NASLite Network Attached Storage

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:12 pm 
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Posts: 31
Long story short, still not working. I've given up because I think the problem lies in my BIOS.

I set the SCSI ID to 0 on the zip drive. The option is not shown on the label, which only shows how to configure the jumpers for SCSI ID 1 and up. You have to remove all jumpers (except for the jumper for enable termination), to set the SCSI ID to 0, FWIW.

The SCSI adapter was also set to boot to SCSI ID 0. This option was not present in the BIOS. My BIOS only let me choose "SCSI card" (or whatever I said earlier).

I tried both methods, the first where you make an autoexec.bat with "guest.exe" and put those other files on it. The second, where I copied all the files for the boot floppy, and then change references from X to C. Same problem, I get a ";".

Typing numbers at the prompt does good. As previously mentioned, every key I type, I get another semicolon, and the floppy and zip drives both "click" along with the LED turning on for a split second.

Thanks again for all your help, smeyer! At least I learned a few things along the way.

I will probably try your method now. Here are a few things that initially concern me:

1. What Tony mentioned about accidentally formatting the OS. Do I simply need to make sure to not have NASLite "initialize" the disk, since it will already have a Linux partition? Will I still be able to monitor logs and information about the drive even though it's not "initialized" (formatted, partitioned, etc.) by NASLite+?

2. What about upgrading NASLite+ in the future? Simply extract the new files from boot.img, boot from the DOS 6.22 floppy again, then copy the files over from a CD? That doesn't sound so bad. I just don't want to have to remove the hard drive from the server and put it in a Windows machine. I guess that's a one-time deal, for initially creating the two partitions. Right?

Also, what does Tony mean about "using the USB version via the supplied kicker floppy"? Is he saying to simply use NASLiteUSB instead? I definitely don't want to spend more money.


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 8:54 pm 
Good effort by smeyer and modul8r,

Shame you didnt pull it off! a lot of hard work involved.
if your MB has usb then you can use a kicker disk to boot up the usb this will then load the OS.

you could try copying the naslite+ files to a usb device then use a kicker disk and see how you get on, you would have to use syslinux etc. but you will still need a floppy in the drive to save the config.

Eden


Last edited by Admin on Thu Jan 26, 2006 9:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 9:29 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 2:18 pm
Posts: 172
Location: North Carolina, USA
To answer your questions:

1. NASLite won't format it again if it already has a valid partition. (unless you tell it to!) It should just say DISK-1 mounted successfully. You still get all the logs (at least I do) NASLite only seems to care if it's already formatted or not. If you use a partition manager and format it as a linux partition it should be recognized by NASLite+. If you accidentally tell NASLite to initialize that disk, it will probably wipe out the little DOS partition and use the whole disk. This is what Tony was warning about. If this happens you will have to go back and remake the DOS partition and reinstall the system, syslinux, and the NASLite+ files. I haven't tried to configure an already configured disk, but I assume Tony gives you a warning message about loosing all the data on that drive if you continue.

2. Upgrading should be as you described. Just copy the new files. You will probably only need to copy the NASLite.01 and .02 files. This is for version 1.x of NASLite. Version 2.x may be different and handle partitions differently. We'll have to see.

Tony's comments about using USB were just an additional (supported :wink: ) way to boot without using a CD drive and allowing you to use all 4 ide channels. It's your choice if you want to go that way or not. My motherboard doesn't have usb and I was to cheap to spend money for a usb card and usb memory :lol: so that's why I spend time figuring out how syslinux works.

One final note, your bios will have to see the drive you plan to boot from, and report it's size correctly. My NASLite+ box had an old 2.5GB drive, so it wasn't an issue. If you plan on using all 500GB drives it may be a problem with the bios.


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PostPosted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 10:33 pm 
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Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 12:34 am
Posts: 31
This motherboard (Asus K7V) does have onboard USB 1.1 ports. I have a PCI USB 2.0 card as well laying around somewhere. The thing is the motherboard does not have the option to boot to USB.

Well, darn, looks like the hard drive option won't work either because the 4th drive I want to add is 160 GB and I'm doubtful this mobo supports 48-bit LBA.

I guess this is where I make a request (like others have) for support for PCI IDE controllers, because I have an adaptec card ready to be put to use.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:39 am 
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Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 12:34 am
Posts: 31
I think I misunderstood the kicker floppy for NASLite+ USB. Am I correct that, in my situation where my BIOS does not support boot to USB device, I can instead boot to a kicker floppy, which will then boot to a USB flash drive? If so, is there a way I can test the kicker floppy before buying NASLite+ USB? Also, where is the configuration stored? Do I need to swap floppies, or is it stored on the flash drive along with (essentially) the files from boot.img? Sorry to get so far off-topic here, I know this belongs in the USB forums. This ends my contribution to this post.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 2:34 am 
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Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 2:18 pm
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Location: North Carolina, USA
The bios only has to see the one drive you want to boot from. The other drives you can put to none in the bios. On mine I have the 2.5GB which I boot from, and a 250GB which the bios knows nothing about, but which NASLite+ sees just fine. I set the bios to see the 2.5GB drive and put none for all the other drives.

With a partition manager you should be able to partition one of your already installed drives that the motherboard does see in bios. Then you could boot off that partition. What size drives do you already have installed? I assume you used one of them to boot some version of windows. If so, you should be able to get it to boot from hard drive.

In the USB forum there was a topic where a link to a kicker disk was posted. I believe the config is also stored on the usb memory, so you can leave the kicker disk in all the time.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 9:54 am 
modul8r,

Another member called lusid made a prototype kicker disk that allowed a motherboard that does not support usb to boot from usb. You can follow his instructions they are on this forum, if you want to see how it works. the version with Naslite+ usb is much the same only a few small changes.

Some times though it does not work for some configs of MB/USB so might require a bit of messing with ie changing flash device or installing a ide usb card. The kicker does work on usb 1.1 bus that should be tried first. Because some members where having problems with the kicker supplied I searched the net and included other USB drivers that may bring success. The actual disk is the kicker and the only thing I changed was the drivers, I have asked Tony at server elements if this is ok and i have his permission. so here is the link.
http://www.edengreyfaulk.pwp.blueyonder ... kicker.rar

Naslite+ USB
once booting the kicker it scans the usb bus and sees if it can spot a device, if your kucky you will see it listed, then after a few more seconds the kernal will boot and away you go, once naslite is fully booted the floppy can be removed and is not used again, the config is then stored to the usb device.

In a review in a mag the editor used the CD version of naslite and copied the files to a usb flash and managed to get his nas booted. This was before naslite usb was out, but the config still needed to be saved via the floppy, so u may be able to do the same. I havent tried this, you would still need the kicker and when the config writes it might over write the kicker, i have no idea..

If you have a usb card reader this can also be detected, i have yet to try booting naslite off a CF card on the usb

Eden


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:22 pm 
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Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 12:34 am
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edeng,

Thanks for the information. Booting from USB sounds like a good route to take. I would have tried this earlier had I done the research and discovered the kicker floppy disk.

Is it possible to download lusid's kicker without purchasing NASLite+ USB? If so, where is a link? I'd like to try lusid's kicker first, and copy the files from my CD to a USB drive, so long as that doesn't "break any rules".


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:35 pm 
modul8r,

As far as I am aware lusid only posted the instruction to create the kicker disk, I followed them and created my own, its involved looking for a few files like lind and others. then I purchased naslite+usb and then compared the floppies and they was much the same, they used the same driver. the ones i posted work and the only difference from the one supplied with naslite is the drivers. i you really want the kicker made from lusids instruction then i am happy to post it.

http://www.serverelements.com/phpBB2/vi ... 34d6081e4e

Eden


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 5:08 am 
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Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 12:34 am
Posts: 31
There are 2 executables in the zip, that each make a floppy. What's the difference?


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 8:09 am 
modul8r,

Sorry I shoudl have said, in the rar is two exe making two floppies.
only the drivers in each is different. this is so if one does nto work there is another to try. I have another 3 more. these have usb 2.0 drivers.

Eden


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 11:33 pm 
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Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 12:34 am
Posts: 31
OK, both floppies actually recognized my USB flash drive, using my onboard USB 1.1 port.

On a side note, I'm working now. I have 4 HDDs connected and am booting from the USB flash drive.

I have to use two floppies, one kicker and one for the configuration files to be saved. So, I boot to the kicker then as soon as the LED turns off on the floppy drive, I have plenty of time to swap the disks with the configuration disk, while NASLite+ loads from the USB flash drive.

I tried leaving in the kicker disk the first time, but I ran into some sort of problem where NASLite+ would not boot correctly. Or maybe it didn't write the configuration file, I don't exactly recall. It's definitely working like a charm though by swapping floppies. And it's not that big of a chore either, especially if I leave the file server powered on most of the time.

Side note, I ran into a problem at first where NASLite+ would not accept my username and password of admin/nas. It ended up being due to the fact that you have to initially boot WITHOUT any floppies in the drive. Once I removed the floppy and booted to the USB flash drive, it accepted my password.

Thanks again, everyone. We can definitely close this case as resolved!


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 9:31 am 
modul8r,

Well thats good news. I bet you smiled when it all booted up.
good effort.

Eden


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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 9:51 am 
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Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:00 am
Posts: 2
Location: Vienna, AUSTRIA, EU
smeyer wrote:
I noticed a few people have asked how to install NASLite+ to make it boot off one of the hard drives. Here is how I did it on my system. It may or may not work for you!


Steve


so what i done

two 3,5 zoll disks.
no burning a cdrom 2 transfer data, only via network!!!!


old DOS boot floppy

boot
run fdisk
set 2 partitions
dos as active 20MB
format c:

run Network Boot disk
http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/network/makedisk/

connect in your home network

copy all filles at NAS c: machine

boot disk *.*

syslinux-3.11/DOS *.*

NASLite+ *.*

sys c:
syslinux c:

:D 1 have test it with a newer board and usb.....work fine...store userdata at the usb stick

:oops: on an older bord without cdrom or usb the nas boot sequenz hängs at following:

"configuration Media" what dos it mean?

any help???

another question is...

how2 format the 1st harddisk with the linux file system???

greets
john


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