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[LeeC2202]

1) Yes, five in total
2) No, the two I have tested, are PCs that are in use every day. I have just tried one of the other PCs, and that won't connect either.
3) No
4) Yes, when daylight saving kicked in, I had the initial problem with the NAS shutting down an hour early

That's the first part... onto part 2

1) No. One is Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, one is Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, one is XP Professional 32-bit, and the others are XP Home 32-bit
2) As now verified... both Windows 7 and XP machines have the problem
3) Both had been running with no problems, until I did the firmware upgrade on the NAS. They have had normal windows updates.
4) No, I never use DHCP. I keep my network fully managed, with specific devices in specific static IP ranges. I have done it this way for many years.
5) There is no cable problem. The NAS is visible on the network, but nothing will connect to it. I can connect to the NAS via the web interface with no problems... even through my Xperia Z tablet, and that is via a wireless connection.
6) Three of my PCs are wired, the other two are wireless. Up to now, the wired ones are the ones that are confirmed to have the problem.

The NAS is getting the time from the NTP server at ntp2d.mcc.ac.uk The time is being correctly set from that NTP server. When I initially had the time problem, I had no problems connecting to the NAS, that problem has only appeared since the firmware upgrade.

[FurryNutz]

One thing that sticks out:
"4) No, I never use DHCP. I keep my network fully managed, with specific devices in specific static IP ranges. I have done it this way for many years."

I recommend that you go back to basics and give DHCP a try and set up some "Reserved" IP addresses set up on the main host router and see if this might help clear up this issue. Yes Static can be used, however in basic home environments, having DHCP Reserved IP addresses on the main host router can help resolve most issues. It also helps to troubleshoot network issues, eliminates conflicts and any mis-configurations when using Static IP address. Also helps to have a more central location for managing IP addresses rather then having to go to each device and manage there.

I'd at least give this a try and see if this helps any.

Yes at some point you could use static on the DNS as I and others have static set up, however, for me, most of my higher priority devices are set for Reserved IPs on the main host router and those that don't need much internet access or low priority devices that don't need much management, I set for static, the DNS being one of them.

Give this a try and see if it helps.

My 2 cents.

[LeeC2202]

The IP address clearly isn't causing the issue, because access to the web interface is unaffected. I do have a section of reserved DHCP addresses in my router, but I also have another device, that is a complete pain, if other devices are using DHCP. That is why I allocate devices to fixed regions of addresses, so I know things have no conflicts.

This isn't a router issue, so I don't want to change how my network is handled, because of another device that doesn't work properly. I need to resolve the issue at the source, which is the NAS. Call me stubborn, but 30 years of writing software teaches you to fix the bug where it exists, not to fix everything else to work round it. Just a philosophy I stick to I'm afraid.

Edit: Just to show I am not being totally obstructive... I did change it to DHCP, and it connected via windows explorer... I then changed it back to static, and it connected again. So it looks like something in the upgrade, caused a network glitch, that switching modes has fixed. Sadly, this isn't the first device I have seen with this kind of problem...  It's almost like some kind of network profile gets created, and doesn't get flushed after an upgrade... then again, had I been able to save the config settings, I could have done a reset to factory default.

I won't know if the scheduling has been fixed until tonight, as this will be the first day that it has turned on and off by the schedule. I will update later/tomorrow with the results of that.

[ivan]

Sorry I didn't get back to this earlier but I took the weekend off away from computers.

Anyway, thinking about it I was going to ask if you did a reset to factory defaults after the firmware update.  For us this is standard procedure.  Doing that flushes all buffers and settings and clears the network tables.  Your changing the network settings accomplished the job of clearing the network tables so you should be back in business.
 

[LeeC2202]

Not a problem, being away from computers is the best place to be.

As I mentioned in my last post, I would have done a factory reset, but I can't save the config settings... which is the problem that started this thread.

Yes, I can now connect through explorer. Yes, it now seems to be following the power scheduling properly. However, adding a torrent through Internet Explorer, now results in a new tab being opened, and an "Assertion Failed" error, resulting in nothing being displayed in the new tab. The torrents do get added, but it's just one more error that I shouldn't be seeing.

I have absolutely no idea what settings I will lose by doing a factory reset, so I don't know how much of the configuration I need to try and preserve.

[JavaLawyer]

I have absolutely no idea what settings I will lose by doing a factory reset, so I don't know how much of the configuration I need to try and preserve.

Unfortunately, as the name implies, the factory reset deletes everything that you manually configured back to the default values established when you purchased the DNS-345, including the removal of all network shares, user accounts, permissions/groups, network settings, etc.

The only change that will remain is the current firmware that's installed. The DNS-345 does not contain a default FW in ROM, so whatever firmware you currently have installed will remain.

[JavaLawyer]

This may not be an ideal, but one quick and dirty solution that I've used in the past is to take screenshots of all relevant web UI pages so you can perform a side-by-side copy of all settings afterwards. As a best practice going forward, you should consider saving a Configuration Settings file each time you make a substantial change to the web UI so you have a recovery path. I have four ShareCenters and maintain historical Configuration Settings files for each. After creating the Configuration Settings file, I append the following information to the file name:

• ShareCenter Name (since I have multiple units and model numbers)
• Firmware Version (so I know what firmware version the Configuration Settings file is compatible with, although these files are typically backwards compatible unless there's a major change to FW)
• Creation Date

Similar to my OS images, I maintain a history of files so I can roll back if necessary.

Example:

• Config_DNS-345_Name_v1.03b02_03302014
• Config_DNS-345_Name_v1.02b01_02302013
• Config_DNS-343_Name_v1.05b02_05142013
• Config_DNS-343_Name_v1.04b01_07222012

You should also test the integrity of the Configuration Settings file by trying to apply it to the ShareCenter before archiving so you know it's valid.

Another thing I learned early on, make sure to save your Configuration Settings file(s) in a separate storage device. If you keep your only copies in the DNS-345 itself and something goes wrong with the DNS-345, you may not be able to easily get to the files you need.

[LeeC2202]

This may not be an ideal, but one quick and dirty solution that I've used in the past is to take screenshots of all relevant web UI pages so you can perform a side-by-side copy of all settings afterwards.

  Modern technology at work.

As a best practice going forward, you should consider saving a Configuration Settings file each time you make a substantial change to the web UI so you have a recovery path.

Do you realise how that sounds, to someone that has posted a thread about being unable to save the configuration file on their device?!? Had I been able to save the configuration file, this thread would never have existed. As a best practice, you save settings before any changes are made, not after... which is why Windows creates a system restore point *before* applying any updates. But anyway, I think it's best to leave the topic of "best practices" alone...

The thing is, once set up, I never make any changes. I haven't touched the configuration since almost the day I bought it... I haven't needed to. The only thing I have done in the last 6 months, is tweak the torrent schedule setting, and that was because of another bug in the device, that wouldn't let you manage torrents outside the schedule times. Which incidentally, is still not fixed!

I don't know, maybe my profession as a software developer just makes me more sensitive to software that is clearly buggy, and that has had what appears to be very little testing. I just find myself getting really annoyed that companies sell devices that suffer from such basic and fundamental flaws. But that's probably another topic best left alone...

I guess I'll just prepare myself for an afternoon of grabbing screenshots, and manually re-entering settings. No doubt it's going to spend another huge amount of time rebuilding the media library too.  

[JavaLawyer]

Modern technology at work.

Do you realise how that sounds, to someone that has posted a thread about being unable to save the configuration file on their device?!? Had I been able to save the configuration file, this thread would never have existed. As a best practice, you save settings before any changes are made, not after... which is why Windows creates a system restore point *before* applying any updates. But anyway, I think it's best to leave the topic of "best practices" alone...

. . .

I don't know, maybe my profession as a software developer just makes me more sensitive to software that is clearly buggy, and that has had what appears to be very little testing. I just find myself getting really annoyed that companies sell devices that suffer from such basic and fundamental flaws. But that's probably another topic best left alone...

I raised the best practices card because you already indicated that you were going to bite-the-bullet and perform a factory reset, and more importantly however, since many novice members also read these threads I always make a concerted effort to reenforce best practices so other product owners can benefit and learn. For example, I'm constantly surprised how many ShareCenter owners store their data on a RAID-1 array insisting that the RAID-1 array is both their primary and backup. . . so I'm constantly standing up on my virtual soapbox (regardless of the expertise of the OP) and reiterating best practices whenever an opening presents itself (see I just did it here!).  There was no intent to kick someone who was already down.  

I agree that the firmware is challenged in some areas (that's as far as I'll go), but I'm doing my best to offer solutions within the confines of what we have to work with.

I guess I'll just prepare myself for an afternoon of grabbing screenshots, and manually re-entering settings. No doubt it's going to spend another huge amount of time rebuilding the media library too.  

I've been through the whole screenshot exercise several years ago with my DNS-343 and fully empathize with you.

[JavaLawyer]

I'm not sure if this has been suggested yet, but do you have a spare switch? You can easily connect the DNS-345 and another PC to a switch to rule out other network-related factors. I've successfully used this approach to troubleshoot networking issues with my ShareCenters.

[LeeC2202]

I appreciate the help, I really do.. I just get annoyed very quickly these days (long story).

So, after having done the factory reset, I have good and bad results.

Good: I can save the config files.
Good: I can still connect to the shared folders through explorer.

Bad: I still get an error when I upload a torrent (although the torrent is actually uploaded).

The new tab shows the following:-
<?xml version=!1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
- <config>
<res>0</res>
</config>

The error box just says "Upload Torrent Error(Error Code:)"

The uploaded torrent is only shown after refreshing the page.

Bad: I can now add a torrent outside the scheduled time, which then continues to download... outside the scheduled time. Amazingly, yet unsurprisingly, I still can't delete the completed torrent outside the scheduled times. *sigh*

I guess I should be thankful for small mercies, but I think I have been shown that maybe I should be looking for a more reliable replacement for this unit.

Edit: To answer your other point, which appeared while I was typing this... no, I sold the only spare switch I had a while back.

[JavaLawyer]

I'm glad that the factory reset correct many of your key issues. It sounds like there was some corruption in your original settings.

I'm not sure what to say about the P2P scheduling. I personally use the Transmission add-on app rather than the integrated P2P. The integrated P2P app has a lot of hidden files, and I prefer full transparency. Transmission has it's own set of issues, but you may want to give the add-on a try nonetheless.

[LeeC2202]

Sounds worth looking at anyway. Is it something you can add through the application installer in the DNS, or does it require adding manually? I don't use P2P that much, but I do like to control when it operates.

[JavaLawyer]

Yes. Navigate to Application Management > Add Ons > Choose File and upload from there. Then you'll need to Enable the add on after installing.

DNS-345 - Add-Ons Comments & Observations (Updated 09/2013)

I'm not sure if this bug was addressed:

• App - Transmission - [Bug] Frequent "Too many files opened" errors, causing downloads to freeze (Transmission app must be disabled/re-enabled via the Application Manager to temporarily fix the issue) [Reported by multiple users]

[daveb21]

Unfortunately I'm now getting the same 500 - Internal Server Error

I'm not going to go into why I don't want to firmware upgrade or reset in this post as I've got another thread going about a RAID config going screwy.

Chrome does a 500 error while IE just freezes completely after I click on System Management - before I even get to clicking System Settings...

Having said that 500 is a server side error so unlikely a browser or PC change would have any affect.

Tried rebooting with no luck.

Anyone ever figure out a fix for this outside of full reset / firmware upgrade?