NASLite Network Attached Storage

Hello all. Newest member - first post (please be gentle)

I took my older DELL Dimension 4300 desktop that had been running Windows XP for over a decade, and turned it into a NAS via NASlite.

I have a network card that was working fine with XP prior to this change. The chip has Davicom DM9102AF, which according to the hardware compatibility chart should work OK. Once the NAS server is up, I can gain direct access to the box via the console, but can't see where to access the SYSLOG data. (May not be available via console. As there is no network access, I can't generate an UNLOCK code. I can ping my own IP address (192.168.1.2), but not the default gateway (192.168.1.1). My home network is 192.168.1.0/24...

Is there anything that I can do at this point (I purchased this product already) to correct the Network access problem? During boot-up, the Network section shows good (Passed).

dfwskymaster

Hello dfwskymaster:

Welcome !

When you talk about pinging your own IP, is it correct to assume that 192.168.1.2 is your DELL NASLite server ? If so, you must already have discovered the "Tools and Utilities" section on the console. It's still worth it to try some of the other options in that section, and check in particular "9 - Show Network Configuration".

I am typing on a Win7 system that uses the NL regularly, but it won't respond to a "7 - Ping Remote Computer" either due to firewall settings. But I don't have issues using the NL otherwise. Try a different system on the network and/or check your firewall rules.

In the "Main Options Menu" check that "1 - Network Configuration" has the proper parameters, including a 255.255.255.0 Netmask. Also try toggling "8 - Select Interface" between "FIRST" and "LAST".

Note: you need to save configuration and reboot after some of the changes you make before they will work.

Thanks, Georg

Yes, it is correct to assume that 192.168.1.2 is my DELL NASLite server. I was able to ping my own IP address successfully, and then I was able to successfully ping my default gateway (192.168.1.1) JUST ONCE.

I have tried toggling "8 - Select Interface" between "FIRST" and "LAST", but no change in status. (saving and rebooting each time)..

No firewalls in my local network to hinder this operation.

I just witnessed something unique. I had a continuous ping going from another workstation to the NASlite server. I had rebooted it, and was waiting for it to come up. Once it was up, the pings started coming back correctly to the other workstation, but only for about 60-90 seconds. Then they stopped.

I did this a few times, and realized that the NIC card was actually working for about 30-45 seconds right after reboot. After one particular reboot I was able to HTTP into the NASlite server, and download an UNLOCK code.

Any ideas? Is it an interrupt that is causing this problem? I removed a modem card and an audio card. Not much left in at all.

Regards,

Jack

usual advice is to turn everything off in bios - sound, usb [if you are not using it], mouse - all that you do not need - you can even turn all the hard drive detection off apart from the boot device

try that, if that does not solve it then try moving the network card to another pci slot

Well, I tried the CMOS modifications, turning off everything that I could. Tried again and...
Same Results.
I removed one last card (USB hub) and tried again.
Same results.

I monitored through three separate reboots, and it looks like about 63 seconds I have network access - and then - nothing.

The only daughter card remaining is the video card.

I then removed the video card. Rebooted until pings were good. I accessed the NAS via HTTP for exactly 63 seconds, then nothing..

Any more ideas?

Jack

Also try re-seating the RAM. And completely re-setting the BIOS via removal of the CMOS battery or a jumper.

Not clear from your posts, but is the NIC on-board or a separate card ? If a separate card (?PCI), move it to a different slot. Are there any options in BIOS Setup (Wake-On-LAN, etc) you can play with ?

Different ethernet cable, try different port on your router/switch. (What make is it by-the-way ? There are (very) isolated reports of some incompatibilities.)

If all else fails get a cheap NIC PCI card (3COM, intel, etc) to solve the problem. This will also allow you to use gigabit speeds ( I assume the older DELL is regular ethernet at 100mb/s).

Laundry list here.

1. Reseated the RAM (1GB total)
a. no change
2. Swapped out the Ethernet cable
a. no change
3. Moved LAN card (daughter card) to new slot
a. no change
4. Relocated to a different port on my Linksys 10/100 8-Port Workgroup Switch
a. no change
5. Took a break - got something to eat and an ice-cold Pepsi
a. no change

Is there a way to reach the "console connection" via the direct connection? I see no access to the console from the menu system, and I would like to have that access for some testing..

not sure what you mean - do you mean can you look at the config settings on the naslite box from a windows pc - if so

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=3421

if not expain again what you want to do

If you mean can you log in to a shell ... no. There's no standard shell access equivalent in NASLite. By "console" we mean the "admin" login from a directly connected CRT/LCD on the VGA port.

But you could boot a LiveCD Linux distro (e.g. Ubuntu) and do some testing that way. Not a bad idea actually. Especially since the ice-cold Pepsi didn't help

Or ... next: a different NIC.

Get a proper NIC from the likes of 3Com or Intel and be done with your trouble.

Mike