set to be the same as that of the Business Admin. However, the admin's password can be independently set in the Morro Cloud Manager.

There are 2 tabs on the configuration page:

• Manage - This tab is used to display and manage the operation mode of the CacheDrive and provide some operations for the CacheDrive.
• Health - Display some status information of the CacheDrive.

Manage

• Current Operation Mode: Display the current operation mode of the CacheDrive, the operation modes will be explained in the following section.
• Switch To NAS: Switch the CacheDrive to Standalone NAS Mode, the "Standalone NAS Mode" will be introduced in the following operation modes section.
• Factory Reset: Factory reset the CacheDrive, all data in the CacheDrive will be erased.
• Reboot: Restart the CacheDrive.
• Shutdown: Shutdown the CacheDrive.
• Auto Isolation: Display the configured time that how long the CacheDrive will be switched to Isolate Mode automatically after losing the connection with the RTC server. The "Isolate Mode" will be introduced in the following operation modes section. 
• Configure: Configure the time for auto isolation.
• Isolate Now: Manually switch the CacheDrive to "Isolate Mode" immediately. The "Isolate Mode" will be introduced in the following operation modes section. 

CacheDrive has 3 operation modes: 

CloudNAS Mode

This is the normal operation mode of the CacheDrive, in this mode, CacheDrive can communicate with servers and sync files with the cloud storage and other CacheDrives.

The user can switch the CacheDrive to the other two operation modes in this mode in some special situations.

Isolate Mode

When the CacheDrive loses connection with the RTC server, the files in the RTC-enabled shares will be affected to open, edit, and so on. In this case, the user can switch the CacheDrive to this "Isolate Mode" temporarily to access files in the RTC-enabled shares.

Isolate Mode can be triggered in CloudNAS mode only when the CacheDrive loses the connection with the RTC server. Isolate Mode can be triggered either manually or automatically after the RTC server becomes unreachable for some time.

Manually trigger Isolate Mode: on the Manage tab, click the Isolate Now button to trigger the CacheDrive to Isolate Mode after the CacheDrive loses the connection with the RTC server.

Automatically trigger Isolate Mode: on the Manage tab, click the Configure button, then select a time on the pop-up message box. The time will determine how long after the CacheDrive loses connection to the RTC server, the CacheDrive will enter Isolate Mode. "Auto Isolation" will display the configured time.

When the CacheDrive is in Isolate Mode, the "Current Operation Mode will display "Isolate". And in Isolate Mode, can switch the CacheDrive to "Standalone NAS" mode by click the Switch To NAS button.

Exiting the Isolate Mode is automatic when the RTC server becomes reachable again.

Standalone NAS Mode

When the Morro server or the cloud storage become offline for a prolonged period of time, the user can switch the CacheDrive to this mode to continue using the CacheDrive. In this mode, the CacheDrive will work as a NAS, with no communication with the servers and cloud storage. The stub files in the CacheDrive need to be fetched in advance.

Standalone NAS Mode can be triggered by clicking the Switch To NAS button on the Manage tab in both CloudNAS and Isolate modes.

When the CacheDrive is in Standalone NAS Mode, "Current Operation Mode" will display "Standalone NAS". In this mode, cannot switch the CacheDrive to "Isolate Mode".

Standalone NAS Mode CacheDrive CANNOT go back to "CloudNAS Mode" except through Factory Reset (by the Factory Reset button on the Manage tab) which will erase all data on the CacheDrive. After Factory Reset, the CacheDrive needs to be added to the account again and data needs to be synced from the cloud to the CacheDrive.

Operation mode switching

Health

Some information about the CacheDrive will be displayed on this tab, like volume usage, CPU/Memory usage, and so on.