SmallNetBuilder

Setup

For most home users, setup of the LinkStation Live will be a simple process.  By default, the LinkStation Live ships with a preconfigured share named "share" and with user/group security disabled.  You also get a CD that includes a setup and discovery utility that walks you through the initial configuration of the Live. The illustrated four step process guides you through connecting the power cord, network cables and finally, discovering the LinkStation Live on your local network. 

Figure 4: LinkStation Live Setup Wizard

During my testing, I found a "discovery" problem with the utility.  It failed to find the LinkStation Live even though I could browse and find it through Windows Explorer.  Buffalo has since posted a revised utility (Version 1.01) that appears to have fixed the discovery problem. 

After discovering and configuring the LinkStation Live, the setup wizard installs a small utility (Windows only) called NAS Navigator.  This handy utility shows the current IP address of your LinkStation Live and the amount of space in use.  You can also view all of the shares on the LinkStation Live or automatically map a drive to the default share.  Browser Management launches your default browser and takes you to the web-based management home page of the LinkStation Live.

Figure 5: NAS Navigator utility

The user interface on the LinkStation Live mirrors the revamped and improved UI first introduced on the LinkStation Pro.  Since the menu structure is very similar to the previously reviewed LinkStation Pro, you can check that review for details. I'll just focus on the differences here, which mainly deal with the built-in print and media servers.

Check out the slideshow for an admin interface tour.