How to access exFAT storage devices on ASUSTOR NAS ?

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course you should be able to:

1. Accessing the exFAT storage devices from ASUSTOR NAS.
2. Formatting an exFAT Storage device on ASUSTOR NAS.

PREREQUISITES

Course Prerequisites:

None

Students are expected to have a working knowledge of:

N/A

OUTLINE

1. Introducing exFAT

2. Accessing and Formatting exFAT Storage Devices

2.1 Formatting an exFAT Storage device

3. Enabling the exFAT driver (ADM 3.5 and previous version)

3.1 Acquiring the exFAT Driver App

3.2 Buying an exFAT driver digital license key

3.3 Enabling the exFAT driver and binding the NAS

3.4 Unbinding and license transfer

1. Introducing exFAT

To save data to a hard drive or flash drive, you must first format the drive and choose which file system to use. Different file systems determine have different limitations and the maximum size of a single file that can be supported may vary between file systems, as well as which operating system the storage device can access. Common file systems include FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, EXT4, HFS+, Btrfs.

exFAT Is Microsoft's archive system for large-capacity external storage devices. FAT32, which has been common on flash drives for years cannot store files larger than 4GB. exFAT can exceed this single file size limitation, but also perfectly supports 64GB or larger external storage device such as flash drives, and memory cards. As a result, many commercially available high-capacity flash drives and memory cards are preformatted as exFAT.

The exFAT file system is proprietary and requires a software license by Microsoft for use in commercial products.

Note: AS-20, AS-30 and AS-60 series NAS do not support ADM 4.0 and thus continue to require an exFAT license.
Why does exFAT need a license on ADM 3.5 but not on ADM 4.0?

2. Accessing and Formatting exFAT Storage Devices

Note: The exFAT license is required if using AS-20, AS-30 and AS-60 series NAS. Please refer to here for installing the exFAT Driver.

You can access exFAT storage devices without any additional settings in ADM 4.0.

• External Devices:

• ADM File Explorer:

2.1 Formatting an exFAT Storage device

In addition to reading and writing external exFAT devices, you can also use a storage device or an external device and format them with exFAT. Windows, macOS and Linux have support for the exFAT file system, so drives formatted as exFAT are now more convenient to use cross-platform.

STEP 1

• Select [External Devices] [Hard Drives].
• Selecting a hard drive, click [Format].

STEP 2

• Select [exFAT], click [OK].

MyArchive hard drives also support exFAT. In addition to EXT4, Btrfs, NTFS, HFS+, ASUSTOR provides users with another convenient option. Please refer to NAS 255: Using MyArchive.

3. Enabling the exFAT driver (ADM 3.5 and previous version)

exFAT is now supported free of charge in ADM 4.0, exFAT Driver App and license is not required anymore.

3.1 Acquiring the exFAT Driver App

STEP 1

• Sign in to ADM. Afterwards, click [App Central], then click on [ASUSTOR Apps]. Select the exFAT driver to install.

STEP 2

• Once the exFAT driver is installed, return to the ADM front page. The exFAT driver icon shall appear. Click on the exFAT driver icon to open the app.
• The exFAT driver app requires a purchase to function properly, so installation alone does not enable the use exFAT storage devices.

3.2 Buying an exFAT driver digital license key

The exFAT license is required if using AS-20, AS-30 and AS-60 series NAS.

After you make a purchase, please get your exFAT license(s) on https://license.asustor.com/. Please keep your authorization code in a safe place. Afterwards, how to use the authorization code to unlock the exFAT driver and binding your key to your NAS will be demonstrated.

3.3 Enabling the exFAT driver and binding the NAS

• Please open the exFAT driver app, enter the authorization key and press the [Bind] button.
• ADM will then confirm if the authorization key is correct and bind the key with the NAS.
• After you have successfully bound your key to the NAS, you may immediately begin using, reading, writing and formatting exFAT devices without additional setup.

Note: When verifying the authorization key, please maintain a connection to the internet. Purchase of software license key, only the same time a ASUSTOR NAS use, but can be transferred to other unbind ASUSTOR NAS.

If enabling the exFAT driver was not successful, exFAT drives will show as unmounted in ADM File Explorer. You will be unable to see the contents of the drive and will be unable to read or write data.

3.4 Unbinding and license transfer

Purchased exFAT driver authorization keys can only be used on one NAS at a time, however, you may transfer your key to a new or different NAS if you desire. You must first unbind the key from the first NAS before transferring to a new NAS.

Unbinding is quite simple. Please input the original authorization key on your old NAS into the exFAT driver app and press [Unbind].

After being unbound, this NAS will no longer be able to access exFAT storage devices. If you need to have exFAT support on more than one device simultaneously, please purchase an exFAT license for each ASUSTOR NAS.

When the authorization key has been unbound from the first NAS, please enter the key into the second NAS and press [Bind].

If you lose your purchased authorization key or if the NAS is damaged and cannot boot, you will be unable to transfer your exFAT license. If this problem occurs, please contact ASUSTOR Support Center.