For Debian based Linux folks, the easiest fix is to install SMBFS for your Linux distribution! For RPM based distributions such as Fedora, look for the Samba Client package.
For Debian devottees the package is added via the shell prompt as easy as
sudo apt-get install smbfs
Then follow the example shown for the mount command like so
sudo mkdir /mnt/nas
sudo mount -t cifs //nas200ipaddress/PUBLIC\ DISK /mnt/nas -o user=you,uid=500,gid=500
*Ubuntu folks, uid=1000,gid=1000 may work better for you.
(Note: The old school smbmount smb mount file system type is buggy and was replaced by the cifs file system type in 2007.)
An alternative for Linux folks could also be curlftpfs for ftp mounts. Be cautioned though, the performance I experienced was buggy with large file transfers causing me to have to drop back to a standard ftp client for large files and bulk transfers. The cifs file system mount worked fine in all cases.
Of course, the same SMBFS package is just as easily added from the standard Add/Remove Programs menu selections standard in any Gnome, KDE or XFCE desktop.
Windows folks will find the NAS 200 really easy to use in the regular attach a drive letter to a share kind of way. For example, the following command works as advertised from the Start/Run input box as well as any Explorer or even Internet Explorer address input box.
\\nas200ipaddress\sharename
Even the FTP service or adding a Network Place (as either a windows share or FTP share) works great from Windows.
Configuration
The Linksys NAS 200 has a built in http service used for configuration of the device. Not documented well is that any web browser client may be used to also view the files stored on the device. For example, the http service worked great streaming video stored on the Linksys NAS 200 to VLC across our home's wifi network. No lost frames or other issues.
Just remember that any files you copy to the PUBLIC DISK share is read/write access for all defined users on the NAS 200. Your personal data should, of course, be saved in a share defined for your desired username. Configuration of these personal shares is accomplished via the web based interface. Just read the product manual for more info.
The Linksys NAS 200 requires SATA based disks utilized to store your data. Also on board are two USB ports for connecting USB Flash RAM drives. Since the Linksys NAS 200 supports configuring the two disks as a RAID 1 mirror, this configuration becomes the recommendation for folks needing fault tolerance at the disk level. Elsewhere on the Internet will say RAID is not a substitute for backups and in answer to this truth the two USB ports come into play. Depending on the quantity of data you need to backup, a Flash RAM drive or even external USB disk can be attached to one or both of the USB ports for easy duplication of your choice of data. Just be sure to store that backed up data somewhere safe that is not in the same building as your home network. This way (for example), should something bad happen at home, all your digital pictures will be safe somewhere else and one file restore away from being available again.
Summing It Up
Be sure to read through the documentation before blaming performance or compatibility issues on the Linksys NAS 200. The Linksys NAS 200 is not a hardware device designed for anything larger than the small office or home office environment but its features and configured reliability options allow it to shine while tucked away on my home's network, just like it should.
Review or Blog Post by Kam Salisbury is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at kamsalisbury.com.