D-Link Forums
The Graveyard - Products No Longer Supported => D-Link Storage => DNS-323 => Topic started by: rector on May 22, 2010, 08:17:31 PM
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Hi, Ive had trouble with my dns-323 not connecting to my network after its been switched off. I think I located the problem as a IP conflict as it defaults to a address on one of my pcs. If I set it to enable dhcp its ok but I read if you want to use FTP its best to have a static address. If I let the NAS get an address by enabling DHCP and then use the assigned address to disable DHCP all works well. The problem is the address doesnt stick, and when I next reboot the nas its a different address.
I havent had this nas all that long and recently I looked at the dlink site enquiring about using the nas a a print server, Apparently you have to install share point which is for firmware 1.08. I duly updated to 1.08 and then it wouldnt install share point anyway??
I have reset the nas several times
I have formatted my raid one setup twice
I am using 2 seagate 1tb drives
I am using a dlink dir300 router
I am using win7
Oh, by the way the computer that conflicts with the nas is connected wirelessly whilst the other pcs are wired to the router.
Any thoughts
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If your DNS is losing its static IP info on reboot I reccomend resetting your config to defaults (factory reset) then reconfiguring your dns from scratch. I say this becuase the DNS has known issues with settings after upgrading to the latest firmware. As a rule (with all my devices) I return the device to factory defaults BEFORE and AFTER flashing new firmware. As new feature sets in a device can cause aformentioned issues.
Most routers have a DHCP reservation list, where you can set it to hand a specific MAC (in this case the MAC address of your DNS323) the same IP you specify every time automagically. Thus you can leave the DNS323 set to DHCP. You can do this by logging into your router and finding the LAN or DHCP tab... or something.
However you can also set your DNS itself with a static IP under (or over) the default range of DHCP server on your router sets. IE if your router by default hands out ips based on 192.168.0.10-192.168.0.100 then you might set your DNS to a static IP of 192.168.0.2, HOWEVER DO NOT USE THE GATEWAY IP ADDRESS!! which in that ip scheme would most likely be 192.168.0.1 (essentially the IP of the router itself).
So a few ways you can acheive what you want, but your right if you are setting up a virtual server on your network (FTP on the DNS323) you will want that device to have a static IP someway.
BTW, my DNS323 is on a static IP and FW1.08. All settings are retained after reboot.
Hope this helps
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Static IP addresses are the way to go for server appliances, and you'll eliminate these issues.
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Static IP addresses are the way to go for server appliances, and you'll eliminate these issues.
Hi, When you say "server appliance" if you mean the dns-323 its set to a static ip. All i did was let if find an Ip address by DHCP and then disabled DHCP and used that address, which does not conflict with any other pcs.
Thanks for the response
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Yep, all my NAS boxes and network printers have static IP addresses. I let the workstations use dynamic addressing, makes it easier to move them around from network to network for the laptops.
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If your DNS is losing its static IP info on reboot I reccomend resetting your config to defaults (factory reset) then reconfiguring your dns from scratch. I say this becuase the DNS has known issues with settings after upgrading to the latest firmware. As a rule (with all my devices) I return the device to factory defaults BEFORE and AFTER flashing new firmware. As new feature sets in a device can cause aformentioned issues.
Most routers have a DHCP reservation list, where you can set it to hand a specific MAC (in this case the MAC address of your DNS323) the same IP you specify every time automagically. Thus you can leave the DNS323 set to DHCP. You can do this by logging into your router and finding the LAN or DHCP tab... or something.
However you can also set your DNS itself with a static IP under (or over) the default range of DHCP server on your router sets. IE if your router by default hands out ips based on 192.168.0.10-192.168.0.100 then you might set your DNS to a static IP of 192.168.0.2, HOWEVER DO NOT USE THE GATEWAY IP ADDRESS!! which in that ip scheme would most likely be 192.168.0.1 (essentially the IP of the router itself).
So a few ways you can acheive what you want, but your right if you are setting up a virtual server on your network (FTP on the DNS323) you will want that device to have a static IP someway.
BTW, my DNS323 is on a static IP and FW1.08. All settings are retained after reboot.
Hope this helps
I have reset to defaults several times after fware update. When I turned the computer and NAS on today its actually remembered its static address, which is different to any other pc on the network, however when I look on the network for it (and clicking on its found icon) I get an error message saying check the spelling of the name, or there could be a problem with the network.
I will now spend half an hour or so and for some stupid reason if I let is find an ip address by enabling DHCP and then disable dhcp it will probably work????? To say I am most unimpressed with this product is a massive understatement.
Thanks for your response, and sorry to show my dissappointment
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I'm having a bit of a problem believing this is just the DNS-323. I have a DNS-323 and DNS-321 both on my network, they stay where I put them, and have operated rock-solid. If they were faster, I'd be 100% pleased. :D
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Yep, all my NAS boxes and network printers have static IP addresses. I let the workstations use dynamic addressing, makes it easier to move them around from network to network for the laptops.
Thanks for the fast response. I have turned my nas an pc on this morning, as usual no nas. Using easy search it shows the static IP address i set yesterday, but even though the icon is showing in my network an error says the name may be spelt wrong or there could be a problem with my network???? I am not impressed. I know if i fiddle with the settings, put it back to EXACTLY where it is now, it will work, but if this is standard procedure its not for me.
Thanks for the response
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I'm having a bit of a problem believing this is just the DNS-323. I have a DNS-323 and DNS-321 both on my network, they stay where I put them, and have operated rock-solid. If they were faster, I'd be 100% pleased. :D
I just ran easy search/configuration. I ran the setup wizard, changed NOTHING and reloaded it. The NAS works perfect. I think the nas is the problem, not the network
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I have reset to defaults several times after fware update. When I turned the computer and NAS on today its actually remembered its static address, which is different to any other pc on the network, however when I look on the network for it (and clicking on its found icon) I get an error message saying check the spelling of the name, or there could be a problem with the network.
I will now spend half an hour or so and for some stupid reason if I let is find an ip address by enabling DHCP and then disable dhcp it will probably work????? To say I am most unimpressed with this product is a massive understatement.
Thanks for your response, and sorry to show my dissappointment
Follow up
I just ran easy search/configuration. I ran the setup wizard, changed NOTHING and reloaded it. The NAS works perfect. I think the nas is the problem, not the network
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Yep, all my NAS boxes and network printers have static IP addresses. I let the workstations use dynamic addressing, makes it easier to move them around from network to network for the laptops.
You shold never assign a static address that is within the range allowed by your DHCP server. While it may work ok today, tomorrow or any day in the future, your DHCP server could assign that address to another device.
Most people don't need more than 25 addresses in the DHCP server for assignment leaving quite a large range left for manual assignment.
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You shold never assign a static address that is within the range allowed by your DHCP server. While it may work ok today, tomorrow or any day in the future, your DHCP server could assign that address to another device.
Most people don't need more than 25 addresses in the DHCP server for assignment leaving quite a large range left for manual assignment.
Yes I understand that the router may issue the Ip address to another peripheral on the network, but the only other addition to this network is likely to be a printer, which from memory uses a static ip address. That is of course if I can get this NAS operating. If I have to configure it every time I start it then its destined for the bin. Following reading the posts so far, today (in order) I have set the NAS to factory default, reinstalled firmware 1.08, reset to factory default, reconfigured. It worked perfect. Turned it off for half an hour. Turned it on, it shows on windows network but when access attempted I get a message saying to check spelling of DNS-323, or you may have a problem with the network.
I then run easy search, point to the nas, run configuration, then the setup wizard, click through all the setup options and change nothing, let it reload, THE NAS then shows on the network and it works.
Looks like ive got a dud unless someone has any ideas?
Ill run an IP ouside the router
Thanks for your response
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If you configure the router's DHCP pool not to consume all the available addresses in the subnet, then assign the DNS-323 an IP address outside the DHCP address pool, there is zero chance of an IP conflict unless you assign more than one static IP address to the same value.
It really is that easy.
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This sounds like the same problem others are having, check out these posts:
http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=742.msg3226#msg3226 (http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=742.msg3226#msg3226)
also this post 2nd page third down the list:
http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=11993.msg76161#msg76161 (http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=11993.msg76161#msg76161)
I have had this problem ever since I had this device, when I reboot it I have to re-save a network setting to get access to the shares.
the problem seems to have risen for in the new firmware now and for more people...
R.
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This sounds like the same problem others are having, check out these posts:
http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=742.msg3226#msg3226 (http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=742.msg3226#msg3226)
also this post 2nd page third down the list:
http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=11993.msg76161#msg76161 (http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=11993.msg76161#msg76161)
I have had this problem ever since I had this device, when I reboot it I have to re-save a network setting to get access to the shares.
the problem seems to have risen for in the new firmware now and for more people...
R.
I just changed my IP address from xxxxxx 103 to xxxxx 250 no change in behaviour. Looks like we have been sucked in. I fear you are correct about a common problem. Bloody expensive paperweight.
Thanks for the response
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If you configure the router's DHCP pool not to consume all the available addresses in the subnet, then assign the DNS-323 an IP address outside the DHCP address pool, there is zero chance of an IP conflict unless you assign more than one static IP address to the same value.
It really is that easy.
I dont know if I understand you correctly, but my router has DHCP addresses in the range of 100-199 available. I set the NAS to xxxxxxx250. no difference. You turn it of and the only way to get it up again is to run the configuration (without making changes)
Thanks
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rector,
Just to let you know, I upgraded my firmware from 1.04 to 1.08 and my problem with not being able to access the shares until I re-saved them is now fixed.
R.
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Thanks for the fast response. I have turned my nas an pc on this morning, as usual no nas. Using easy search it shows the static IP address i set yesterday, but even though the icon is showing in my network an error says the name may be spelt wrong or there could be a problem with my network???? I am not impressed. I know if i fiddle with the settings, put it back to EXACTLY where it is now, it will work, but if this is standard procedure its not for me.
Thanks for the response
After reading through the thread, I selected this post to reply to for a couple of different reasons - primarily I want to address a few of the symptoms here.
First - I don't think your problem has that much to do with the ip address per se, but more with name resolution.
If you want to find it by name, which seems to be your issue, try creating an entry for it in the host file. Name resolution without a name server on the network is a hit or miss proposition.
I've had a DNS-323 for over three years and have never had the issues you describe.
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rector,
Just to let you know, I upgraded my firmware from 1.04 to 1.08 and my problem with not being able to access the shares until I re-saved them is now fixed.
R.
Thanks, but im using 1.08, which ive reinstalled. I see theres 1.09beta??????
Also its not shares thats the problem but like many others the nas is not visible on the network after switching it off and on
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After reading through the thread, I selected this post to reply to for a couple of different reasons - primarily I want to address a few of the symptoms here.
First - I don't think your problem has that much to do with the ip address per se, but more with name resolution.
If you want to find it by name, which seems to be your issue, try creating an entry for it in the host file. Name resolution without a name server on the network is a hit or miss proposition.
I've had a DNS-323 for over three years and have never had the issues you describe.
Thanks for the response, Ive read what you said, but unfortunately I dont understand. I have never had a problem with networking PCs before, but not to say this issue can be unique? I dont care how I connect IP or Name.
If you dont mind could you please explain how to achieve your suggestion? I am happy to try and resolve this as I dont want to buy another NAS to function as this ones documentation says it should.
Thanks again
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Start, Run, NOTEPAD c:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\HOSTS.
Add an entry for your DNS-323 like this.
x.x.x.x <NAS_name>
x.x.x.x IP address.
<NAS_name> Network name of the DNS-323
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Start, Run, NOTEPAD c:\Windows\system32\drivers\etc\HOSTS.
Add an entry for your DNS-323 like this.
x.x.x.x <NAS_name>
x.x.x.x IP address.
<NAS_name> Network name of the DNS-323
Hi, thanks for the response. I have a hosts file in the path you specified, but it is a sample of how to add hosts. Should i add to this file or make a new one? also the examples show the ip address before the device name? Sorry to ask what could be silly questions.
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You need a file named HOSTS with no extension. The sample is normally copied to HOSTS and used to add sites to.
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You need a file named HOSTS with no extension. The sample is normally copied to HOSTS and used to add sites to.
Hi, The host file in the path you specified has no extension, but it does have examples in it. I did a little research and I added a new line to the file starting with#, the IP address first, then a tab space, and the device name. I saved the file, reopened to make sure it saved it, rebooted the pc. I then turned off the NAS, let it sit for 30mins. Rebooted the NAS and guess what. INSTANT DNS-323.
Thank you very much for your patience with me, I love my NAS again (and you)
Could I suggest this tip of yours be placed in a prominent place on the forum as this issue is not a one off, and there are lots of 323 owners about to junk them because of this problem?????
Once again Thank you
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I'm just another member here, so I don't get to do anything special with posts. :)
They probably should have a place for tips and I'm sure a bunch of members would have good ideas.
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I'm just another member here, so I don't get to do anything special with posts. :)
They probably should have a place for tips and I'm sure a bunch of members would have good ideas.
Hi, another day, guess what back to normal NO NAS on bootup, why it worked for 1 day when I switched it off I dont know. I changed all the hosts files on all PCs attached to the network. Again Im getting errors the same as before. This NAS is truly a piece of useless crap. It obviously cant work effectively as a print server or FTp if everytime the configuration has to be entered and exited.
Very sorry I purchased this DLINK crap.
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I have to believe your NAS has hardware issues, I have two of them running here for a long time, and they're always where they should be with static IP addresses.
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I have read the whole thread and really do not know should I laugh or cry.
When you try to access device by name you computer should figure out somehow what the heck is DNS-323 (or www.dlink.com), as it understands IP addresses only. So it should at least to resolve name to IP. It can do it either by using DNS server (local, not on the internet for internal devices) or by using NetBIOS protocol in case of windows systems. When windows machines go online they search for NBNS (NetBIOS name servers) or other windows computers who declared themselves as Master Browser and obtain name information from them.
When your NAS goes online and obtains its IP from DHCP server, some routers, can obtain its name and include in its database. If the router is also acts as DNS proxy server for your internal network and/or NetBIOS master browser it will supply this information to any device on your network which has its IP as DNS server.
That is exactly what happens when you use DHCP for you NAS. When you use static, your router has no idea about this name. If you want everything to work this way, configure static mapping of NAS IP to NAS MAC address in DHCP server settings of your router (as iit was suggested from the very beginning).
If you want to use static IP assignments and hosts file then:
1) use X.X.X.X<spacebar>name entry format. No # (it is comment!) or TAB. It is written in comments of hosts file.
2) Make sure that DNSClient serviced is running on your PC. IF it is a part of domain, it will be. If it is not (home PC), it will not be. IF it is not running, hosts file will not be checked and used at all.
From what I read you got your NAS online NOT because you modified hosts file. :-)
BTW. I have 2 notebooks in my home LAN, one is XP PRO and part of domain, another XP home. First one sees DNS-323 all the time. Second one was hit and miss until I modified hosts file and made dnsclient servise run at startup. My DNS-323 obtains its IP from DHCP server, which is statically mapped to its MAC address. Router is DI-624.
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All my NAS boxes have statically assigned IP address as does my network printer. None of these systems have any entries anywhere in the HOSTS files of the computers that access them. There has never been an issue finding the DNS-321, DNS-323, or the Synology DS209 with network browsing from Windows 2K through Windows 7, and also Linux.
My router is the Actiontec MI424WR supplied with the Verizon FiOS service, and it's the DHCP server for the network.
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I have read the whole thread and really do not know should I laugh or cry.
When you try to access device by name you computer should figure out somehow what the heck is DNS-323 (or www.dlink.com), as it understands IP addresses only. So it should at least to resolve name to IP. It can do it either by using DNS server (local, not on the internet for internal devices) or by using NetBIOS protocol in case of windows systems. When windows machines go online they search for NBNS (NetBIOS name servers) or other windows computers who declared themselves as Master Browser and obtain name information from them.
When your NAS goes online and obtains its IP from DHCP server, some routers, can obtain its name and include in its database. If the router is also acts as DNS proxy server for your internal network and/or NetBIOS master browser it will supply this information to any device on your network which has its IP as DNS server.
That is exactly what happens when you use DHCP for you NAS. When you use static, your router has no idea about this name. If you want everything to work this way, configure static mapping of NAS IP to NAS MAC address in DHCP server settings of your router (as iit was suggested from the very beginning).
If you want to use static IP assignments and hosts file then:
1) use X.X.X.X<spacebar>name entry format. No # (it is comment!) or TAB. It is written in comments of hosts file.
2) Make sure that DNSClient serviced is running on your PC. IF it is a part of domain, it will be. If it is not (home PC), it will not be. IF it is not running, hosts file will not be checked and used at all.
From what I read you got your NAS online NOT because you modified hosts file. :-)
BTW. I have 2 notebooks in my home LAN, one is XP PRO and part of domain, another XP home. First one sees DNS-323 all the time. Second one was hit and miss until I modified hosts file and made dnsclient servise run at startup. My DNS-323 obtains its IP from DHCP server, which is statically mapped to its MAC address. Router is DI-624.
Thanks for that response
Ive just turned on 2 pcs and the NAS. Neither the win 7 or xp machine show the nas on the network.
I have just run easy search/configuration. Instead of running setup wizard again, this time I entered lan settings, did nothing else other than clicked on saved settings. The nas is now available to both pcs.
I have read your post above, but can you explain why when i do something so simple as confirm existing settings it works.
This NAS is truly nothing more than a very expensive external hard drive, thats not even as easy as a hard drive to use. According to this forum Im not the only one, in fact far from it, thats having this issue. Truly a product not fit for purpose and its a shame, as i have several Dlink products, but cant see why I should continue to use them. Very expensive rubbish
Thanks again for the response
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All my NAS boxes have statically assigned IP address as does my network printer. None of these systems have any entries anywhere in the HOSTS files of the computers that access them. There has never been an issue finding the DNS-321, DNS-323, or the Synology DS209 with network browsing from Windows 2K through Windows 7, and also Linux.
My router is the Actiontec MI424WR supplied with the Verizon FiOS service, and it's the DHCP server for the network.
Hi thanks for the response, I put the entry in my hosts file on your suggestion.
I think this what appears to be not uncommon issue has made me decide to severe my dlink relationship, and move on. This product clearly is crap
Thanks again for trying
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Hi, Ive had trouble with my dns-323 not connecting to my network after its been switched off. I think I located the problem as a IP conflict as it defaults to a address on one of my pcs. If I set it to enable dhcp its ok but I read if you want to use FTP its best to have a static address. If I let the NAS get an address by enabling DHCP and then use the assigned address to disable DHCP all works well. The problem is the address doesnt stick, and when I next reboot the nas its a different address.
If I'm interpreting this correctly, you're enabling the DHCP server in the DNS-323, is this correct? If so, that's not what you need to do. your router and the NAS' DHCP server may be conflicting with each other, as their respective DHCP are not aware of each other's actions.
1: forget about the DHCP server in the DNS-323, turn it off/stop it. To keep things simple, you only want one device on the network assigning DHCP addresses, usually your router.
2. Some have reported intermittent connectivity issues when using Dynamic IP addressing with the DNS-323. many have found (including myself) that assigning a static IP within the NAS solves this problem. (Say, if the maximum number of computers that would be connected at once, set the NAS to a static address of 192.168.x.5 or greater).
I havent had this nas all that long and recently I looked at the dlink site enquiring about using the nas a a print server, Apparently you have to install share point which is for firmware 1.08. I duly updated to 1.08 and then it wouldnt install share point anyway??
I've never had to install any software on the NAS for my printer to work. When the OS detects theprinte ron the network, just install the printer driver software on the computer(s) that will be printing to it, and look for an option of a Networked printer, as opposed to Local (physically plugged into that computer).
N.B.: I have noticed a bug in the DNS-323's print server, It only prints one copy of a document at a time, no matter how many copies you tell the OS to print. Not a big thing, just a bit inconvenient sometimes.
I am using win7
Shouldn't matter, as long as all PCs are in the same workgroup. I'd suggest enabling LLTD support in the NAS if you want it to show in Win7's Network Map, not 'Other Devices'
Oh, by the way the computer that conflicts with the nas is connected wirelessly whilst the other pcs are wired to the router.
Once DHCP is set up properly, it should work fine.
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Totally overlooked the DHCP server, I have them disabled in all my NAS boxes of course. I'll have to keep that in mind. :)
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Totally overlooked the DHCP server, I have them disabled in all my NAS boxes of course. I'll have to keep that in mind. :)
Perhaps he'll stop slating the NAS now...
Error between chair and keyboard.
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If I'm interpreting this correctly, you're enabling the DHCP server in the DNS-323, is this correct? If so, that's not what you need to do. your router and the NAS' DHCP server may be conflicting with each other, as their respective DHCP are not aware of each other's actions.
1: forget about the DHCP server in the DNS-323, turn it off/stop it. To keep things simple, you only want one device on the network assigning DHCP addresses, usually your router.
2. Some have reported intermittent connectivity issues when using Dynamic IP addressing with the DNS-323. many have found (including myself) that assigning a static IP within the NAS solves this problem. (Say, if the maximum number of computers that would be connected at once, set the NAS to a static address of 192.168.x.5 or greater).
I've never had to install any software on the NAS for my printer to work. When the OS detects theprinte ron the network, just install the printer driver software on the computer(s) that will be printing to it, and look for an option of a Networked printer, as opposed to Local (physically plugged into that computer).
N.B.: I have noticed a bug in the DNS-323's print server, It only prints one copy of a document at a time, no matter how many copies you tell the OS to print. Not a big thing, just a bit inconvenient sometimes.
Shouldn't matter, as long as all PCs are in the same workgroup. I'd suggest enabling LLTD support in the NAS if you want it to show in Win7's Network Map, not 'Other Devices'
Once DHCP is set up properly, it should work fine.
Thanks for the response, I may have confused people by what I did. I originally wanted to use a static IP address, but when i had problems with that I then tried a dynamic one with the same results. What I then did originally was allow the nas to allow DHCP and allocate an address. I then set a static address using the same address. A suggestion was made to set the static address outside the range of the routers range which is 01-199. I set it to 250 which would remove any chance of conflict with assigned addresses from the router.
As for print server
I installed the print driver on the remote xp pc as per manual, it shows both on the NAS and the PC correctly idententified. No sign of action when printing is attempted? It shows in the print queue but thats it. Curious in printer properties for the network printer there is no mention of the printer, and all options so far as ports are greyed out. I thought I may be able to add a network path to the port but??????
Thanks
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Perhaps he'll stop slating the NAS now...
Error between chair and keyboard.
DHCP server disabled in this NAS on advice from this forum and manual
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That's going to make the network MUCH more stable! :D
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That's going to make the network MUCH more stable! :D
The network is stable, its the NAS connection thats busted
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The network is stable, its the NAS connection thats busted
Let me put it this way - IF you actually had two DHCP servers running, one in the router and one in the NAS - then, regardless of what you thought or experienced, there were problems just waiting to show up, and not just with the NAS.
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DHCP server disabled in this NAS on advice from this forum and manual
Just do not confuse DHCP server (ability of NAS to lease IP addresses to other network devices) and DHCP client (ability of NAS itself to obtain DHCP address from DHCP server on the network) Craziest thing is to have both features to be turned at the same time :-). It works fine for WAN routers which obtain WAN IP and other parameters from ISP and control internal LAN, but not for NAS boxes.
Most safe is to have both disabled and NAS IP and other settings properly assigned as static.
Just to clarify - what was your original problem - unability to see NAS and shares in network neighborhood, unability to access shares by entering \\dns-323\Volume_1 from explorer, or unability to open NAS web page in internet browser by typing http://dns-323 ?
If you have no problems using NAS as a storage, but are struggling to get to its config web page by name (but have no problems accessing it by IP address) it is completely different story.
When you do not see NAS from your PC, try to use nbtstat command (with -c, -r and other keys) and net view \\<dns-323 name> command and see if it was registered over netbios.
Try to ping it by name and IP address.
Are you using the same workgroup name and are not using any DNS suffixes in your PC configs?
Are you using wired or wireless network?
Some background info to the crap named NetBIOS. Sorry guys, it may be long, boring and still incomplete, that is why I put it at the end.
To be visible on a network NAS uses (at least for windows devices) NetBIOS protocol, i.e. acts just like any other Win98/2K/XP etc. in the environment where there are no dedicated Windows servers with Active directory+DNS and/or WINS services running.
In this workgroup mode all devices are peers and participate in master browser election. Elected master browser takes responsibility to build and maintain a list of visible network devices and answers netbios requests from other hostss (for netbios name to IP address resolution as well) on behalf of a workgroup. NetBIOS technology is very old and sucks as it relays on unreliable UDP broadcasts which devices issue every 12 minutes. If UDP adverisement packet is lost when device comes online you may have to wait another 12 minutes till you know box is there. If device suddenly dies (without sending goodbye broadcast) then it will be 1 minutes x 3 attempts before it will be removed from the lists - more than half an hour!
NAS tries to take the role of master browser, which is not bad as it is supposed to be online 24/7. If master browser is your, say, laptop on the wireless connection and link suddenly fails, other computers will notice it only after 12 minutes x 3 retries (as far as I remember). Only after that they will try to start new elections, assign, new master browser ant it will start repopulating its alive hosts table by listening broadcasts. In the meantime name resolution on your network devices will be hit and miss (everyone knows what a pain browsing network neighborhood with many workgroups, subnets and computers and without domain controllers.)
There is also default priority list of systems prefferable to become master browser - from Win98 to Windows servers OS. So Windows server is much more likely to become master browser than XP. And I have no idea how NAS advertises itself. BTW there may be also backup master browser AFAIK. Maybe that is why we can see more than one on the network. Besides I do not know is master browser a global network wise or it is workgroup wise. One of my laptops has different workgroup configured and it is master browser alonside with NAS.
I wonder if NAS actually negotiates in elections or statically assumes it is a boss no matter how many other NASes are on the network...
NAME RESOLUTION
Then when you try to access some not fully qualified domain name (like forums.dlink.com) but just dns-323, windows, depending on your network settings will lookup:
1) netbios names cache
2) WINS server (if it is configured)
3) B-node broadcast,
4) LMHOSTS file
5) HOSTS file
6) query DNS server
For FQDN steps 5 and 6 are used only. So if you configure some domain suffix on your DHCP server or directly on your PC, it will stop checking netbios names and will go directly to hosts file and then to DNS server (which is usually at ISP side) as windows will automatically add that suffix to any host name.
For example if you configure myhome.com (or just myhome) as your domain, then any name lookup (nslookup fro example) for DNS-323 name will be searching DNS-323.myhome(.com) name and will never check netbios name DNS-323 which you will see and access in network neighborhood.
So any minor piece of config may screw all name resolution infrastructure on Windows. That is why we love it so much :-)
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Just do not confuse DHCP server (ability of NAS to lease IP addresses to other network devices) and DHCP client (ability of NAS itself to obtain DHCP address from DHCP server on the network) Craziest thing is to have both features to be turned at the same time :-). It works fine for WAN routers which obtain WAN IP and other parameters from ISP and control internal LAN, but not for NAS boxes.
Most safe is to have both disabled and NAS IP and other settings properly assigned as static.
Just to clarify - what was your original problem - unability to see NAS and shares in network neighborhood, unability to access shares by entering \\dns-323\Volume_1 from explorer, or unability to open NAS web page in internet browser by typing http://dns-323 ?
If you have no problems using NAS as a storage, but are struggling to get to its config web page by name (but have no problems accessing it by IP address) it is completely different story.
When you do not see NAS from your PC, try to use nbtstat command (with -c, -r and other keys) and net view \\<dns-323 name> command and see if it was registered over netbios.
Try to ping it by name and IP address.
Are you using the same workgroup name and are not using any DNS suffixes in your PC configs?
Are you using wired or wireless network?
Some background info to the **** named NetBIOS. Sorry guys, it may be long, boring and still incomplete, that is why I put it at the end.
To be visible on a network NAS uses (at least for windows devices) NetBIOS protocol, i.e. acts just like any other Win98/2K/XP etc. in the environment where there are no dedicated Windows servers with Active directory+DNS and/or WINS services running.
In this workgroup mode all devices are peers and participate in master browser election. Elected master browser takes responsibility to build and maintain a list of visible network devices and answers netbios requests from other hostss (for netbios name to IP address resolution as well) on behalf of a workgroup. NetBIOS technology is very old and sucks as it relays on unreliable UDP broadcasts which devices issue every 12 minutes. If UDP adverisement packet is lost when device comes online you may have to wait another 12 minutes till you know box is there. If device suddenly dies (without sending goodbye broadcast) then it will be 1 minutes x 3 attempts before it will be removed from the lists - more than half an hour!
NAS tries to take the role of master browser, which is not bad as it is supposed to be online 24/7. If master browser is your, say, laptop on the wireless connection and link suddenly fails, other computers will notice it only after 12 minutes x 3 retries (as far as I remember). Only after that they will try to start new elections, assign, new master browser ant it will start repopulating its alive hosts table by listening broadcasts. In the meantime name resolution on your network devices will be hit and miss (everyone knows what a pain browsing network neighborhood with many workgroups, subnets and computers and without domain controllers.)
There is also default priority list of systems prefferable to become master browser - from Win98 to Windows servers OS. So Windows server is much more likely to become master browser than XP. And I have no idea how NAS advertises itself. BTW there may be also backup master browser AFAIK. Maybe that is why we can see more than one on the network. Besides I do not know is master browser a global network wise or it is workgroup wise. One of my laptops has different workgroup configured and it is master browser alonside with NAS.
I wonder if NAS actually negotiates in elections or statically assumes it is a boss no matter how many other NASes are on the network...
NAME RESOLUTION
Then when you try to access some not fully qualified domain name (like forums.dlink.com) but just dns-323, windows, depending on your network settings will lookup:
1) netbios names cache
2) WINS server (if it is configured)
3) B-node broadcast,
4) LMHOSTS file
5) HOSTS file
6) query DNS server
For FQDN steps 5 and 6 are used only. So if you configure some domain suffix on your DHCP server or directly on your PC, it will stop checking netbios names and will go directly to hosts file and then to DNS server (which is usually at ISP side) as windows will automatically add that suffix to any host name.
For example if you configure myhome.com (or just myhome) as your domain, then any name lookup (nslookup fro example) for DNS-323 name will be searching DNS-323.myhome(.com) name and will never check netbios name DNS-323 which you will see and access in network neighborhood.
So any minor piece of config may screw all name resolution infrastructure on Windows. That is why we love it so much :-)
Hi, and thanks for the comprehensive post.
Bit of background first.
I am running a network with 1 win7 pc and 1 xp home machine wired through the ports of a dlink dir-300 modem. on the same network and running wirelessly is another xp home pc, and 2 xp home laptops. The network is stable and I can print to 3 printers hooked up to my win7 pc. Even though I have 5 pcs there has never been an occasion when all 5 have been on the network together. I realized very early in the peace that win 7 network setup is different to xp, and ive just configured the win7 to the old xp network, with obviously the same workgroup name.
My problem is when I turn on my DNS-323 there is no evidence in my network, or explorer, or my normal (xyplorer) file manager that the NAS is connected to the network. If I look for the NAS in a browser its unavailable. If I go to easy search, highlight the NAS, then enter configuration, and then either run the setup wizard, or lan settings, CHANGE NOTHING, and then save settings its immediately available to the network, and on all pcs. It will then work (cant get print server to work, but im happy to play at a later time) so far as file access (read /write) is concerned until it is turned off.
You may have to be gently with me so far as some of the commands you referred to, but youve given me a glimmer of hope today. I switched the NAS on and as usual its nowhere to be seen. I pinged it as suggested and got a successfull reply with no errors, so the rotten thing is really there????
By the way the dhcp server, and client is definately turned off as ive been using a static IP for ages, I only used dynamic to see if there were any changes to the behaviour.
Thanks again
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You may have to be gently with me so far as some of the commands you referred to, but youve given me a glimmer of hope today. I switched the NAS on and as usual its nowhere to be seen. I pinged it as suggested and got a successfull reply with no errors, so the rotten thing is really there?Huh
Here is the guy who made this job a little bit easier by creating simple netbios scanning app:
http://scottiestech.info/2009/02/14/how-to-determine-the-master-browser-in-a-windows-workgroup/
BTW, when you said you could ping NAS does it mean you could ping it by its name?
It you still have HOSTS file configured, you may also try to change NAS name there a little bit (make it DNS-323a for example) and try to play from there, to make sure NetBIOS and DNS names are different.
When you request NAS by entering \\dns-323\ somewhere in network neighborhood your machine AFAIK sends netbios broadcast asking "who the heck is DNS-323?" and expects to receive IP from NAS.
If you go to network neighborhood and try to browse list of workgroups, you get it from master browser, which should have DNS name-IP mapping obtained from NAS when it came online and sent broadcast "here I am, DNS-323, my IP is X.X.X.X".
Check you network with that tool (link) and see who is master browser on your network, workgroups etc. It is very strange that no computers see NAS netbios name. It means either it failed to send udp notification broadcast on startup or it did not reach any destination. Don't you use any "non-standard" name for NAS by any chance (longer that 15 symbols, special characters etc.)? Is link and port to NAS reliable?
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I modified my DNS-323 to keep it from becoming the master browser in the workgroup, seems it and the DNS-321 were always telling the world they were the master browser.
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I modified my DNS-323 to keep it from becoming the master browser in the workgroup, seems it and the DNS-321 were always telling the world they were the master browser.
If you have server which runs 24/7 - why not? But if you NAS is the only host which runs 24/7 why not to let it operate as a master browser? Besides, as far as I see, every workgroup has its own master browser. If so, you can also move your NAS to other workgroup and let it be master browser for itself.
I am just wondering if NAS cares of any other master browsers on the network. What if you put 10 NAS on the same network/workgroup? You get 10 master browsers? ???
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Since I have a DNS-321, a DNS-323, and the Synology DS209. I don't need three of them trying to be the master browser!
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Here is the guy who made this job a little bit easier by creating simple netbios scanning app:
http://scottiestech.info/2009/02/14/how-to-determine-the-master-browser-in-a-windows-workgroup/
BTW, when you said you could ping NAS does it mean you could ping it by its name?
It you still have HOSTS file configured, you may also try to change NAS name there a little bit (make it DNS-323a for example) and try to play from there, to make sure NetBIOS and DNS names are different.
When you request NAS by entering \\dns-323\ somewhere in network neighborhood your machine AFAIK sends netbios broadcast asking "who the heck is DNS-323?" and expects to receive IP from NAS.
If you go to network neighborhood and try to browse list of workgroups, you get it from master browser, which should have DNS name-IP mapping obtained from NAS when it came online and sent broadcast "here I am, DNS-323, my IP is X.X.X.X".
Check you network with that tool (link) and see who is master browser on your network, workgroups etc. It is very strange that no computers see NAS netbios name. It means either it failed to send udp notification broadcast on startup or it did not reach any destination. Don't you use any "non-standard" name for NAS by any chance (longer that 15 symbols, special characters etc.)? Is link and port to NAS reliable?
Seems to me there maybe some confusion here between the workings of ethernet, netbios and tcp/ip - netbios functions in the absence of tcp/ip so the concept of a netbios broadcast looking for a reply containing an ip address seems more than a little incorrect.
I don't know if you're aware of this, but not only are ip addresses NOT required for local area network communications, they are NOT used, even when tcp/ip is the only network protocol in play. In local area network communications it is the MAC addresses that are used to identify the source & destination hosts rather than the ip addresses.
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Pretty hard to have a connection when you don't have an IP address on your local network. ;)
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Here is the guy who made this job a little bit easier by creating simple netbios scanning app:
http://scottiestech.info/2009/02/14/how-to-determine-the-master-browser-in-a-windows-workgroup/
BTW, when you said you could ping NAS does it mean you could ping it by its name?
It you still have HOSTS file configured, you may also try to change NAS name there a little bit (make it DNS-323a for example) and try to play from there, to make sure NetBIOS and DNS names are different.
When you request NAS by entering \\dns-323\ somewhere in network neighborhood your machine AFAIK sends netbios broadcast asking "who the heck is DNS-323?" and expects to receive IP from NAS.
If you go to network neighborhood and try to browse list of workgroups, you get it from master browser, which should have DNS name-IP mapping obtained from NAS when it came online and sent broadcast "here I am, DNS-323, my IP is X.X.X.X".
Check you network with that tool (link) and see who is master browser on your network, workgroups etc. It is very strange that no computers see NAS netbios name. It means either it failed to send udp notification broadcast on startup or it did not reach any destination. Don't you use any "non-standard" name for NAS by any chance (longer that 15 symbols, special characters etc.)? Is link and port to NAS reliable?
Hi, Thanks for the response
When I pinged the NAS, that is when it had been rebooted and not available to the network, I pinged it by IP and a response of the 4 packets was error free.
I used btstat -a pcname and the NAS is shown as the master browser
No non standard name for the NAS. I purposly called it DNS-323 so it was easy to remember for future.
No I havent noticed any strange numbers in reference to the NAS
Dont know if this will help, but if I swith off all pcs on the network, after running config on the NAS, that is the NAS is available to the network, on rebooting any pc on the network the NAS is available immediately. The problem is only when the Nas is turned off, and not a network pc.
Last night I tried this
Disconnect one of my networked (wired) xp pcs from the network
Connect the NAS to the xp pc direct
Reset the xp Ip address from auto to one different to the NAS
Set the subnet to the same as the NAS
Set the default path to the IP of the NAS
Set the preferred DNS the same as the NAS
No changes were made to the NAS
I can now turn my NAS off, and when rebooted its available automatically, it works without entering config.
Thanks
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Correct, you have it as your master browser and when you turn it off, the network is confused. I disabled the master browser capability of my two D-Link NAS boxes.
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Seems to me there maybe some confusion here between the workings of ethernet, netbios and tcp/ip - netbios functions in the absence of tcp/ip so the concept of a netbios broadcast looking for a reply containing an ip address seems more than a little incorrect.
Really? First of all I tried to simplify my explanation and make it as short as possible in order not to overwhelm a reader with unnecessary details. But I still do not see where is the confusion?
NetBIOS works on 5th (session) layer of OSI model, while UDP protocol is on Layer 4 (transport) layer and IP is on Layer 3 (network) layer.
Here is the full model of communications according to OSI:
Layer 7. Application. Applications like Browser work on this layer using, SMB or HTTP protocols
Layer 6. Presentation. Determines formatting of data for Layer 7 (ASCII, JPEG etc.)
Layer 5. Session. Provides protocol of signalling and data exchenge between applications - NetBIOS for example with its set of queries and responses.
Layer 4. Transport. Provides Transport protocol for delivering data obtained from layers above. It may be UDP, TCP, ESP. AH etc for TCP/IP stack, may be NetBEUI, may be SPX for IPX/SPX stack etc. Layers above do not care much about type of protocol used at this level.
Layer 3. Network. Provides network protocol which is responsible for delivering data formed at the above level. For TCP/IP stack it is IP protocol, for IPX/SPX it is IPX, for NteBEUI ... it is NetBEUI itself as it is very simple and covers both levels at the same time. There again may be other protocols as well. Layers 5 -7 do not care which ones. Routers are called Layer 3 devices because they operate at this layer (and below.)
Level 2. Data link. It defines protocol of data transmission between 2 nodes. This may be Ethernet, Token Ring, PPP, Serial, ATM, Frame Relay etc. Switches are L2 devices because they operate at this leayer and below. They have no idea about IP, IPX, Apple Talk, Powerline protocols etc. They know about MAC addresses only. BTW MAC address is used only by some of L2 protocols. Serial cards do not have them for example. This layer does not care about Layer 1.
Level 1. Physical. This layer provides physical media for layer above - twisted copper pair, electrical wiring (for powerline adapters), optical fiber, Wi-Fi, CDMA, 3G, GPRS, GSM, etc.
When computer needs to transfer data to another host, data passes through all the layers top to bottom, and then receiver pulls up all this data from bottom to top to target application. Task of each layer is to wrap data from previous one to format appropriate to the same layer on receiver host and pass it to layer below. It does not care about the way that layer will process it. Very good analogy with postal service. We do not care what type of vehicles post uses to deliver our mail to recipient. We write a mail in a format (language) appropriate for receiver and put it in the envelope (transport layer), write source and destination address (network-routing level) and drop into PO box (data link layer - PO logistics). Physical layer (car, airplane) transmits it point to point where everything goes in back direction.
Again, NetBios or browser do not care about type cable or network protocol used as long as it is able to accomplish the task (like broadcasting).
In all good days of Windows for workgroups and Novell NetWare we had NetBEUI drivers installed for communications between computers in a workgroup on the local LAN (as NetBEUI is a non-routable protocol), IPX/SPX driver to access folders and printers on NetWare servers and TCP/IP to browse internet. And the same explorer application could use all protocols at the same time without problems.
Nowadays 99% of LAN use TCP/IP stack as Layer3/4, Ethernet as Layer 2, for Layer 1 - UTP for wired and Wi-Fi for Wireless. I also use powerline :-).
So when we a talking about NetBIOS we do not care about NetBIOS over NetBEUI (since windows XP came) or NetBIOS over SPX/IPX. We talking about NetBIOS over TCP/IP aka NBT.
Now if we trace how communication takes place we will see approximately following:
Browser application gets request to access \\DNS-323\Volume_1 share.
To resolve DNS-323 name it goes into netbios cache of resolved names and does not find it. Let's assume that LMHOSTS file is empty and WINS server is not configured at all.
Then as a last resort (before switching to DNS) it sends broadcast (using UDP/137) to local network asking "Who's name DNS-323?".
If DNS-323 is online it responds with unicast destined to the PC with response which contains its IP address.
After that PC places new entry into netbios cache with name-IP mapping (just like DNS resolution works)
Now as PC has IP destination IP address it needs to know MAC address of NIC card to which data should be tranferred. To do this it checks obtained IP with its own IP and address mask to figure out if that IP is in the same subnet.
If it is (which is very likely as broadcasts by default never forwarded by routers) then it checks its dynamic ARP table in hope to find IP-to-MAC mapping for DNS-323 IP address.
If that IP address happened to be on another network, PC will look for MAC address of Default Gateway (or gateway which was explicitly configured for that network in PC routing table using ROUTE PRINT command for example).
In either cases PC first checks its ARP table for existing entries. If there is no IP it is looking for, it performs ARP request (broadcast again) to the network asking "Who has X.X.X.X? Answer X.X.X.Y."
When DNS receives ARP request with its IP it sends back to the requester unicast response with its MAC address.
PC receives the response and adds IP-MAC mapping into its ARP table. Now application (browser) is ready to send a request to the NAS.
Formed request (say "obtain directory list of \Volume_1") is passed to netbios which establishes session with NAS and transmits datagrams to it.
NetBios requests in case of using TCP/IP are encapsulated into UDP datagrams with destination port 139 for session messages and port 138 for data itself.
Network layer (3) forms IP packets by adding IP header with source and destination IP, protocol type (UDP) and other fields.
Data link layer forms ethernet frames by addind ethernet header with source and destination MAC addresses taken form ARP table, type of protocol inside (IP in this case), append checksum and forwards it to Layer 1.
On layer 1 formed frame is finally transmitted to the recipient NIC over physical media.
I think I omit details of CDMA/CD or CDMA/CA and other L1 protocols operation ;D.
Receiver (DNS-323) receives transmission and "pulls" it from L1 to L7 to obtain data for application to process and form a response.
So, where is a confusion?
I don't know if you're aware of this, but not only are ip addresses NOT required for local area network communications, they are NOT used, even when tcp/ip is the only network protocol in play. In local area network communications it is the MAC addresses that are used to identify the source & destination hosts rather than the ip addresses.
That's a news for me. Having passed a bunch of cisco exams I haven't heard that if all the machines on the same LAN, IP or other L3 addresses are not necessary and may be omitted, and Layer 5 can pass data directly to Layer 2 for encapsulation and transmission :o
Then why Microsoft bothered at all to create NetBEUI - simple small non-routable L3/L4 protocol aimed to work inside single LAN with source and destination netbios names as source and destination addresses for initial connection setup???? Did they also confuse OSI layers?
Could you explain please?
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Correct, you have it as your master browser and when you turn it off, the network is confused. I disabled the master browser capability of my two D-Link NAS boxes.
Hi, Thanks for that but can you tell me how? Thanks
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Hi, Thanks for that but can you tell me how? Thanks
Here is the trick. If you have problems with accessing NAS by name or do not see it when you browse workgroups, it may me multiple master browsers problem. In this case if you run that utility (from link) you will see all list of your current netbios hosts, including master browsers. If you have only one workroup you should see only one master browser. If there is more than one - this is a problem.
If DNS-323 comes online first and by default assumes itself as a master browser with high priority, all other hosts should recognize it and join as a plain members. If one of your machines disregards NAS advertisements as master browser and makes itself MB as well - that is a problem.
If DNS-323 comes online after other PCs, one of which was MB, it ideally should force re-elections and take over MB role. If it just dumbly say "I am master browser", without any negotiations with other group members - this is a problem as again you have more than one MB.
If you plan to keep NAS online 24/7, then reboot other PCs and let it be MB. PCs should understand and "obey" NAS.
If you have another host that is online 24/7 and want to use it as a MB, either disable this feature on NAS (using funlpug) or configure different workgroup on it. Should help.
From what I see you had no problems resolving netbios name, so I really do not understang why file share was not accessible by typing \\dns-323\Volume_1 in Explorer (I mean NOT internet explorer).
Does \\x.x.x.x\Volume_1 work for you in this case - request by IP?
I have NAS running 24/7 with laptops on and off all the time - no big problems, although XP home had some issues resolving NAS name for Internet browser at one moment (access to web interface by netbios name). Access to file shares never was a problem at all.
My second notebook with XP Pro and DIFFERENT workgroup (also always master browser itself) never had any access problems either to network shares or to web interface of NAS.
Actually it just struck me that maybe that was the reason - different workgroup with NAS? And the reason why my laptop with XP home had issues at some point? Either NAS was too overloaded with amount of connections to bittorent and discarded advertisements from laptop coming online and trying to become MB, or just MB elections was not fully implemented on NAS and allowed many MB on the same network? That is an open question...
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Here is the guy who made this job a little bit easier by creating simple netbios scanning app:
http://scottiestech.info/2009/02/14/how-to-determine-the-master-browser-in-a-windows-workgroup/
BTW, when you said you could ping NAS does it mean you could ping it by its name?
It you still have HOSTS file configured, you may also try to change NAS name there a little bit (make it DNS-323a for example) and try to play from there, to make sure NetBIOS and DNS names are different.
When you request NAS by entering \\dns-323\ somewhere in network neighborhood your machine AFAIK sends netbios broadcast asking "who the heck is DNS-323?" and expects to receive IP from NAS.
If you go to network neighborhood and try to browse list of workgroups, you get it from master browser, which should have DNS name-IP mapping obtained from NAS when it came online and sent broadcast "here I am, DNS-323, my IP is X.X.X.X".
Check you network with that tool (link) and see who is master browser on your network, workgroups etc. It is very strange that no computers see NAS netbios name. It means either it failed to send udp notification broadcast on startup or it did not reach any destination. Don't you use any "non-standard" name for NAS by any chance (longer that 15 symbols, special characters etc.)? Is link and port to NAS reliable?
Hi, Thanks, this is getting pretty complex now, for me anyway?
This is whats happening:
Nas turned off
2 network pcs working as normal, win7 pc shown as master browser using lan scanner and nbtstat.
NAS rebooted, not on network.
Ping NAS by IP, OK
Ping NAS by name, FAIL
Browser by IP, OK
Browser by name, FAIL
NBTSTAT has no connection with NAS
NET VIEW shows 2 pcs plus NAS
Lan scanner shows 2 pcs but FAILED to NAS (which is weird because cmd prompt does work by ip)
Entered NAS configuration, save settings, NAS now visible
Lan scanner shows NAS not as master browser, only win7 pc is.
Earlier in the day nbtstat showed NAS as master browser???????
Thanks
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That's the way master browser elections work, my problem is whenever the DNS-323 is on, it seems to win the elections. And, for some reason, the DNS-321 and DNS-323 both assumed the master browser role, and that was causing response issues in the network.
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Could you explain please?
Congratulations on having passed your exams - now welcome to the real world - where 90% of what Cisco teaches will never be applied (unless you're lucky enough to land a job at an ISP or similar). Just so that you are aware, I've been supporting wide area network installations that span, not just continents but oceans, for over a decade now, and in the beginning tcp/ip was not our protocol of choice, we do use it now, but my background as a network support engineer predates the worldwide adoption that exists today.
I'm not going to derail this thread any further - so you're going to have to do your own research, I will however point you in the right direction - go down to layers 1 & 2 and research them thoroughly.
You already know that before tcp/ip became popular, IPX/SPX & NetBEUI were the protocols of the day, so you know that tcp/ip & ip addresses are not a requirement for communication on a local area network - you already know that Layer2 appends MAC addresses, so you should recognize the reasons why - these are the addresses that govern what happens on the local network.
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Hi, Thanks, this is getting pretty complex now, for me anyway?
This is whats happening:
Nas turned off
2 network pcs working as normal, win7 pc shown as master browser using lan scanner and nbtstat.
NAS rebooted, not on network.
Ping NAS by IP, OK
Ping NAS by name, FAIL
Browser by IP, OK
Browser by name, FAIL
NBTSTAT has no connection with NAS
NET VIEW shows 2 pcs plus NAS
Lan scanner shows 2 pcs but FAILED to NAS (which is weird because cmd prompt does work by ip)
Do you mean that
nbtstat -a DNS-323 gives you nothing
net view \\DNS-323 gives you list of shares at the same time??
Interesting, and very strange. It means that netbios name was resolved, but no services visible? Makes no sense!
If access by name fails, it means NAS does not respond to netbios requests from this host. How about Win7 PC which was master browser at the time of NAS booted? It did not receive any netbios announcements either?
Entered NAS configuration, save settings, NAS now visible
Lan scanner shows NAS not as master browser, only win7 pc is.
So when you save config, NAS renegotiates its "netbios affairs" and honors Win 7 as a master browser? But when Win7 goes offline, takes over this role .... and becomes invisible??? Weird. What firmware version you are using?
Earlier in the day nbtstat showed NAS as master browser???????
I guess it was before reboot?
Try following. Go to NAS Setup -> Device. Change WORKGROUP setting to something different from the rest of workstations - NASWORKGROUP for example. Save config and reboot NAS - repeat all steps you followed before to reproduce NAS "invisibility". Check how everything goes.
My understanding that in this case Win7 will be MB for common workgroup, NAS will be MB for itself. Peace and sovereignty ;D.
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@rector your issue seems to be spread over two threads, confusingly.
Are you saying that you can always access your NAS via IP? If so, just stick to doing that.
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@rector your issue seems to be spread over two threads, confusingly.
Are you saying that you can always access your NAS via IP? If so, just stick to doing that.
Hi,
Yes there was something similar on the other thread, where i joined in.
What Im saying is I can always access the NAS web page by IP address, not by name.
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Workgroup browsing can have many causes, not just the NAS. I have found that this box wants to be the master browser, I had to beat that out of it. It's helped my network browsing not to have it trying to be the master browser.
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Do you mean that
nbtstat -a DNS-323 gives you nothing
net view \\DNS-323 gives you list of shares at the same time??
Interesting, and very strange. It means that netbios name was resolved, but no services visible? Makes no sense!
If access by name fails, it means NAS does not respond to netbios requests from this host. How about Win7 PC which was master browser at the time of NAS booted? It did not receive any netbios announcements either?
So when you save config, NAS renegotiates its "netbios affairs" and honors Win 7 as a master browser? But when Win7 goes offline, takes over this role .... and becomes invisible??? Weird. What firmware version you are using?
I guess it was before reboot?
Try following. Go to NAS Setup -> Device. Change WORKGROUP setting to something different from the rest of workstations - NASWORKGROUP for example. Save config and reboot NAS - repeat all steps you followed before to reproduce NAS "invisibility". Check how everything goes.
My understanding that in this case Win7 will be MB for common workgroup, NAS will be MB for itself. Peace and sovereignty ;D.
nbtstat -a DNS-323 gives you nothingxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CORRECT
net view \\DNS-323 gives you list of shares at the same time??xxxxxxxxxxx CORRECT
I tried to put a screenshot in here but it wont allow me
When i turned the win7 pc on this morning, NAS was already on, the following was noted with nbtstat
dns-323 <00>unique registered
dns-323 <03>unique registered
dns-323 <20>unique registered
msbrowse <01> group registered
mshome <id> unique registered
mshome <1e> group registered
mshome <00> group registered
MAC Adress 00-00-00-00-00-00
The win 7 pc was NOT the master browser
I changed the workgroup name as suggested and I got what I thought would happen, no sign of NAS anywhere. I was always of the opinion that all pcs on a network had to share the same network workgroup name????????
After resetting the NAS The win7 pc remained the same as not master browser but the NAS now is shown as also no master browser, but with no MAC address still????? is this normal
I am using firmware 1.08 which I have reflashed
Thanks for your patience
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Actually, that nbtstat display shows the machine to be the master browser.
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Actually, that nbtstat display shows the machine to be the master browser.
Thats correct, but after it was reset the second nbtstat referred to shows its not
Thanks
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Seems like a lot of hassle to get name resolution working 100% when you could just use an IP address. It seems there was nothing wrong with your NAS after all eh? ;)
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Seems like a lot of hassle to get name resolution working 100% when you could just use an IP address. It seems there was nothing wrong with your NAS after all eh? ;)
All I know is my network has been faultless, except for when I purchased and installed a DNS-323 as per the dlink quick setup guide and manual.
Indeed if I use the ip address I can access the config of the NAS, but I still have to save unchanged settings (in config) to access the file system of the nas.
I guess ill just have to leave it on 24/7?
Thanks
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Most folks buy a NAS specifically to have it available 24/7, otherwise you probably should just use a USB drive. :)
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nbtstat -a DNS-323 gives you nothingxxxxxxxxxxxxxx CORRECT
net view \\DNS-323 gives you list of shares at the same time??xxxxxxxxxxx CORRECT
Strange. If net view sees NAS by name - netbios name was resolved. What do you get by using nbtstat -A x.x.x.x (by IP)? I would run Wireshark to see what actually happens on the network.
When i turned the win7 pc on this morning, NAS was already on, the following was noted with nbtstat
dns-323 <00>unique registered
dns-323 <03>unique registered
dns-323 <20>unique registered
msbrowse <01> group registered
mshome <id> unique registered
mshome <1e> group registered
mshome <00> group registered
MAC Adress 00-00-00-00-00-00
The win 7 pc was NOT the master browser
Was it from the Win7 PC? What nbtstat -n shows you on Win7 PC?
I changed the workgroup name as suggested and I got what I thought would happen, no sign of NAS anywhere. I was always of the opinion that all pcs on a network had to share the same network workgroup name????????
Not necessary at all. You can have many different workgroups on the same network. You will see them all in Network Neighborhood as a list of groups. My NAS and one of XP laptops are in HOME group, with NAS as master browser. My other XP Pro notebook has default Workgroup workgroup name configured, advertises itself as a master browser for Workgroup and has absolutely no problems accessing NAS via shares, Network neighborhood or internet browser to config or bittorrent page. I took it to work, plugged to corporate network, used wireless there. Now I brought it back, powered up, and as soon as it connected to home wi-fi, I saw NAS back with no problems. nbtstat, net view,
I do not have Win7 at home, so I cannot test how it works with it in terms of netbios communications. But no problems with XP whatsoever.
After resetting the NAS The win7 pc remained the same as not master browser but the NAS now is shown as also no master browser, but
with no MAC address still????? is this normal
MAC = 0.0.0 is OK. Unlike NetBEUI NBT resolves name to IP, then IP is resolved to MAC using ARP protocol. Use arp -a to check MAC address to IP mapping.
BTW when you see that there is no master browsers on the network, remember, that in many cases it may take as much as 12 x3 minutes for devices to recognize that MB disappeared (if it did not send notification on shutdown, or just was had reset or unplugged.) Until that time - no MB, no elections.
Try not to reset NAS, but to reboot it using web interface command. Use IP address of NAS in HTTP prompt instead of dns-323 name if does not respond, and see if Win7 takes over MB role from NAS after graceful shutdown of the box.
Huge problem with netbios - loooong response. Give it a time - 40 minutes to stabilize :-)
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Strange. If net view sees NAS by name - netbios name was resolved. What do you get by using nbtstat -A x.x.x.x (by IP)? I would run Wireshark to see what actually happens on the network.
Was it from the Win7 PC? What nbtstat -n shows you on Win7 PC?
Not necessary at all. You can have many different workgroups on the same network. You will see them all in Network Neighborhood as a list of groups. My NAS and one of XP laptops are in HOME group, with NAS as master browser. My other XP Pro notebook has default Workgroup workgroup name configured, advertises itself as a master browser for Workgroup and has absolutely no problems accessing NAS via shares, Network neighborhood or internet browser to config or bittorrent page. I took it to work, plugged to corporate network, used wireless there. Now I brought it back, powered up, and as soon as it connected to home wi-fi, I saw NAS back with no problems. nbtstat, net view,
I do not have Win7 at home, so I cannot test how it works with it in terms of netbios communications. But no problems with XP whatsoever.
MAC = 0.0.0 is OK. Unlike NetBEUI NBT resolves name to IP, then IP is resolved to MAC using ARP protocol. Use arp -a to check MAC address to IP mapping.
BTW when you see that there is no master browsers on the network, remember, that in many cases it may take as much as 12 x3 minutes for devices to recognize that MB disappeared (if it did not send notification on shutdown, or just was had reset or unplugged.) Until that time - no MB, no elections.
Try not to reset NAS, but to reboot it using web interface command. Use IP address of NAS in HTTP prompt instead of dns-323 name if does not respond, and see if Win7 takes over MB role from NAS after graceful shutdown of the box.
Huge problem with netbios - loooong response. Give it a time - 40 minutes to stabilize :-)
Hi and Thanks,
I hope I have answered your queries with the following
Rebboted the NAS with web interface.
As usual NAS has gone into cyberspace
nbtstat -a nas ip address has 3 entries for dns-323, 2 for mshome, and no reference to master browser.
nbtstat -n run on win7 pc has 2 entries for win7i7, 3 for mshome, and MSBROWSE
Lanscanner displays dns-323 ping failed, win7i7 192.168.0.101, mac address, and mshome master
(That is strange to me because a ping from cmd prompt by ip address shows all good, but by name nothing)
Net view shows listing for win7i7 and dns-323