Legacy Network Products

[mrbobble]

Let me know how it works out for you.

[sysmgr2]

Hi-

As an IT professional and a beta tester of this product, I thought I might add a bit to the discussion, in hopes that it might be helpful.  It appears to me that the current shipping device is much different than the device I have from the beta.  Some of the differences are:  Two 500gb drives in the same case, which can be configured as mirrors or a single 1tb drive.  The case is silver, with blue-grey accents.  There are two USB ports on the rear of the device. The beta ended some months ago, and it is my presumption that the descriptions and sales stuff wasn't vetted properly to reflect the device changes. 

I have not checked compatibility with an XBox 360, but am presently using the device successfully with a PS3. Music and photos are available.  My video at present shows as 'unsupported format' since the only video files presently stored are in mp4 format for QuickTime/iPod. 

I hope this helps, in some small way.  I'll try and borrow an XBox 360 and see if it works.

Message Edited by sysmgr2 on 08-22-2008 07:49 PM

[mrbobble]

One thing I found that may help when connecting via the PS3 was that I switched to a different router. The Buffalo WHR HP G54 is showing the Central Axis but is not showing folders for video and music whereas when I switched to the Linksys WRT54G the folders and structures showed up. Not all items showed up I suspect due to format type. There are differences between the Linksys and the Buffalo but one of ones that the PS3 appears to notice was NAT type. The Buffalo uses type 3. I no longer have the Linksys connected but I believe it was type 2.

[eideticon]

OK!

I think I figured it out! Thanks to one of the other threads I found in this site.

Anyways. what you need to do is:

1) Enable media server capability on the CA and PS3

2) put all the music that you wish to be availble for playing into the "my music" folder located in the root of the "public" folder.
    put all the videos that you wish to be availble for playing into the "my movies" folder located in the root of the "public" folder.
    put all the photos that you wish to be availble for viewing into the "my photos" folder located in the root of the "public" folder.

3) perform a search for media server on the PS3 (sometimes it helps to restart your PS3 AND your Maxtor CA in order to ensure that the PS3 can read the files. I read that the PS3 only refreshes itself every 2hours, so that means if you add new content to your CA, you will have to manually search/refresh the PS3 in order to get the new content--- it took me several times of refreshing so that is why i say just restart both systems)

4)on the PS3 navigate to whatever media section in the XMB (music, photo, movies) and you should see the icon for your CA. Select it with the "X" button, this should bring up another section that says Music/Movies/Photos. Select the section you wish to play and hit the "X" button again... Give the PS3 a couple of seconds to start searching the CA for the files.... BOOM! all the content is there!

5) crack open a frosty beverage and enjoy! (Please note that there are some "issues" with playback, and that is more of a problem with the PS3. Access time maybe slow, depending on your router (I have a Linksys WR310N- and its still not quite as fast as searching content in itunes). Also, make sure you have all the files that can be read by the PS3 according to its specs (in my music folder I guess I have some corrupt or non-readable files so they dont play... guess I (whoever) will have to either reformat those files or live with out them.

Hope that helps anyone! But at long last it works, albeit not the best functionality (I blame PS3 navigatory system, as it is really annoying to scroll throught 3000 artists using the XMB). The good news is that now my 2 computers, and PS3 access the CA for all media content!!! Pretty bad-___ i must say. AND I can access those files from the CA remotely too. One request would be to some how get a VPN equiped with my CA so I could physical get into my network instead of using the seagate global access thing.

Cheerios!

PS. Haven't attached the external drive into the CA yet to see if PS3 could read it. SO someone should try that!


(Edited:  Please do not use profanity.)


Message Edited by AlanM on 08-26-2008 06:48 AM

[IRPissed]

I share your frustration.  My intent was to reply on this board, but I ended up with a new post here.

[x360nightmare]

I agree with everything in this post.

I bought a central axis because of the Maxtor advertised x360 compatability and it simply doesn't work. What a nightmare. Customer support keeps sending me in different directions (or hanging up on me). What a terrible product.

Looking forward to returning it to best buy tomorrow and finding another solution.

[scud924]

AlanM,

Out of the box, the NAS does not work with the xbox360 for any of us. Was any configuration required for it to work for Seagate tests?

You state:
"As far as I know, "compatible" does not have an equivalent definition to "supported".  It is my understanding that the product works (quite easily) with Xbox 360 but Seagate does not support that action."

If it is possible to make it work, in your words "quite easily", why is it such a big secret?
Please share with us. Shouldn't that be the point of this type of support forum anyway?

Please don't leave your valued customers with cryptic statements of "compatibility" and then to randomly guess the secret method needed to benefit from this advertising selling point.

Even if you refuse to support it, why not share the steps that you have used in testing in order to make it work?

I am sure that we would all appreciate any advice, hints, tips, etc. that you provide.
Even if it doesn't work for every user, perhaps at least a few would be able to get things working correctly and fully enjoy this product.

Thank you,
Doug

[AlanM]

I never said it was a big secret, but I have almost zero knowledge of network stuff.
I really suggest you contact Tech Support for this, but if you can, please post whatever answer you get from them in the forum to help others.

[scud924]

I have already tried contacting technical support twice and haven't received anything other than "we don't support that".

The whole "compatible" but not "supported" thing is comical. Seagate needds to put themselves in their users shoes for a minute. Lets say hypothetically Microsoft releases a new version of Office that is advertised to work on both XP and Vista. How would you react when you bought a copy, installed it on your XP machine at home and it didn't work?  Next, you find out by looking at online forums that it isn't limited to just yourself, many other users can't get it to install on XP either.  If fact, no one has posted a single comment about getting it to work except the vendor. Then you contacted Microsoft support and they told you that it will work "quite easily" but they don't support the feature so you'll have to figure out the configuration on your own.  It doesn't really make you want to continue purchasing things from that company does it?  Nothing in any advertisement, press release or even the Central Axis' web page notes that this feature is unsupported while the others listed are supported. Strange.

Couldn't someone post something here (yourself, tech support, etc.) that outlines the exact setup used when they got it to work?
What brand and model of router/switch/hub, what ports needed to be opened (or other settings) and any changes they made via the Central Axis software?

This sort of information would be invaluable to the numerous customers in this post and others who can't get this feature to work.
By going this route you aren't supporting or troubleshooting people's individual problems but merely showing an example of it working.
Those who choose, can either mimic or use bits and pieces of the information to attempt to get the same results.

...and the best part is Seagate could at least point people towards a single point with some possibly helpful information (and even stick to their "we don't support it" line).


Message Edited by scud924 on 09-04-2008 08:07 AM

[AlanM]

This article just came out.  I hope it is helpful.