System and method to control access to data stored in a data storage device

A method for a network attached storage device, the method comprising:

• at the network attached storage device,
• receiving from an administrative user information defining a plurality of data pools;
• receiving from the administrative user information defining access to respective data pools of the plurality of data pools, the information associating a respective file type of one or more file types with the respective data pools of the plurality of data pools so that only data files having the associated respective file type can be read from or written to the respective data pool;
• subsequently, receiving from a user a request for access to a data pool, the user request specifying a data file and a file type for the data file;
• categorizing the user request using the file type;
• comparing the file type of the categorized user request with the information defining access to the respective data pools;
• and
• permitting access for the user and the data file to a respective data pool only if the file type of the categorized user request matches the information defining access to the respective data pool.

A network attached storage device comprising:

• a wireline interface circuit operable for data communication over one or more wireline networks with remote data devices;
• a wireless interface operable for wireless data communication with remote wireless sources;
• disk storage segmented into a plurality of data pools, the data pools formed by selectively concatenating one or more portions of one or more hard disk drives of the disk storage;
• memory to store data;
• and
• a controller in data communication with the wireline interface circuit, the wireless interface circuit, the memory and the disk storage and operable to
• provide user interface data over either a wireline network or to a remote wireless source to form a user interface at a remote data processing device, the user interface adapted to receive access configuration data from an administrative user at the remote data processing device, and
• control access to respective data pools of the plurality of data pools based on the access configuration data.

A method for a network attached storage device, the method comprising:

• at the network attached storage device,
• communicating data to a remote data processing device to establish a user interface at the remote data processing device, the user interface accessible by an administrative user to provide access control data to the network attached storage device;
• receiving from the remote data processing device data pool data defining one or more data pools for storage of user data;
• in response to the data pool data, concatenating one or more portions of disk storage of the network attached storage device to define one or more data pools;
• receiving from the remote data processing device data pool access data;
• subsequently using the received data pool access data to limit access to the one or more data pools.