On November 16, 2010
Seagate released firmware updates to their BlackArmor series of network attached storage (NAS) systems. The updates deliver a decent list of changes to their BlackArmor NAS 110, 220, and 400 series, and we decided to take a look at the update as it applies to the
BlackArmor NAS 440 12TB unit we reviewed earlier in November.
The list below gives some background information, and summarizes all of the features affected by this firmware update.
Release Date:
» November 16th, 2010
Versions:
» BA NAS 400 series " 4000.1101 (as well as BA NAS 220 " 2000.1091, BA NAS 110 " 1000.1081)
Release Notes:
» The new firmware updates includes many new features and many important bug fixes.
Bug Fixes:
» False fan failure messages
» Recycle-Bin manager
» NAS to USB task manager
» Backup issues with MS Windows Server 2003/2008 seen in previous release
New Features:
» Added 3 TB support
» Compatible with 3 TB USB connected drives
» BA NAS 400 or BA NAS 220 can be upgrading to 3 TB internal drives.
» Additional Mac/Apple Product Support
» Time Machine Compatible
» iTunes Server 10.x Compliant
» Media Service Upgrades
» WiDMS 2.0 Media server upgrade, more robust than ever
» Media Files can now play from any folder
» Eliminated Drag and Sort
» Added new media file type to the supported list:
*.m4b, *.rmvb, *.rm, *.m4v, *.divx, *.xvid, *.mkv, *.mts, *.flv using open source “ffmpeg” library
» Secure File Sharing Service Protocol
» FTP over SSL/TLS
» Broader Global Coverage
» 8 New Languages supported for the BlackArmor Manager Page, User Guides, Help Files:
Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Turkish, Greek and Portuguese
» 5 New Languages supported for the BA Backup program powered by Acronis:
Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Portuguese
Reading through the "Bug Fixes" reveals four items which I had not personally experienced as bugs. Chock it up to a combination of the way the device has been used and perhaps some good luck, but none of the items listed have been problems. That said, they wouldn't fix it if it wasn't broken (I hope), and hopefully these fixes provide relief to those affected.
Reading through the list of "New Features" shows that many of the bullet points are of little interest to me, such as the additional Mac/Apple support and the new languages supported by the device. But, not everyone is an English speaking Windows user, and there are no doubt many users glad to see this expanded support.
One new feature that raised an eyebrow was the "BA NAS 400 or BA NAS 220 can be upgrading to 3 TB internal drives". The review sample shipped with 3TB drives which functioned just fine and were allowing their full capacity to be accessed, so I am not sure what kind of change was required there... unless it pertains only to older models of the series.
