Solved Is it possible for Microsoft access to work on an Asustor AS3202T NAS?

[Mylton]

Good morning

After a long search I found an ASUSTOR NAS that, in addition to its usefulness, allows all these Apps
asustor.com/service/downloads?product_id=72#app_download
I thought…
Which back end would you recommend? So that it can run front of access?
And what is the necessary learning curve?
Thank you for the guidance.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

The question I have is not about all the other apps. It is whether the NAS drive supports SMB protocol for direct file storage - as in, using it as an "ordinary" mapped external drive. The link talks a LOT about it being "local cloud" which actually isn't so good. Cloud storage usually employs FTP or analogous protocols, which do not support Access operations. The link didn't contain anything but discussions of using the NAS as a backup device, which - if that is all it does - will not support Access.

I have used NAS devices before and actually don't have an issue with them, so there is still hope. But you might wish to call their tech service to ask them whether the drive will support SMB (or Server Message Block) protocols like an ordinary networked mapped drive. By the way, SMB is nothing more than standard Windows "File and Printer Sharing" protocol. Basically, it is going to depend on the device's on-board controller. Some that have a less robust controller will not support the protocol. Others will do just fine. But you have to ask the right question and that link didn't offer a clear answer.

 

[Mylton]

what did I think
it would be leaving access as the front end and a back end that could integrate with the front end.
Something in SQL, Maria or something else.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

An NAS will not run any database at all. It doesn't have a CPU. It has a dedicated-purpose controller. Access WILL operate correctly with a native Access back-end on an NAS drive IF AND ONLY IF the NAS drive supports Windows File and Printer Sharing protocols.

The device isn't at all useless - but it might not be right for ALL possible uses.

 

[Mylton]

I understood
so you can ask for a suitable formula for support...
What exactly should I ask?

how and if it is possible to implement Windows File and Printer Sharing protocols.

 

[Mylton]

A pergunta que tenho não é sobre todos os outros aplicativos. É se a unidade NAS suporta o protocolo SMB para armazenamento direto de arquivos - como usá-lo como uma unidade externa mapeada "comum". O link fala MUITO sobre ser "nuvem local", o que na verdade não é tão bom. O armazenamento em nuvem geralmente emprega protocolos FTP ou análogos, que não suportam operações de acesso. O link não continha nada além de discussões sobre o uso do NAS como dispositivo de backup, que - se isso é tudo - não suportará o Access.

Já usei dispositivos NAS antes e na verdade não tenho problemas com eles, então ainda há esperança. Mas você pode querer ligar para o serviço técnico para perguntar se a unidade suportará protocolos SMB (ou Server Message Block), como uma unidade mapeada em rede comum. A propósito, SMB nada mais é do que o protocolo padrão de "Compartilhamento de arquivos e impressoras" do Windows. Basicamente, vai depender do controlador integrado do dispositivo. Alguns que possuem um controlador menos robusto não suportarão o protocolo. Outros ficarão bem. Mas você tem que fazer a pergunta certa e esse link não oferece uma resposta clara.

Encontrei uma página sobre o suporte deles. Está na minha língua. seria isso?

SMB

www.asustor.com

 

[The_Doc_Man]

The link you found answers the question by saying you can configure the drive to support SMBn (n=blank, 2, or 3). It clearly states that you CAN make the drive act like a mapped but otherwise standard drive for a Windows File Sharing environment.

Therefore, if you really wanted to do so, you could have multiple front-ends of Access connecting/linking to a shared back-end of native Access format, such as an .MDB or .ACCDB file. You don't need a Maria DB or other active SQL app. It is still just a controller, so the NAS cannot actually host much of anything that is active, like SQL Server. Just set up the drive per their instructions for making it a file-sharing device under Active Directory.

As I said earlier, the advanced controllers can do that. The less advanced controllers cannot. And the link reveals that this must be an advanced controller because of its ability to integrate with Windows AD.

Note that just because the device will work as a networked attached storage device doesn't mean it will work well in a wide-area network. NAS drives typically only work well in a local-area network, so if distant connections are an issue you have a separate problem. If all is local, it should be fine.

 

[Mylton]

I understood.
But one question..
. if I put a front end on a laptop, when I get home and integrate it with my home network, would it give a positive result? or conflict?

because it says it supports website....web mail maybe something like that.
but before anyone criticizes.... it will be used for its NAS purpose. just maybe you found something extra that helps.

 

[Gasman]

My Dlink 323 NAS supports SMB, but only SMB1.

 

[Mylton]

My Dlink 323 NAS supports SMB, but only SMB1.

Could you explain the differences in SMB? Please

 

[Gasman]

No, as I do not know them, but I know I had to switch on SMB1 to be able to access my NAS from windows 10.
Later models (mine is quite old now), will likely support SMB2 and SMB3.

Google Search

 

[The_Doc_Man]

SMBn (Server Message Block versions 1, 2, and 3) represent stepwise expansion of protocol options. The biggest change I can recall was that the SMB specification was expanded slightly for v2 to allow what is called a "reservation" as a way to optimize performance when you are repeatedly making changes to the same part of a file. Turns out that SMB2 introduced a bug in Access having to do with two users taking out reservations at the same time on two different machines. A system patch eventually fixed that, but it was perplexing while it lasted.

if I put a front end on a laptop, when I get home and integrate it with my home network, would it give a positive result? or conflict?

There, you might not get a positive result if the NAS is NOT on your home network but is instead on your work network. That would put SMB in a wide-area network situation, which it really REALLY doesn't like. If the NAS and your laptop are both on the home network then you should be able to use it easily... but if you are moving things around on the network, the drive letters might change and that would mess up linked tables, which rely on the fully qualified Drive-letter\path\name or URS format (\\server\device\path\name) to link tables at app startup.

 

[Pat Hartman]

@Mylton as Doc pointed out, if you install the NAS to function as a cloud drive, then it CANNOT be used to hold the shared BE for an Access application.

I purchased a small (2 T, $130, 1 drive in the case) NAS drive for a charity I am helping. They are using a peer-to-peer network and do not have a server. I did not want to have the Access BE installed on someone's workstation. That adds too much risk for shared data. So, the NAS drive plugs into their Router and shows up on the network as a drive that all can use. HOWEVER, you cannot access the drive from the internet because it is not working as a "cloud" and so is not visible outside of the LAN.

 

[Mylton]

Gasman, Pat and Doc
thank you for the explanation.

I managed to learn a little more.
I wish you a great week.
hugs