By default the CacheDrives use DHCP to obtain an IP Address. As a cloud based device, the device must be able to access the Internet to connect to cloud services.


Some organizations want to use static IP addresses for security reasons or to ensure that the device IP address does not change after setting up services such as drive mappings for the file server.


Note: On factory reset, the device will go back into its default DHCP mode.  This can happen unexpectedly during the initial setup process where pre-add firmware updates may force a factory reset.  If you see factory reset messages on the console, the device will reboot and will require you to configure the static IP address settings again.



Preferred Method: Static DHCP/DHCP Reservation

The best way to assign a CacheDrive a fixed IP address is to configure your DHCP server (this is often your router) to reserve an IP address for the given device.  Generally, this would involve going into your DHCP server's configuration screen and adding a MAC Address to IP address reservation.


See the documentation for your router or DHCP server for more information on how to change this configuration setting.


To get the MAC address for your CacheDrive, check the connected devices list in your router or DHCP server.  You can also get the MAC address from MCM -> Devices -> Diagnostics -> IP Address:




Set up the Static IP addresses when the devices boot up


Hardware CacheDrives

To view the boot screen on the physical device, plug in a monitor and keyboard and power cycle the CacheDrive.


Virtual Machine CacheDrives

To view the boot screen on the virtual machine, access the VM client on the VM Host and reboot the virtual machine.


Set up the Static IP Address

During the Init Boot screen, you will see the option to set to configure the network settings.


1. Configure the network



Enter "y" to configure the network.


2. Set up Static IP mode

Choose "s" to set the CacheDrive to use a static IP address.



3. Enter the IPv4 address and CIDR

Addthe IP address in IPv4 format. Include the CIDR for the subnet mask. 

Translate the subnet mask to CIDR using this tool: https://mxtoolbox.com/subnetcalculator.aspx

 



Press "Enter" to set the IP address


4. Enter the Gateway IP Address

The gateway server is usually the IP address of the router or firewall that routes traffic from the WAN to your LAN.




Press "Enter" to set the gateway IP address


5. Enter the Primary DNS IP address

The DNS server manages the hostnames.



Press "Enter" to set the Primary DNS IP address


6. Enter the Secondary DNS IP Address (optional)

Add an additional DNS server. This can be your own secondary DNS server. Do not set a public DNS server unless the local server is purely a cache of the public DNS. For example, if you want to resolve MYCOMPANY.LOCAL, you must not set a public DNS server. This entry is for redundant DNS configuration. If you have only a single DNS server in your on-premises, keep this BLANK. We have a built-in fallback DNS configuration, so you don't need to set for fallback.


Press "Enter" to set the Secondary DNS IP address


7. Confirm Settings

After the secondary DNS server is added the system will confirm the settings you have entered in the previous 6 steps.


Click "y" to confirm the static IP address settings.


The CacheDrive will initialize with the static IP address and network settings, and if it is successful, will complete to the status screen which displays the IP settings for the CacheDrive.