Asustor Showcases ADM 2.2 Firmware Upgrade and New Enterprise NAS

ASUSTOR Inc., a subsidiary of ASUSTeK Computer Inc., is showcasing its series of NAS devices at CeBIT 2014 in Hannover, Germany.

ASUSTOR’s 2/3/6 series devices come equipped with Atom dual core processors and were designed for both home and small business users.

Also being exhibited are two new rackmount models from ASUSTOR’s 7 series, the AS7009R supporting 9 disk bays and the AS7012R supporting 12 disk bays. The 7 series was created for enterprise use and will be available in two different powerful hardware specifications  (Haswell Xeon processor/4GB built-in memory and Core i processor/2GB built-in memory). Designed with hardware expandability, the 7 series supports expandable ECC memory up to 32GB, features 4 Ethernet ports, 2 PCIe slots, 2 eSATA ports and 4 USB 3.0 ports, and further supports 10GbE ports giving enterprise users the flexibility to increase bandwidth and performance when dealing with large amounts of data.

Additionally, at CeBIT, the company provides live demonstrations of brand new functionality from its ADM 2.2 firmware upgrade featuring File Explorer, MyArcrhive technology, Windows ACL support and shared folder permission settings, and new support for Bluetooth devices.

Furthermore, a variety of apps developed in-house by ASUSTOR are introduced including Takeasy, VPN Server, Mail Server, Photo Gallery, HiDrive, Google Drive, ASUSTOR Portal, new functions for Surveillance Center and the newest mobile apps AiMusic, AiWatch and AiPhoto along with the Download Helper web browser add-on.
 
Additional information on highlighted features for CeBIT:

ASUSTOR Portal
After connecting their NAS to any HD ready monitor or TV via HDMI, users will be able to use the ASUSTOR Portal interface to access the Boxee (only supported on the 6 series) and XBMC media players, surf the Internet using Google Chrome, and view all video feeds from Surveillance Center along with accessing network storage applications. Upgraded features to Portal include a customizable default start App, screensaver, customizable resolution settings (720P/1080i/1080P etc.), favorite website shortcuts, and personalized desktop wallpaper. Users will also be able to directly access power controls to either turn off or put the NAS to sleep from the Portal interface. ASUSTOR also offers ways to control Portal including the AiRemote mobile app (for iOS and Android), USB/Bluetooth keyboard and mouse or the official ASUSTOR Remote.

ADM 2.2
ADM 2.2 upgrades the browsing speed of the entire user interface, while containing all the features that users enjoyed from ADM 2.1 including Searchlight, a fast search function for files, folders and Apps on the NAS, 2-way backup support, mission mode that ensures for the completion of backup jobs, Dr. ASUSTOR system checkups and the App Central App repository that allows for the expansion of NAS functionality (over 120 Apps available).

ADM 2.2 upgrade features enhanced functionalities and new Apps:

• File Explorer: Users can now directly create shared folders and configure access rights from within the File Explorer interface. Large, medium and small thumbnail previews are now offered along with the ability to directly browse the file directories of the local computer. All file transfers and management in File Explorer can be done intuitively via drag and drop and users can view the status of any tasks through the task monitor.
• Access Control List (ACL): Windows ACL and Linux ACL are now supported, allowing IT professionals to use the Windows user experience to configure shared folder access rights for users and groups on a NAS. Furthermore these settings can be applied to Samba, File Explorer, AFP, NFS, or WebDAV allowing businesses to maintain flexibility and security with regards to data access.
• MyArchive: Developed by ASUSTOR, MyArchive storage technology allows users to use HDDs as removable storage archives. Users can plug in an archive when they need it and swap it out for a different one when they don’t. MyArchive truly provides plug and play convenience as users are free to swap between different data collections and even share terabytes of media archives with friends. This allows for increased transfer performance and the infinite expandability of storage on the NAS. It also allows users to save an amount of power by not having their NAS HDDs or an external drive attached to the NAS always powered on.
• Mail Server: The app allows users to send and receive mail and supports SMTP, POP3 and IMAP protocols. Users can use the NAS to manage all email accounts and also perform email backup and restore jobs. Mail Server also includes antivirus and spam filter functions.
• Photo Gallery: Photo Gallery’s online albums feature integrated social media sharing, commenting, online photo rotation, slideshow mode, and configurable access rights for administrators. It can be paired with the AiPhoto mobile app to remotely access and share photos from the NAS, and sync photos from a mobile device to the NAS expanding the limited storage space available on mobile devices.
• Takeasy: It allows users to download online videos and playlists from YouTube, Vimeo, Youku and other video streaming sites. Users also have the option of selecting the type of video file and video quality that they want and can play downloaded videos directly from the ADM interface.
• VPN Server: This app supports PPTP and Open VPN protocols allowing users to establish secure connections and remotely access data on the NAS. VPN Server gives users the ability to view connections and disconnect suspicious connections along with providing an event log that lets users keep track of system status.
• Cloud Backup Support: New integrated HiDrive and Google Drive cloud storage services provide flexibility and expand the cloud storage and backup options for NAS users.
• Surveillance Center: The upgraded app adds support for Mac OS X web browsers and now supports IVA (Intelligent Video Analytics) playback while offering support for additional camera channels (the 6 series is able to support up to a maximum of 12 camera channels while the 2/3 series is able to support up to a maximum of 8 camera channels) through purchasable camera licenses. Users can now try RTSP streaming with the added support of Generic RTSP which currently allows for basic viewing and recording functions. In addition to accessing their surveillance feeds through the web or through an HD TV, users can now use the AiWatch mobile app (available on iOS and Android) to view surveillance feeds from their mobile device. Furthermore, the newly added camera patrol function (supports cameras with PT/PTZ functionality) allows cameras to focus on critical areas and features configurable camera patrol paths providing users with an even more efficient and flexible surveillance solution.
• Antivirus: This antivirus App stops malware from infecting the NAS, user accounts and other external devices. It protects data on the NAS and prevents malware from spreading by providing automatic virus definition updates and quarantining of infected files.
• Mobile Apps: ASUSTOR presents three new mobile apps during CeBIT, which further add convenience to the modern NAS experience. These new mobile apps will include AiMusic which allows for the streaming of music collections from SoundsGood, AiPhoto which allows users to remotely sync and view photos in Photo Gallery and AiWatch, a dedicated mobile app for Surveillance Center.
• Download Helper: It is an add-on for Google Chrome and FireFox that integrates the Download Center and Takeasy Apps, allowing users to instruct the NAS to download files and streaming videos while they are browsing the web. Download helper features a simplified download task monitor that also allows for the management of basic download tasks.