Connect an external device (NAS)

• Connect an external device (NAS)
  • Installation and Configuration
    • 1- Hardware Installation
    • 2- Connecting the Network Drive and automatic mounting
      • MacOS
      • Windows
• Set folder location
  • 1- Create a folder in the destination drive
  • 2- Locate the original neoCatalog folder
    • MacOS
    • Windows
  • 3- Copy the files from the old folder to the new destination (Optional)
  • 4- Create the link
    • MacOS
    • Windows
  • 5- Symlink folders windows

Installation and Configuration

1- Hardware Installation

You may check the NAS manufacturer user guide to install the device. This process may include the following steps:

• Install the Hard Drives.
• Connecting to Network/Power.
• Operating System/Firmware Configuration.

2- Connecting the Network Drive and automatic mounting

MacOS

1. In OSX Finder/Navigator on the top Menu click on "Go" → "Connect to Server..." or use the key combination "⌘+K".
   
   
2. Connect to the server using the correct protocol (smb, afp...).
3. Choose Guest or for a specific user check the box next to “Remember this password in my keychain” – you must select to remember the password otherwise the automatic login event can not happen without logging into the network drive.
   
   
4. Go to System Preferences → Users & Groups.
   
   
5. Select your user name from the list and then click the “Login Items” tab.
   
   
6. Drag & drop a mounted network drive into the login items list.
   
   
7. Optional: check the “Hide” box to keep the drive window from opening on each login and boot.

Windows

We have used Windows 10 as an example.

1. Go to "Computer" –> "Map Network Drive".
2. Specify the drive letter and the network location of the Drive.
   
   
3. Select "Reconnect at sign-in" to connect the drive each time the system starts. Click Finish. 
4. Enter the credentials to connect to the drive. Check "Remember my credentials".
5. Once you have set that up, click “Finish” and the network drive will be mapped on your device.

   
   

6. In the Folder box, type the path of the folder or computer, or select Browse to find the folder or computer.

Set folder location

To change the folder location we need to create a link in the original folder pointing to the new destination:

1- Create a folder in the destination drive

This is the folder where neoCatalog files will be stored after the location change.

2- Locate the original neoCatalog folder

MacOS

The original folder in MacOS is located in /Users/<userName>/Documents/neoCatalogs/<neoCatalogName>

Windows

The original folder in Windows is located in C:\Users\<userName>\Documents\neoCatalogs\<neoCatalogName>

3- Copy the files from the old folder to the new destination (Optional)

If the neoCatalog folder that we are moving it's location is not new and it already contains files we could want to copy or move the original files to the new destination, to do so, just copy all directories from the original neoCatalog folder and place it inside the folder created on the first step.

4- Create the link

MacOS

Open the Terminal application and type the following:

sudo ln -s /Volumes/<networkDriveName>/<newCreatedFolder>  neoCatalog

sudo ln -s /Volumes/NAS/neoCatalog  neoCatalog

Windows

Open the Command Prompt as Administrator (right click → Run as Administrator) and type:

mklink /D <networkDriveName>/<newCreatedFolder>  <newCreatedFolder>

mklink /D neoCatalog  E:\neoCatalog

5- Symlink folders windows

neoCatalog folder to the network folder.

For example:

New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path “Link” -Target “Target”

Related articles:

Access neoCatalog from an external network (Internet Access)