View source for Talk:LG NAS N4B1N

== bypass file system API in windows to delete invalid character filenames ==

 del "\\?\M:\movies\zzzerr0r\3:10 to Yuma.avi"
 rd /s "\\?\M:\movies\zzzerr0r"

== NAS Purchase Considerations ==

NAS Must do the following:
* four bays or more
* web based configuration utility (no os dependent utility/app)
* RAID support
* NFS support
* Legacy CIFS/SMBv1 support
* 10/100 and GB Ethernet
* Heterogeneous Data Sharing via CIFS Shared Folders

== 2020 ==

*Synology DiskStation DS1019+
*Synology DiskStation DS920+
*TerraMaster F5-422
*Drobo 5N2                           The bad, uses software that is mac or windows to manage.  
*Asustor AS5304T
*Synology 4 bay NAS DiskStation DS418 (Diskless) 2
*NETGEAR ReadyNAS RN524X00

* [https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Buffalo+NAS&i=computers&rh=n%3A20941687011%2Cp_72%3A1248879011&s=review-rank&dc&qid=1604605501&rnid=1248877011&ref=sr_st_review-rank Some Amazon]

== NAS Controller Failure and Data Recovery ==

The LG NAS has a EPROM*** chip or Solid State Memory drive that contains the operating system the NAS uses including the storage of the settings such as the unit's own IP address.  The Operating System itself may or may not be on this write many EPROM as it could theoretically reside on its own ROM ship.  Either way, during failure of the EPROM aka Flash Memory built onto the unit motherboard the NAS may fail to boot or may not operate correctly in a manner that the user cannot interface with the NAS to recover data from the drives.  

Imagine that your LG NAS boots up, however the web management interface is unavailable and the unit will not configure to a working IP address.  Your LG NAS sits there with all of your data intact on the removable SATA drives configured in RAID, however, you have no way to retrieve the data.  The LG NAS does not even offer a VGA display port.  You can only navigate a very simple LCD screen menu of limited options which will not save to the faulty EPROM even if modified.

The only solution is to completely remove the drives and put them into a PC for data recovery.

Number the drives in order with a permanent marker.  Remember which pairs belong together if there are more than 2 drives, such as RAID 1 pairs in a 4 drive configuration.  Remove drives.  Install only a single set in a system running a fairly modern linux kernel.  I recommend a Debian based system that supports the apt package management tool and mdadm.

Information for this procedure was obtained from the follow source:
* https://serverfault.com/questions/32709/how-do-i-move-a-linux-software-raid-to-a-new-machine

----

Disregard the top accepted answer as it will screw you over big time when you try to recover your data!  The correct answer that deserved credit was the second most popular response and reads as follows:

Just wanted to add my full answer for Debian at least.

*    Install the raid manager via --> sudo apt-get install mdadm
*    Scan for the old raid disks via --> sudo mdadm --assemble --scan
*    At this point, I like to check BLKID and mount the raid manually to confirm.

    blkid
    mount /dev/md0 /mnt
    Append Info to mdadm.conf via --> mdadm --detail --scan >> /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf

    Update initramfs via --> update-initramfs -u

Troubleshooting:

Make sure the output of mdadm --detail --scan matches your /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf

 nano /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf
 ARRAY /dev/md/0 level=raid5 num-devices=3 metadata=00.90 UUID=a44a52e4:0211e47f:f15bce44:817d167c

Example FSTAB

 /dev/md0    /mnt/mdadm   ext4    defaults,nobootwait,nofail     0    2

<a href="https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/23879/using-mdadm-examine-to-write-mdadm-conf/52935#52935">https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/23879/using-mdadm-examine-to-write-mdadm-conf/52935#52935</a></p>

<p><a href="https://askubuntu.com/questions/729370/can-i-transfer-my-mdadm-software-raid-to-a-new-system-in-case-of-hardware-failur">https://askubuntu.com/questions/729370/can-i-transfer-my-mdadm-software-raid-to-a-new-system-in-case-of-hardware-failur</a></p>

<p><a href="https://serverfault.com/questions/32709/how-do-i-move-a-linux-software-raid-to-a-new-machine">How do I move a Linux software RAID to a new machine?</a>

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My comments on this...

Disregard editing your /etc/fstab file.  It works best if you manually mount the RAID from the command line with sudo to the mount points you create.  I created the mount points under /mnt and called them LG1, and LG2

Do not worry about the mdX that referrs to SWAP.  Disregard it and do not attempt to mount it.  Your precious data is not going to reside there!

You will only need to 'sudo apt-get install mdadm' if your machine does not currently have mdadm installed.  It is best to use a machine that currently has only 1 drive with the linux operating system residing or to boot from a live CD.

It is necessary to
 sudo mdadm --assemble --scan

Disregard the use of nano if you, like me, can't stand to use an inferior editor.  I prefer vi however use the editor of your choice or simply 'cat' to view the file.

How I got it mounted:
 mdadm --assemble --scan
 mount /dev/md0 /mnt/lg1
 mount /dev/md2 /mnt/lg2

 ***  Mentions of eprom

THIS IS UNCONFIRMED AND THE SETTINGS MAY ACTUALLY RESIDE ON THE FIRST USER INSTALLED DRIVE.  THERE IS AN ENTIRE HIDDEN FILE SYSTEM ON THIS DRIVE FOR THE NAS OWN OPERATING SYSTEM.