How to connect MASV with a QNAP storage device

MASV makes it easy for you and your collaborators to ingest large files into your QNAP storage. You can also use MASV to send files from your QNAP storage.

This page includes the following topics:

• Overview
• Prepare file structure in File Station
• Create MASV Agent container in Container Station
• Create secure connection between MASV and QNAP NAS
• Save files to your QNAP NAS with MASV portals

Overview

When you connect MASV to your QNAP device, you use a container to install the MASV Agent. What's a container? Most QNAP users will be familiar with the QNAP Container Station. Containers are self-contained environments where you can run lightweight applications, such as MASV Agent. Docker is the platform used to package the applications and set up the environment within the container, providing a predictable and consistent way to install, run, update, and manage an application without affecting a device's main operating system. Containers have a similar function to virtual machines, but containers are lighter and more efficient.

The basic workflow for setting up MASV with your QNAP NAS include the following:

1. Preparing a file structure on your QNAP NAS by using File Station.
2. Install the Docker version of the MASV Agent with the QNAP Container Station app by pulling the MASV Agent image and creating a container. install the Docker version of the MASV Agent on your QNAP NAS via the .
3. Create a secure connection to a QNAP destination (directory you want to read or write to) in the MASV Web App.
4. Use MASV Portals to ingest files from contributors or send files to your QNAP storage.

MASV Agent installation: For full MASV Agent installation instructions, including information about specific user and group settings, please visit MASV Agent setup with Docker . For the default installation, visit the tutorial page listed below.

Prepare a file structure with File Station

To prepare a file structure in File Station

1. In the QNAP QTS software, select File Station.
2. In File Station, create the folder structure you want to use or verify that you have an existing folder structure that you can use.

Create MASV Agent container in Container Station

You can use Container Station to install the MASV Agent. If you don't have Container Station installed, you can install it from the App Center available on the QNAP QTS and QuTSCloud platforms.

To install QNAP Container Station

1. In QNAP QTS or QuTSCloud, open the App Center.

2. Search for Container Station, and select Install. The app installs in the background.

3. When the Welcome screen appears, accept the default image location or set a custom location and select Start. 

To create MASV Agent container with Container Station

1. In your QNAP QTS software, open Container Station.
2. In the Container Manager, select Container from the sidebar on the left, and select the Create button.

3. In the Create Container window, on the Select Image page, choose the following:

   • Mode: Select Basic mode.
   • Registry: Select Docker Hub.
   • Image: Copy and paste the following image reference: masvio/masv-agent:latest.
   • Select the Try pulling the image from the registry before creating the container checkbox.
4. Select Next.
5. On the Configure Container page, type a name for the container, and we recommend setting the Restart policy to Always. Review the Network Configuration settings and make changes to the default if you need to.
6. Select the Advanced Settings link, and in the Advanced Settings window, select Storage from the sidebar.
7. Start with a clean slate by selecting the Delete icon to the right of the Volume box.
8. From the Add Volume menu, select Bind Mount Host Path.
9. To set a Host folder, select the yellow Browse button and navigate to the folder where you want to store the MASV configuration files. We’ll choose masv/config, and select Apply.
10. In the Container box, type /config. You can leave the RW setting (for Read/Write) as it is if you want to save files to and send files from storage.
11. From the Add Volume menu, select Bind Mount Host Path again, and repeat the steps to map a folder where you files will be downloaded or uploaded from. For Host we suggest masv/data and for Container use /data.
12. Select Apply to close Advanced Settings, Next, and then Finish. In a few moments your new MASV Agent container displays in the Containers list.

Create a secure connection between your QNAP NAS and MASV

After you create and configure the MASV Agent container on your QNAP device, you can finish setting up the integration by creating a secure connection between MASV and the device.

To connect a QNAP NAS to MASV

1. In the MASV Web App, as Team Owner or Admin (role), select Integrations from the sidebar on the left.
2. From the Integrations page, select the Available Integrations tab, and select QNAP.
3. In the Add Integration window, type a name in the Connection Name box.
4. In the Transfer Direction area, choose a direction:
   

   1. Save to storage: For inbound files (Write)--MASV transfers files to the storage device.

   2. Send from storage: For outbound files (Read)--MASV transfers files out of the storage device.

5. Choose any of the following settings in Folder Options or Source Directories:

   1. Target Subdirectory (Save to storage direction only): To set an optional relative path, type a path in the Target Subdirectory box. You can edit this directory as needed. 
   2. Save directly in upload/target directory (Save to storage direction only): If you want to save the files in a directory that uses the package name, clear the checkbox. To deliver directly into the Target Subdirectory, select the checkbox.
   3. Source Directories (Send from storage direction only): To limit access to a specific folder/directory, in Source Directories, type a relative path. You can edit this directory as needed.
6. (Optional for Save to storage) In Sidecar Options, if you are passing metadata to Mimir, enter a Mimir Sidecar Form ID.

7. Select Next.

8. In the Register Integration window, skip step 1 (assuming you have installed the MASV Agent by following the instructions at the top of this page), and copy the block of code from step 2.

9. In QNAP Container Station, select Containers in the sidebar, select your MASV container, and then select the Execute button.
10. In the Execute Console, select the Execute button.
11. Paste the code block from MASV into the Execute Console Terminal panel.
    
    
12. In the Terminal panel, edit the placeholder text ('/path/to/dir/') for the root-path to point to a pre-existing directory that you want to access. For example, if using the default path for the MASV Agent, replace '/path/to/dir/' with '/data/'.
13. (Optional) User and Group: You can configure user and group settings for your container. To see an example configuration, see MASV Agent setup with Docker.
14. Press Enter, and when the Terminal window responds with “code”: 200, select the Done button in the MASV Web App.
15. In the MASV Web App, select Done to close the Register Integration window. Your new integration displays in the list on the My Integrations tab. Refresh the page to update the Status column. OK displays if the connection is successful and ready to use.

Save files to your QNAP NAS with MASV portals

MASV portals are web uploaders that make it easy to collect files from contributors and deliver them to your storage of choice. Lets take a look at how this process works with our new QNAP storage integration.

You’ll first need a MASV portal. If you don’t already have one set up, you can create one in the MASV Web App. For full instructions, see How to create, edit, or delete a portal. You can create an Instant Portal in a couple of clicks, or create a Custom Portal that is brandable, sets file requirements, and collects metadata.

To save files to your QNAP NAS by using MASV portals

1. In the MASV Web App, select Request Files with Portals from the sidebar on the left.

2. On the Request Files page, choose a portal, and in the Actions column, select the menu icon [three vertical dots], and select Edit.

3. On the Edit Portal page, select the Integrations tab, and in the Status column, enable the toggle for your QNAP integration.

4. Select the Save button in the lower right corner of the page to apply the changes.

5. Return to the Request Files page. Now you’re ready to send a file request. Select the Actions menu icon for your portal, and select Send Upload Request from the menu.

6. Fill in the Send Upload Request Via Email fields, adding the email recipients and the message that you want to send.

7. Select the Send Request button to close the window. Recipients receive an email with a link to the portal upload page.

After the recipient uploads files, you'll receive an email confirming that a package has been delivered to your integration.

On your QNAP device, open File Station, and navigate to your mapped folder. If you didn’t set an optional Target Directory in MASV, your files are saved to the following default location: Portal Downloads > [Portal name] > [Package name].