QNAS Warning?

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 18th December 2017, 07:27 PM

Ok,, so after a think

,, I took two HDD's out of my PC,, and added 2 new ones spanned to make a 2TB drive,,,

thinking that,, [silly me,] if my NAS has 1.3TB of data, I need something bigger to cover it,, yes?
so did all that.
As i've said before,, QSYNC is literally a sync thing between folders, drives, etc..

so my thinking was -- fire up qsync and let it sync IT's data back to the spanned drive.. Yes? and it sort'a worked,, [of course]
There is a 500gb file limit on a single FOLDER using transfers with qsync.

and yes,, one of the folders, inside the NAS storage drive [main download folder] has more than that,, but there are no options with qsync,, the SYNC finishes,, but has done 381gb,, out of 1.3TB,, and this is after 24 hours of mucking around,,
also I've had a a couple of virus alerts from my PC thats disconnected the download. I have gone onto the NAS and deleted them,, though those "files" made it through the same antivirus to download originaly!!

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 18th December 2017, 09:12 PM

So I have an Intel [!] MB DH87RL, with an I5 4570,,
this mb has a raid function (and I'm looking at ten, with these new drives) and on board vid, so I dont lose a vid card,,
these things are only around 4 years old so SHOULD be more reliable, than my X38 board and core 2 duo(which I am to be buried with),, at least that my idea,,

I AM giving up $$$$$ for reliability,, I could have sold these two---
but with the new drives and I5 and MB this PC-RAID should run ok for a while--

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 18th December 2017, 10:24 PM

I am not happy with the lack of data coming back to me,, and the worst thing is I dont know why,, stupid qsync,, no options,, it just syncs,, mind you it DOES sync when normal ethernet doesnt even connect,, ???
anyway, just like the previous post X3, its time to bite it,, (turn the NAS off and destroy the array,,)

Hard to do though,, I've done a lot of work on this NAS to get it back to as-new, and just recently bought 4 new 2TB HDDs to double its capacity,,

and now I'm gunna take them out and bolt them into a PC and use software raid to imitate the NAS,,

maybe in the morning......

**AK83** · 19th December 2017, 06:11 AM

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

.... its time to bite it,, (turn the NAS off and destroy the array,,)

....

maybe in the morning......

I wouldn't do that(yet).

I'm still wondering why it wouldn't connect to the PC.
As I understand it, you had it connect it directly to the PC, and for the rest of the network to see it from there?

If so, what I would have done is to connect it to the PC, via a switch/router/AccessPoint/repeater, instead of directly(to the PC).

I can't remember how you said you had your network setup, other than router is in another part of the house, and the PC is connected via Wifi?
I'm assuming that the PC has a built in Wifi module?
I'm also assuming that this Wifi module connects to the router in the other room?

So, my plan(above) with the switch/AP/etc, would only involve one new device, being any wifi capable repeater(y)/connect(y) type thing.
If you don't have anything, just a simple wifi extender with ethernet port connectivity will do (if you have the spare cash to get something).
I have the D-Link DAP-1665, AC wifi + 4 Eth ports as an example(and it works quite good too).

So, what you'd do is connect the DLink extender to the router via wifi only.
The PC would then connect to the DLink via wifi, or eth(eth is better tho!)
Connect the QNAP via eth to the DLink too.

This then releases the PC from bridging duties(for the QNAP) and everything just becomes a simple network.
Either via the DLink config page, or the router, you'd setup static IP addresses for the PC and QNAP.
Also set up the QNAP to use DHCP, so that it has a set IP address which never changes.

From reading up on your issue, for sure Windows routing ability seems to be lacking, so your taking out your frustrations on the QNAP, where the PC is to blame.

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 19th December 2017, 01:04 PM

Thanks Arthur,, I REALLY dont want to discard the NAS,,
yes, the PC runs wifi to the modem downstairs,

so---- Wireless access point to switch then to pc and nas.
sounds too simple,,
wheres the catch?

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 19th December 2017, 04:40 PM

Ok,, early christmas for me,,

bought a Tp-Link AP300 wireless access point, to go with my D-Link DGS-100sa switch, and it all works,, everything has internet.( and 3 years warranty

)
the file transfer bit is still a concern,,,

**AK83** · 19th December 2017, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

Ok,, early christmas for me,,

bought a Tp-Link AP300 wireless access point, to go with my D-Link DGS-100sa switch, and it all works,, everything has internet.( and 3 years warranty

)
the file transfer bit is still a concern,,,

Even better!
(Was typing up a reply, with some suggestions ... and you replied in the meantime)

File transfers can be a concern due to HDD transfer rates.
What brand and model HDDs did you get for the NAS.
Are you running them raid.
I don't like raid, as it can take up system resources, and for really proper failsafe redundancy, you need RAID 5 (for it's parity) rather than RAID1.
I never found RAID 1 or 5 to offer much more in the way of read speed(from raid to PC), and usually you want the transfer speed boost from PC to RAID device(ie. write speed) .. and you don't get that.

So on my NAS I just use 'common sense'(mixed with a lot of experience).
I got drives with spare capacity, and all I wanted was a place to store my photos(mainly, but other stuff too) with surety, and some 'total' security too.
So instead of using 3HDDs for the space of 2!! .. I just used the two drives as separate HDDs with the same, but different backups on them. That's just for the photos.
So HDD 2 and 4 on the NAS are just for photos. I backup only #2 on a regular basis, keeping #4 as a final, end of year.. I've now checked, confirmed, double checked and filtered through every single file on that EOY #4 drive .. with a triple check, to ensure that all the files on #2 HDD are not corrupted in any way.
Been there done that, where I had a failed transfer once, and files got corrupted. Not knowing this(the files in the filenames were all fine), I kept updating the HDDs using syncing, without any knowledge that some of those image files were corrupted.

So once a year, maybe less! .. I do a triple check via an image browser to confirm that the files I'm about to double archive are not corrupted in any way.
The problem with file checking using sync or backup programs, is that it checks the files against each other only .. not the actual integrity of the file itself. One small bung bit in an image file can render it useless ... so I now have the above routine.
The other thing I hate about RAID(more so RAID 5) is the time it takes to build the array, if a HDD goes bang!

With separate disks, they're up and running in an instant.

The above method does take a bit of maintenance, but it's only a small amount of time, and with images(really the only data type I do that for) it's nice to review old images in bulk lots every now and then.
For all other files, even tho they're still vital(eg. old business docs, legal docs, etc... I just backup and backup again .. never really think about them in any way).

Another question re file transfers .. what type of wire are you using? is it Cat5, Cat5E, Cat6?
I've run some Cat6 in my house and eth speed is fine. A bit more than the 65MB from the PC to the NAS, so I'm happy enough with that at the moment.

If the NAS is very near the PC, and your model QNAP is the right type, you can boost performance to the PC at least using the multiple cabled trick(network load balancing).
Try to get an idea of the speed of the HDDs and this balanced network loading may offer this speed boost.
What you can do is use multiple cables PC - Switch - NAS for each.
This type of setup then uses both the cabled connections as a doubled up combo.
You don't get double the speed, but at least 50% additional speed, depending on hardware.
Another small boost to network speed can be had via the use of Jumbo frames if supported by your PC's eth connection.
QNAP, Windows and DGS-100A all support Jumbo Frames, but the ethernet card needs to be determined(most modern eth cards do nowadays).

**Pedro_The_Swift** · 20th December 2017, 12:27 PM

4x2TB red WD,,
I'm not fussed on transfer speed as long as its via ethernet it will be ok,,
The NAS doesnt like 5ghz from the WAP understandably,, in fact i havent been able to get 5 to work on the PC either,
so I should be able to transfer files Via ethernet from Pc to switch then NAS?
At the moment the NAS is running raid 6, mainly due to the age of the original drives,, not sure at all if you can change on the fly---

**DeanoH** · 20th December 2017, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

4x2TB red WD,,

so I should be able to transfer files Via ethernet from Pc to switch then NAS?
---

No worries at all Pedro. I've been running a Netgear Stora NAS for several years now in Raid 1 (mirror) mode with 2 X 2TB Drives. Setup is wireless ADSL router via Gb ethernet to Gb 8 port switch with 2 X PC's, 2 X printers and NAS connected to it.

Since our 'near death experience' with a ransomware virus a couple of years ago backup is now quite anal. SWMBO's PC, which holds 20K+ photos, journals and irreplaceable scanned documents representing thousands of hours work has a 1 X 256GB SSD c drive and 1 X 2TB 'storage' disk with an external 2TB USB3 'backup' drive which is all backed up to the 2TB capacity NAS. On occasion the NAS backup, another 2TB USB drive which lives in another building for 'redundancy' (we live in a bushfire risk area) is 'mirrored' from the NAS. As I said, all a bit over the top but (without the NAS backup) protected our files from destruction.

It's all a bit unwieldy really but effective. The time has come I think to 'upgrade' to a file server similar to the 500MB capacity, 486 powered Raid 10 that the NAS replaced some years ago as the 2TB basic building block of our current 'network' approaches capacity. I can't really see any reason to complicate things with Raid 5/6, unless a convincing argument can be made otherwise, so am thinking of 4 X 2TB WD reds with suitable auto back up to an external 4 TB backup. The trick is to come up with suitable software to do this in a way that effectively firewalls the backup from virus/malware attack.

One thought was to replace my ageing Telstra ADSL2 router with a Netgear Nighthawk X8 which is reputed to be a high quality 6 ethernet port wireless router all in one and use this as the 'heart' of a new system, another option is to go for a Cisco 'small business' ADSL 8 port POE router which can be got quite cheaply 2nd hand but I don't know much about them.

Deano

**AK83** · 20th December 2017, 09:03 PM

Like Deano said.. no worries getting PC to see NAS via the access point/switch loop.
As long as the IP addresses have been set, and Samba is at least running on the QNAP to help.
Otherwise run the QNAP software on the PC to help get access.
But if Samba is running on the QNAP, then you should end up seeing the QNAP as a device in your Network list on Windows Explorer.
Also, if you don't have Chrome installed(no matter whether you like it or not) .. but Chrome is the better browser to hook into the QNAP management webface(not FF or Edge).
It's something to do with the way the QNAP firmware has been coded to work a bit better with Chrome.
Note I'm a commited FF user for years now, and tried Chrome once .. and dumped it immediately(not a fan). Still not a fan other than QNAP have done this thing to make access a bit more feature rich via Chrome.

Also just to be sure, you do have the NAS set to the same Workgroup name as the rest of the network too?

etc, etc.
Once you connect the PC to switch to NAS via eth cable .. be sure to ping it from Windows too(if you can't see it in the Network list). As long as the timing is <1ms, you're good to go.

Further to Deano's reply(re: near death ransomware) and backups ...

if you run Samba, and hence the really easy to access Windows Explorer or Mapped Drives, and syncing services, having the files on a raid on a NAS isn't an automatically assured protection from those worm types attacks.

My sister got a ransomware attack via an email containing a PDF that was the ransomware.
She opened a supposed invoice(as she runs a small business), and the PDF went haywire on her network and files.
Just searched out all recognisable file types throughout the network(3 PCs) and encrypted all the common file types available. xls, pdf, jpg, you name it they were all locked!

I looked into it, and it'd cost more to unlock them, than the ransom lowlifes were asking, but I told her not too pay(I think $300 or so) as it only encourages them to try harder next time to hack her network.

So I recovered what I could from temp data, she had most of the workable files she needed for promo posters and stuff, and luckily the database/point of sale files weren't on the list of targeted file types ... so he daily running of the shop wasn't affected.

But to help her become immune to such attacks in the future, I was looking into a remote/NAS server to maintain daily backups, that weren't directly accessible from the network.
That is, all the files would have been synced as the backup source, but either a strong password would be required .. or the file access was only from the remote NAS end, and not their PC's(ie. Windows) end.
In the end she didn't give me the go ahead... but on her experience, I made sure my important files are backed up onto the NAS on a drive not accessible by the PC(ie. Windows).

My understanding of these ransomware attacks is that they really only infest drives, remote or not, if they are Windows accessible .. eg. the most common being the Samba service and Windows mapped/networked drives.

So of the 4 drives, I've set 3 to be accessible, ie. the sacrificial lambs(so to speak), and the 4th one isn't accessible by Windows, or any other device on my network .. only the NAS.
So the backup from the other drives to that 4th drive can only be done via the QNAP's interface, and the drive is only accessible that way.

So if I get some form of attack on my network, at the least, while the 3 easy to access drives may succumb to that attack, the last drive is my 'last resort' backup.
It may be a bit of fuffing around to restore that backup of backups, but for the peace of mind .. not really a problem.

In my experience,data loss from HDD failure is very likely to be low. As long as my brand of drives don't begin with an 'S' .. I don't expect HD failures from the more durable W branded types at least. But I have hardware failure backups anyhow.
It's the loss of data through some unforseen attack that has me more mindful.

I know Cisco has a reputation that is strong .. but from a home network perspective, my experience has bee that they are about as bad as it gets.
Optus force you to use them carp products(they did a few years ago) .. and they gateway/routers are simply dreadful.
I found a hack to turn off my gateways(I have cable) routing capability and just use bridge mode(ie. just a straight up cable modem) .. like the old Motorola days.
I spent days at a time trying to get that POS Cisco modem router working for brother when he moved house first time(before I found the modem hack), and yet again for him when he moved house again(after I found the hack) a couple of years back.
I forced him to buy his own router for his home network(I think he got a DLink of some type) .. and did the hack on his second Cisco Optus gateway.

Now I see that they seem to use Sagem gateways .. which couldn't be as bad as those attrocious Cisco boxes.

I researched updating my R6300 router to a newer Netgear, and looked into the advantages of either an R7000 or the X8.
I liked the aggregation feature of the X8(over the R7000)
So, on my PC, I can setup a dual eth cable from PC to Router to Access Point to NAS and boost my wire speed transfers .. but not quite worth the $/advantage ratio.
So it's very low on the list of ..... stuff I want to help reduce my bank balance!

(new turbo for Tdi and ATBs front and rear on the D1 are closer to the top).

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