ASUSTOR is starting the new year with a new beta version of their upcoming ADM 2.5.2 firmware and it comes with new features as well as some bug and security fixes. There are three new main features in ADM 2.5.2 beta that could make your network life a little easier. There is a new DHCP server feature, an improved print server feature that now supports USB IP printing, and the Share link explorer that helps to make sharing more intuitive and flexible.
The first new addition is the DHCP server that can take over the job normally performed by your router. It might be convenient for a lot of people that they only have to use one control panel and user interface to configure their network rather than two. Let the router handle the basic connection while your NAS, that is running anyway, is doing the rest. ASUSTOR’s DHCP server can assign multiple IP subnets from one LAN interface, and also supports DHCP reservations for specified network devices
The Print server function got an upgrade and now also supports USB IP Printer mode to virtually connect the printer with your PC and generally increase the range of printers that the NAS is compatible too without worries. USB IP printer mode is used together with Windows ASUSTOR Control Center, which again limits it to the Windows ecosystem. Then again, most consumer use Windows.
The new Share link explorer makes it easier for the people you share files with. When your friend or colleague receives a share link, he or she can see the shared files and folders in a list and with just one click they can select only the needed files to download. This makes file sharing more intuitive and flexible.
There are also some additional upgrades behind the lines such as the PHP backend being updated from version 5.3 to 5.6 and Apache2’s HTTPd got upgraded from 2.2.29 to 2.2.31 to address the CVVE-2015-3183 security vulnerability. The App Central got a new installation wizard. The built-in database switched from MySQL to MariaDB 10 which should free up some general resources.
You can download the new beta firmware directly on ASUSTOR’s beta program website.
