Author Topic: Hack my Linkstation  (Read 69222 times)

  • Offline Mardoni

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Hack my Linkstation
Reply #15 on: March 18, 2010, 00:41:45 AM
Well *shocker* Ive hit all the old problems that I always have whenever I try to use Linux.

For some reason I thought this would be different but NO. Its the same sh*t, different flavour :/

Ive got it all booting up and I can both SSH to a Console and also log in to webmin BUT can I:

Get it to respond to a Ping from Windows ?
Open \\Open \\192.168.76.15\Share ?
Ping from Linux ?

No.

As far as I can tell, from the 10000000000 guides Ive followed, all the files are correctly setup and the Samba service is running.


Jesus I hate Linux.
I am going to give it one more day and evening of trying and then Ill be putting it back to default.

Re:Hack my Linkstation
Reply #16 on: March 18, 2010, 08:25:19 AM
Thats why I havent bothered going down that route.
I just want mine to work, but in a better way than intended and I dont want to have to piss about with CLI.

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Hack my Linkstation
Reply #17 on: March 18, 2010, 09:13:51 AM
I was just really hoping to increase the maximum number of USB disks I could attach. I thought that a precooked linux flavour would save me a load of hassle; oh how wrong was I ?

edit: *RAR*
Just booted up my XP machine and this can both PING and browse the NAS fine and dandy. So its looking like my problems might be Windows7 + Samba based.

edit: *shakes head*
Linux really is not all that user friendly.
Ok so the FreeLink install creates a Samba Share called "Share" that is supposed to allow access to the internal HDD. Only it doesnt actually create the folder on the HDD, so the sharing fails until you manually mkdir /mnt/disk1/share.


Re:Hack my Linkstation
Reply #18 on: March 18, 2010, 11:35:33 AM
Sounds like typical linux to me :D

Re:Hack my Linkstation
Reply #19 on: March 18, 2010, 11:37:36 AM
What about the other flavour of Linux?

Which are you running now? Gentoo or Debian?

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Re:Hack my Linkstation
Reply #20 on: March 18, 2010, 12:39:25 PM
Depending on your firmware and if you have 1Gbit networking at your disposal, make sure to check your NIC for a Jumbo Frames setting (right click on your connection, choose properties, then Configure the adapter, look under Advanced)  - the Linkstation supports Jumbo Frames up to 9k in size - Mine maxes out at 7k with my realtek onboard NIC, but just by configuring this (assuming your switches, etc can support this) you should see a speed improvement.

I just gained about 4Mb/sec average improved transfer speed. Always welcome when shifting around gigs of data.

My switch everything is plugged into is a ZyXEL GS-108B and supports Jumbo Frames up to 9k, so it would seem the limit here is my onbaord 1Gb NICs.

My router is a DG834 and should only be used for DHCP by the NAS. Although I dont think these home routers directly support the Jumbo Frames, it doesnt seem to be affecting the speed. When I tried plugging the NAS directly into my spare Gbit onboard port, it would transfer files fine at almost the same speed for 1Gbps/7k frames, but the web browser interface and NAS Navigator didnt seem to like it and would either not detect it or did so very slowly. I suspect this relates to the DHCP settings. Possibly CPU overhead too.

So, if your hardware supports it I would suggest it is worth spending 10 mins reconfiguring it and trying Jumbo Frames, you might be surprised by the speed improvement.

My net speed doesnt seem to have been affected by this changeover either :)

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Re:Hack my Linkstation
Reply #21 on: March 18, 2010, 13:23:04 PM
One other thing, Id recommend using uk.pool.ntp.org as the NTP server with this enabled and set to 3 hour updates. The Linkstation has a bad habit of losing time.

Re:Hack my Linkstation
Reply #22 on: March 18, 2010, 18:15:12 PM
Been trying to get rtorrent running on mine all afternoon.  Every time I think Im making progress and reboot the NAS, it drops into EM Mode.

Pah.

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Reply #23 on: March 18, 2010, 20:57:18 PM
Well I think mine is completely bricked. Still £40 for a 500GB HDD isnt so bad :/

Appeared to have Freelink up and running fine and dandy...
...but then at 19:30 this evening it started beeping and the LEDs told me that it had over heated and the fan wasnt spinning.

It boots up and responds to ping on 192.178.76.15 but I cannot telnet / ssh / web to it and I also cannot get it to go into EM mode. Ill try with the HDD off to see if that forces it into EM but its not looking good.
Oh and NASNavi cannot find it either :/

Re:Hack my Linkstation
Reply #24 on: March 18, 2010, 21:10:06 PM
I did the same thing initially.  If it responds to ping, its not dead.

Remove the partition from the HDD, put it in the Linkstation and it will go straight into EM mode (IP Address of 192.168.11.150 - Set your PC to Manual)

Use the TFTP boot as outlined in the first post and you should be cooking.

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Re:Hack my Linkstation
Reply #25 on: March 18, 2010, 21:12:03 PM
[edit: or if Nathans suggestion doesnt work] try resetting the firmware after doing a partition rebuild.

Download the latest Buffalo firmware if you dont have it and the updateer tool.

In the updater .ini file there is a debug switch. Set it to 1 and save.

Run the updater and right click on the top bar. Choose debug. Make sure rebuilt partition is checked and then try running it. It fixed mine that Ive just RMAd after I couldnt be arsed to wait for it to finish formatting. :lol:


Re:Hack my Linkstation
Reply #26 on: March 18, 2010, 21:20:34 PM
^^ if youre doing that, change the Version flag to 0.  It wont complain if youre trying to update it to the same version.

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Reply #27 on: March 18, 2010, 23:19:41 PM
Using a combination of both methods I have it back to how it was when I took it out of the box :D

Its so very tiring; why cant everything be as easy to use as windows ? ;)

Im going to give this FreeLink Debian another go and if it fails me again, I think a hybrid stock firmware will end up on there.

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Re:Hack my Linkstation
Reply #28 on: March 18, 2010, 23:49:07 PM
yes, or you can change the version number in the version file to something higher, either works I think.


If anyone is interested, this is the Stevie Wonder firmware that adds a few things over the stock firmware:

1. Telnet access - needed to add Optware packages
2. It adds a bittorrent downloader. You just go to your browser and type Linkstation IP:8080 and the webpage comes up. You upload your torrent and the Linkstation does all the downloading. You can turn off your computer and let your low power Linkstation do the downloading. Stevie Wonder took the Bittorrent program from the newest version (v3) of the LS Live and put it on the older LS Live.
3. Twonky Media Server - It can stream video and music and internet radio to your DLNA, Xbox 360. This is one of the only mediaservers on NAS that will stream to the Xbox360 without leaving the computer on.
4. I installed thru Optware a Usenet downloader. E.g. can send a command to the LS Live and it does all the downloads through usenet by itself. It also unrars and throws away the files after making the final file.


http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TWTGQOQ8

I wont be bothering with it and I dont think Nathan will either, but some of you might like it as its not as complicated and overhauled as a linux distro. It gets a lot of praise but this is hacked firmware and aftermarket so as always beware, can brick your machine, etc if youre trying it.

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Hack my Linkstation
Reply #29 on: March 19, 2010, 00:12:09 AM
Ill grab cheers :)

Ive read a bit about it and tbh the only reasons Im trying to get FreeLink on are so that I can:
1) Use it as a Usenet Client
2) Connect more than 2 USB disks.

If I cannot get FreeLink to play nicely, then getting (1) done easily would be a result :)

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