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[Lynix]

Hey.

I just received my D-Link ShareCenter DNS-320 and wanted to get it up and running.

I've followed all the steps in the quick setup guide that came along with it, but when it gets to the point where I have to select my device in the Setup Wizard, it's not there. When I check my network I don't see it anywhere either.

It is turned on, the light is a steady blue so I assume it's working like it should, only it doesn't show on the network for some reason.

I'm on a Windows 8.1 computer, but I've tried it with my Win7 laptop as well and neither seems to be able to spot it.

I've tried several IP's to see if I could log in via that, but none of the ones suggested worked (I assume because it's not a static IP that it's using as default).

Any idea? This is getting quite frustrating.

Thanks.

[FurryNutz]

Is the DNS connected to a main host router?

[Lynix]

I've got kind of an odd setup as I'm at my parents house at the moment.

It looks a little like this:

Internet -> Router 1 -> Router 2 -> Router 3 -> Switch in my room.

Both my computer and my laptop is connected to the switch, as is the NAS itself. And I'm guessing if there's a router problem it'd only be with the one we're connected directly to?

I've looked for somewhere in the router to see if I can find a list of all the devices connected to that router, but I can't find anything on it. (It was in hopes of finding the IP of the NAS). I've also tried using Netscan, but that also didn't find much.

[FurryNutz]

What Mfr and models are these routers? There really should only be 1 main host router:
Internet -> Router 1 -> Switch -> All LAN wired devices connected to switch.

Seem like that the DNS is not getting an IP address from the main host router.
Ensure LAN cables are good, swap out to be sure.
Temporarily connect the DNS to the main host router and see if it gets an IP address.

[ivan]

First up, which of those three routers is the DHCP server?  Also why use three routers when one router and extra switches would be a better network layout (yes, I do understand that you may not have any control over that)?

My first point is because if all three routers are trying to be the DHCP server it is going to be almost impossible to connect to anything especially is they are a mixture of brands which might be on different subnets.

To try and find out what is going on you should download a copy of the free version of Piriform's Speccy and install it on your win7 machine.  Also get a copy of SoftPerfect Netscan if you don't already have it.

Run it and when it has finished getting the information select the Network tab.  This should give you, among other things, the IP address of your win7 machine, and the IP of the DHCP server.  Use that information of the subnet to fill in the scan range of Netscan (for example begin 192.168.0.1 end 192.168.0.254 the .0 being the subnet).

All going well, Netscan should find find something with the name DLINK-xxxxxx (the xxxxxx being set by the NAS) - this is the IP address of your NAS that you can use to access the WebUI directly from your browser (http://IPaddress/).

As a test shut down your win7 machine, leave it for a short while then reboot it - you should get the same IP address for the machine as you did the first time (or at least it should be on the same subnet).  If you get a different subnet then each of the three routers need to be checked and two of them need to have the DHCP server function switched off.
 

[Lynix]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I'll try and figure out what brand and such the routers are. I know the one I'm "closest" to, is a D-link.

I'm not sure which of the three is the DHCP server, but I'd guess the first one.
The reason for the 3 routers is to have Wi-fi in the entire house instead of just in the living room where the first router is.

I'll do what you suggested and then report back later with the results

[Lynix]

So I ran the Network Scanner on both my PC (Win8.1) and Laptop (Win7) and while I could see it on my laptop I couldn't on my PC. This is probably because the laptop is connected with wifi to the router that I connected the NAS directly to, while my PC is behind the 2 other routers.

So I found the IP of it, logged in with the default login stuff and it seemed to be working just fine, except it said it didn't detect a drive in the bay.

I know there's a list of "compatible" HDD's in the stickies, but I don't see it listed there (the drive I put in was a 1 TB WD Caviar Blue WD10EZEX). Can it be that it's just not compatible with it or what?

Thanks.

[ivan]

The layout for using the routers as access points should be:

Internet   -> router 1
                        ¦--------> router 2
                        ¦--------> router 3
                        ¦--------> switch -> nas

Also their positioning can be critical especially if they are all on the same channel.  I would also question the need of three to cover a house.

We have something like that setup (needed because the walls are metre thick stone and the floors are reinforced concrete) but our wireless units are dedicated APs directly wired to the managed switch in the server room.  Also each of our APs is on a different channel and has its own encryption.

You added your post as I was typing this.  I will leave the above in case it might be of help to you or others with problems in the future.

The main thing is that you can see the NAS which means that the network is working with your particular setup.  As to the compatibility of the drive I can't be sure until I get my parts guy to get the specs for it tomorrow.  The drives listed in the compatibility sticky are that have been tested and are known to work, others may or may not because the firmware does not match them.

[Lynix]

Thanks, I'll speak to them about it since I also think it's odd the way they've set it up.

They are on 3 different channels, but 2 of them (2nd and 3rd router) have the same name and password, supposedly to help mobile devices to switch between the two seamlessly.

Anyway, I got it working now. I switched the bay of the HDD, and after I set the raid type and Re-formatted them via the IP login, it was able to detect the drives and seems to work like it should now.

The Install Wizard program still couldn't see the NAS on either machines, but I'm guessing all it does it just do what I just did manually? I just checked and it does seem like none of the programs provided by d-link works. Neither Storage Utility, ShareCenter Sync or the Setup Wizard can seem to get a hold of it.

But for now, I just want to say thanks. It was frustrating, but I'm just glad that it all works and I don't have to return any of it. So thanks!

[FurryNutz]

The recommended channels to use are 1, 6 and 11. Main host router should be on 11, next closest router would be 1 and the farthest router from the main host router should be 6.
Glad you got it working. Enjoy.