Page 5 - Configuration and User Interface, Part III
Another useful application found on the ASUSTOR AS-602T is the Activity Monitor application, which is used to keep track of the load on the NAS device. There are a total of five tabs here that tracks different things, including CPU, Memory, Network, Disk Usage, and Process. All of these combined give a good look at the performance of the device at any given time from utilization. The first tab keeps track of CPU usage from CPU 1 to CPU 4 (Remember, Hyper Threading), and all of them are listed on a dynamically updating line graph. In Memory, the usage of memory in percentage is kept track of with a line graph as well. The right side also lists the total amount of physical memory, amount of memory used, and the amount of memory available. Network usage keeps track of the network usage in KB/s sent and received from the two LAN ports. Disk Usage has a pie graph that shows the amount of space being used, amount free, and other applications that may be using the disk. Lastly, Process lists the number of processes running on the NAS, as well as the memory usage and the CPU usage of each process.
When it comes to useful applications, this one is probably the most heavily advertised one on the ADM operating system: App Central. This is a small program download area where one can install new applications in seconds. As far as ease of use is concerned, it really does not get much easier than this. At the click of a button, you can install a completely new application that ranges from day to day NAS functions to security center systems for centralized security cameras. There are just fewer than one hundred applications up on the App Central at press time (93 to be exact), and we hope to see more added in the future. Some of these applications are quite useful, and can be used for any web server such as phpMyAdmin, or full website CMS software such as Drupal or Joomla. One particular one I would like to highlight is Boxee. As mentioned on the hardware page, this program can be used to turn the device into a media player with your ASUSTOR NAS hooked up to your TV via its HDMI port. Another possible way to stream files is through the iTunes server application, which can send your media to any paired device. All in all, this features is incredibly useful, and also very easy to use, making it simple for even novice users to install new applications on the fly with little setup time.
Our first application we will take a look at from the App Central is the UPnP Media Server or Universal Plug and Play Media Server. UPnP is a set of online networking protocols used to allows devices to discover each other on the network. This can range from mobile devices, printers, and of course, other personal computers. In the UPnP Media Server application, there are only two tabs; one being General, and the other being Transcoding. Under the General tab, there is a small box at the top with information, which includes the status, server name, and last scan. Below that, we have the media source area, where one can add, edit, and remove folders that get shared over the network. Under the Transcoding tab, there are only two check boxes, one for audio, and one for images. Checking these boxes will share these type of files from the earlier selected folders over the network for real-time transcoding.
Next, we will take a look at the Download Center application, which is basically a download manager based on the NAS. The interface here is pretty intuitive, and what you would expect to see from your average download manager. The left side shows all the different stages of download -- such as downloading, completed, active, and inactive. Below it is the torrent search function, further down, we have a section to add RSS feeds for the latest torrents. I must admit the latter can be quite useful for downloading things that update frequently, such as podcasts or other live streaming shows later put into torrent form. The main download area has a few buttons at the top to add, stop, start, pause, move up, move down, and settings for different tasks. In terms of downloads, there is support for torrents, HTTP/FTP URLs, Thunder, FlashGET, and QQDL. With all this in one package, I can safely say that if I were to want to use my NAS as a download server, this would be a great way to do so. The fact this support is built into the application is great, and says a lot about the dedication ASUSTOR put into their applications.
All in all, the GUI for the ASUSTOR AS-602T, or more specifically, ADM looks great. It is functional while looking modern at the same time; the minimalist approach in terms of design was fundamental to the outcome of the software, and it turned out as well as we had hoped. The inclusion of separate applications is a good idea, and allows for more customization. It also furthers upgrades in the future. The use of the App Central was a great finishing touch, or 'gravy', so to speak, haha. The idea that one can install applications by pressing one button similar to how most download stores work such as the Apple App Store, or Google Play, is a great feature and allows for easy update of applications. If more developers jump on board, I could see potential for a uniform application store for most NAS or networking devices outside of mainstream mobile markets.
Page Index
1. Introduction and Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware
3. Configuration and User Interface, Part I
4. Configuration and User Interface, Part II
5. Configuration and User Interface, Part III
6. Performance and Power Consumption
7. Final Thoughts and Conclusion
