FileZerver release V04.15.00 is now available for download for firmware update of Cyclone 2+ boards using the admin "Firmware Update" web page or FTP, in file fzi0415.bin. Changes -- -- New facility for back-up and restore of FileZerver configuration data. -- A sequence with the external reset switch can be used to reset the admin password. -- Some changes in the factory-default configuration, including default email to mail.netzerver.com -- Additional fields in the email alert messages. Configuration Back-up and Restore -- The configuration data of a FileZerver includes the name of the server, the network details (DHCP or static IP address), network protocol settings (including Windows domain name), share definitions (such as the raid-group name and directory path), users, groups, share permissions, and the definition for scheduled tasks (such as SmartMirror). Of the information shown on the admin web pages, only a few items are not configuration data -- the devices, partitions, and raid-groups are found by examining the available devices, the serial number and default name comes from examining the NIC device, and the UTC time is from a battery-backed clock. The time-zone chosen for local display is configuration data, however. Losing the configuration data would be a major inconvenience. One of the mechanisms to back-up this data is to use FTP -- if a user with admin privilege goes to the "hidden" share named "/flash", a get-operation of a pseudo-file named "FileZerverBackup" produces a file on the FTP client which is a combination of all of the files with configuration data. With this release, an additional mechanism is now available for back-up of the configuration data. As part of the "System" set of admin web pages, the page marked "FW Update/Config Restore" (which had been marked as "Firmware Update" in previous releases) has the controls to save one or more copies of the configuration data to a raid-group or a share on the FileZerver, and to select such a file to initiate a restore. Use of this mechanism will allow simple recovery from accidental reset to factory-default values from the Reboot web page, from unfortunate choices by an apprentice administrator, or from failure of the FileZerver board. If the entire server is lost (by lightning or by walking out the door), restore of the configuration data on the replacement unit will be possible if the configuration data has been saved to a share which is itself backed-up. The files created by the back-up include the name of the server as part of the file name specifically so that a FileZerver can hold and keep straight the back-up configuration data from multiple FileZervers. Back-up Location: You can select any raid-group or any share for the back-up configuration data. Use the "Set Location to Back-Up Config Data" button to select a location to see what files, if any, are listed for use with a possible restore. Use the "Back-Up Config Data Now" button to create a "Backup" file in the selected location. Selecting a share (rather than a raid-group) has the advantage that the Backup file can be visible on the network, such as with SmartMirror, so that the Backup file or files can be replicated. Selecting a raid-group (rather than a share) has the advantage that during recovery from a catastrophe, the Backup files in a raid-group are immediately visible to a replacement FileZerver board, but a share (which was not at the base of a raid-group) would have to be re-defined before the Backup file would be visible for use with a restore operation. There may be advantages to creating a small raid-group just for handling Backup files, with a share defined at the base of that raid-group for use with SmartMirror. Back-up file list: After a location (raid-group or share) has been selected and set, a list of files may be presented. The files shown will be those in which the file name indicates that a restore operation might be possible -- if the file name includes the string "Backup", if the file name includes the server type "FileZerver", or if it includes the current server name. Thus files could be presented which were not created by the "Back-Up Config Data" operation. If such a file is selected and the "Restore Config Data and Reboot Now" button is hit, the error message will be "Image was incomplete" or "Invalid Zerver Image". If there is no error, the previously saved config data is restored, and the server is rebooted. Note that if the restored configuration calls for the server to be at a different IP address, then the re-connection after reboot will not be automatic. Other Changes in this Release -- Firmware Update file held on the FileZerver -- The configuration data back-up files described above are held on the FileZerver, located by raid-group or share. This is in contrast to the file for the Firmware Update operation, which is selected from the file system space of the client which is running the browser. That file space could include one or more FileZerver shares, if such a share was mapped to that client. With previous releases, it did not work to try to update the firmware with a file selected from the browser client's file system space that was mapped to a share on the FileZerver being updated, due to timing of service shutdown related to the update. Fixed. Reset admin password using reset switch -- The reset switch, conveniently located behind the eighth hole on the lower left grill of the front LED bezel (in line with the 10/100 LED), can be used to initiate a system reboot (by holding the reset switch for 4 seconds, releasing it when the Status LED changes from green to amber), or to initiate a system shutdown (by holding the reset switch for 8 seconds, releasing it when the Status LED changes from amber to red). With previous releases, the reset switch could also be used to force the FileZerver configuration back to factory defaults. The primary need for this operation was that the server's admin password had been lost, because someone quit, or because the browser that remembered the password (so you did not have to) had been run over by a bus. With this release, you can use the reset switch to reset the admin password back to its default value (by holding the reset switch for 12 seconds, releasing it when the Status LED changes from red to off). All other elements of the FileZerver configuration are left unchanged. A reboot (perhaps unnecessary) also occurs with this operation. Factory default settings -- These changes will not affect any current configuration. They will affect -- -- your next FileZerver -- your current FileZerver if you must perform a return-to-factory-defaults-reboot operation. (However, the save/restore configuration data web page operation will allow you to recover and keep all elements of your current configuration.) Changes -- SmartMirror server will be on by default. E-mail alerts will be on by default for several conditions using an SMTP server at 128.121.4.6 (mail.netzerver.com) and one recipient, worldmonitor -at- netzerver.com. E-mail alert messages, additional data -- Additional fields have been added to the e-mail alert messages -- the board serial number, the firmware version number, along with the server type ("FileZerver"). If a single e-mail address could get reports from a large number of FileZervers (e.g. if many systems operate with the new factory default values for e-mail alerts), this information may help to untangle which messages are related to each other. The factory default setting with e-mail alerts enabled is intended to encourage their use. Please use an appropriate local SMTP server IP address, and replace (or add to) the netzerver.com address, rather than disable e-mail alerts. If there are problems with the given SMTP server (hard-coded to 128.121.4.6 to avoid possible DNS look-up delays, intended to go to mail.netzerver.com), as unavailable (which happens now and again) or unreachable (e.g. some cable ISP, like cox.net, allow you to use any SMTP server you want as long as it is cox.net, and filter out all others), there can be an extra pause of 30 seconds during system shutdown and during reboot.