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[winchesterstoke]

Hi, just got a DNS-320 - connected it up fine. Checked I could play videos on it from the media player - all fine.

I then connected my external USB HDD and started to copy across some videos (I've got ~2Tb to copy across). Anyway that took so long - even the ~30-G folder I was moving -  I thought of an alternative approach.
I shut down the DNS320 and  took the disk out - put into my desktop (I have a swappable HDD bay) with the intention of copying the files from the USB drive. I then found that I'd need to format the disk - so I popped it back into the NAS, and turned the NAS on. I realised at this point that I'd put it in the wrong side of the NAS - so s*** it down again, reseated it in the correct bay.

Now, when I go to the web management console, it sees the disk - everything is fine...but when I go into account management - the disk doesn't appear next to any users. If I create a new user - there is no disk listed to give access to it?

When I connect directly to the NAS, I can see the USB drive, but not the internal HDD?

Any help really appreciated.

[winchesterstoke]

Please - any help/advise would be much appreciated (and appologies for the thread title: posted the message too soon - have a head cold).

To summarise: I can connect to the NAS fine. See the flash drive in the USB - but can't connect to the HDD. The webclient can see the HDD fine - checks out OK, but the drive doesn't come up in the list (in step 3 network share settings) when trying to give an account access under account managament?

Thanks in advance.

[ivan]

Sounds as if you will have to start from the beginning again and format the disk, then set everything up as you had it before removing the drive.

[winchesterstoke]

Many thanks for the reply Ivan.

As  I mistakenly moved some of the files (rather than copy them) I guess I will lose them? I read elsewhere on the forum that I should be able to take the HDD out and then copy files from/to it using a PC - then reinsert into the NAS?

[ivan]

This shows the reason for a good backup of everything you want to keep even when you get it on the NAS.

You can try and see if you can recover what is on the disk at the moment but you will have to prepare for that. 

If you use windows on your PC then you need to get either an installable file system driver (IFS) that can read Ext2/3 file system or an Ext2/3 file system reader program.  You will also need a USB/SATA caddy or adapter.

To use your hot swap HDD tray you must have installed an IFS or an OS that can read the Linux file system.

Once you have a way of reading your Ext2/3 formatted NAS disk you can put it into your USB/SATA caddy or adapter ( or if you have installed an IFS, into your HDD bay and restart your computer) plug it in and see if you can recover anything.

Please note this is not guaranteed to work as I do not know what happened to your disk in the PC.  If anything was written to the disk it may have damaged the file system layout or MBR in which case if you absolutely must have that data back then it is going to be expensive.

[albert]

Even if the drive initially configured on slot-R and re-inserted to slot-L it still be able to detect by the NAS with whatever data previously copy into it. Do check from NAS webUI that it's indeed being detected, a lot of time it's because the drive was not connected properly to the SATA connector.

[ivan]

albert, that was my first reaction but you have to consider that the drive has been manipulated, at least looked at, by an incompatible OS.  Also if the drive is not seated properly the cover doesn't fit.

Maybe I look on the dark side but having seen what clients and walk in customers can do with computer equipment I think I am justified.   

[albert]

albert, that was my first reaction but you have to consider that the drive has been manipulated, at least looked at, by an incompatible OS.  Also if the drive is not seated properly the cover doesn't fit.

Maybe I look on the dark side but having seen what clients and walk in customers can do with computer equipment I think I am justified.   

Manipulated as in? Windows without 3rd party software will not recognize the filesystem in the first place. As for NAS cover, unless your come with a foam (most don't), there is fair bit of gap so there is a high possibility of drive not seated correctly.

[ivan]

To summarise: I can connect to the NAS fine. See the flash drive in the USB - but can't connect to the HDD. The webclient can see the HDD fine - checks out OK, but the drive doesn't come up in the list (in step 3 network share settings) when trying to give an account access under account managament?

Judging by this statement the drive is seen but nothing is accessible which leads me to think that the MBR may be messed up - not an unknown happening when foreign format drives are accessed by windows.

[winchesterstoke]

Thanks all. OK one step forwards, 2 steps back  .

I put two disks in the NAS and started again. Everything fine. Great I thought...tried copying files to the NAS but was so slow (20G took 3-4 hours). As I have about 3 Tb to copy over that would be the best part of 20 days copying files! Ouch.

So as suggested above I used Ext2FSD to mount the drives on my Windows desktop. Copied the files over (that was the weekend gone) and then put the disks into the NAS. Restarted the NAS and the same results as before - the Web interface sees the disks. But I can't connect to the disks. Same problem as before where the users accounts are fine but there's neither disk is listed to select?

If it this MBR that's been damaged - is there anyway to repair it? Did I corrupt the MBR by assigning a drive letter in Windows before using Ext2FSD?

Again, appreciate any help.

[ivan]

Windows and Linux file systems don't like each other, writing to an Ext2/3 formatted disk without first having an IFS up and running is always dangerous so, unfortunately, it looks like you start again, sorry.

The initial transfer of any large amount of data to the NAS is always time consuming even if you are doing it over a wired gigabit lan - trying to use wireless is generally a no no.

The speed of transfer depends on several factors but is largely dependant on how the network is set up, the speed of network cards and switch throughput.  The slowest item in the link between NAS and PC determines the speed - a gigablt lan card and a gigabit NAS will not run at high speed if there is a 100BaseT switch or router in the link.

The best way to transfer your data would be by enabling the FTP server on the NAS and using an FTP client on your PC.  That way you just give the client the root directory containing your data you want transferred and let it send it to the NAS FTP server.  Once it has started you can just leave it running until it has finished. 

That is the way we transfer large amounts of data between our HP storage system and different NAS units.

[winchesterstoke]

Thanks Ivan. I'll try that.

[winchesterstoke]

Ok - getting better. Did what you suggested Ivan - to a point!

Restarted the drive in the NAS and reformatted it. I then carelfully loaded the drive in my desktop and using Ext2 Volume Manager mounted it as Ext3 - without letting Windows do it's stuff to the MBR. Copied over 1.3TB of data (3.5 hours  ) and then loaded it into the NAS. Restarted the NAS and brilliant - I can access all the data fine. Really pleased.....but (you knew it was coming).

I then went to shut the NAS down using the Web Gui (so I can put in the second HDD). I've never had a problem with the Web interface. It's always been fine (even when I couldn't access the disks).

Now I get the webpage can't be accessed. Have tried two windows 7 machines (that could both access the Web gui this morning fine) and tried ie9 and Chrome.

Any ideas please?

[winchesterstoke]

Sorted! Seems when our network printer was switched on it took the IP address of the NAS. The NAS then moved to the next IP address.

thanks for the help and advise above -   

[ivan]

Well done!

Now a thought you might like to consider, give the NAS a fixed IP outside the range of your DHCP server - that way it will always be where you expect it to be on the network.

All our servers, NAS and storage system have fixed IPs which means they are always where we expect them.  If, for example, I want something from our FTP server I just go to its IP no matter where I am, inside or outside the network (outside is handled through the firewalled switch).