Author Topic: WS-WVL Win 2008 R2 EOL/ESU End of life - to buffalo WS-WVHL/debian, discussion  (Read 12524 times)

1000001101000

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Re: Buffalo WS-WV4.0TL/R1 Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 help
« Reply #30 on: January 20, 2020, 08:40:12 PM »
To be more specific...

Most of my customizations happen at the end of the install process, some part of that appears to have failed.  I'm running through it on my device now to see if there's a general problem that I wasn't aware of though it could be specific to your install choices somehow. I'll let you know how mine turns out.

could you log into the device and post the output of lsblk?

The failed modules thing is normal on the first boot as it has to build some modules at startup each time it boots with a new kernel. That should go away for subsequent boots.

The system should work just fine even if my customizations completely failed though it would be worthwile to either install them manually or re-run the installer to get them in place so that things like the temperature sensors/lcd screen/hostswap bays work as intended.

Kane88

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Re: Buffalo WS-WV4.0TL/R1 Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 help
« Reply #31 on: January 21, 2020, 03:49:46 AM »
I didn't notice what the lcd said at the time of that error.
Currently the LCD is yellowish green and it says
Terastation x86
Debian 10.2
(And a note on the lcd - I saw during the install the lcd says terastation x86.  The installer was loading the amd-64 stuff.  I hope this os load is x64.)

I was thinking about wiping it and installing it again, if necessary. 

What partitioning scheme do you suggest for the os install?
I'm still trying to learn how to partition correctly for installing debian.  I don't know how much space the install really needs.

On the first try, I accidentally made GPT disks w/gparted first (I forgot this unit doesn't have a uEFI BIOS), and it would not load grub.

On the second try, I let the installer do the partitioning instead of gparted.  I made a pair of 40gb partitions raid 1 for the os.  And a pair of raid 0 partitions for samba network share data, that use the rest of the drives.

I picked put the os in one partition, instead of splitting up partitions for /var /temp and whatever else it wants for that.  Does that interfere with the install script?

Here are the results for lsblk

NAME        MAJ:MIN RM  SIZE RO TYPE  MOUNTPOINT
sda           8:0    1  1.8T  0 disk
├─sda1        8:1    1 37.3G  0 part
│ └─md0       9:0    0 37.2G  0 raid1
│   ├─md0p1 259:0    0 35.2G  0 part  /
│   ├─md0p2 259:1    0    1K  0 part
│   └─md0p5 259:2    0    2G  0 part  [SWAP]
└─sda2        8:2    1  1.8T  0 part
  └─md1       9:1    0  3.6T  0 raid0
sdb           8:16   1  1.8T  0 disk
├─sdb1        8:17   1 37.3G  0 part
│ └─md0       9:0    0 37.2G  0 raid1
│   ├─md0p1 259:0    0 35.2G  0 part  /
│   ├─md0p2 259:1    0    1K  0 part
│   └─md0p5 259:2    0    2G  0 part  [SWAP]
└─sdb2        8:18   1  1.8T  0 part
  └─md1       9:1    0  3.6T  0 raid0



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Re: Buffalo WS-WV4.0TL/R1 Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 help
« Reply #32 on: January 21, 2020, 10:02:51 AM »
That explains what happened. The last thing that the installer does is run a script that identifies which disks have /boot under them and installs grub. I never accounted for someone using a partitioned mdadm device like that, it must have failed to identify the disks.

I generally stick to partitioning schemes similar to how buffalo (and other vendors for that matter) set them up, with separate raid1 devices for /boot, / and swap.

For GPT Grub will work if you create 8mb partitions at the beginning of the disk and set them to type "EF02"

Kane88

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Re: Buffalo WS-WV4.0TL/R1 Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 help
« Reply #33 on: January 21, 2020, 12:32:13 PM »
Ok.  I'll try reloading the buffalo firmware, then do the install again.  I know the buffalo firmware makes many partitions.  I have no idea- what they are all for. 

I don't know know what to choose on the debian installer for partitioning, so that it selects the right ones for everything. 

I thought the buffalo firmware made their os partition(s) on all the disks as a raid 1 in the event of drive failure?  Or is the os just installed on certain drives?  I thought it was all raid 1 for os, that's why I did the partitions that way.

aside the grub problem:

I am having a lot of difficulty with the install.  If there is a reference guide you recommend for the novice linux user?  That would help.  I really need one.

I'm getting a lot of command not found errors. 

I cannot login to this install as root- using the correct password.  I can only login as the user the installer generates.

The biggest thing was that I could not do the shutdown command with the user account the installer sets up (not the root account)

sudo does not work
smartctl did not work
startx did not work

I managed to run top and vi. 

Other than that, I'm pretty much dead in the water without a gui. 

I have no clue how to make users, create shares, and really do anything with it.

Is samba going to have to be installed?

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Re: Buffalo WS-WV4.0TL/R1 Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 help
« Reply #34 on: January 21, 2020, 01:02:03 PM »
Quote
I thought the buffalo firmware made their os partition(s) on all the disks as a raid 1 in the event of drive failure?  Or is the os just installed on certain drives?  I thought it was all raid 1 for os, that's why I did the partitions that way.
They do, they just use 3 separate raid1 arrays instead of partitioning one bigger one. If you start with their partitioning in place you should see the raid arrays on the manual partitioning screen.

Quote
I am having a lot of difficulty with the install.  If there is a reference guide you recommend for the novice linux user?  That would help.  I really need one.
There is a lot of that type of stuff out there but I'm not familiar with any of them specifically. It also depends on how you like to learn. These days there is a lot of that type of thing on youtube in addition to the traditional blogs/etc

Quote
I'm getting a lot of command not found errors.
Most of the commands you are trying require root access, you can access many of them if you log in as root

Quote
I cannot login to this install as root- using the correct password.  I can only login as the user the installer generates.
By default root login over ssh is disabled for security purposes. You can switch to the root user from your user with
Code: [Select]
su - root
Quote
sudo does not work
Debian automatically sets up sudo for you if you leave the root user blank during the install. Otherwise you can set it up manually.

Quote
smartctl did not work
startx did not work

smartctl can be installed via
Code: [Select]
apt-get install smartmontoolsA graphical desktop can be installed via
Code: [Select]
apt-get install xfce4 Though I've never tried it on these devices.

Quote
Other than that, I'm pretty much dead in the water without a gui.

I have no clue how to make users, create shares, and really do anything with it.

Is samba going to have to be installed?

Some folks have had luck installing OpenMediaVault or Webmin. Both provide a web-based gui similar to what buffalo provides. Both have detailed instructions for installing them on their pages.





Kane88

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Re: Buffalo WS-WV4.0TL/R1 Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 help
« Reply #35 on: January 21, 2020, 06:26:06 PM »
Thanks for all of that info.  I'll take a look at the commands and that interface stuff, once I get this unit up and running right.

I'm still having problems :(

I wiped the drives for the WS-WVHL, and then reloaded the buffalo firmware again.
I did not format the drives.  I left the buffalo firmware on it.
Then I ran your debian installer again.

During partitioning, I picked use the maximum size available.
I picked use separate partitions for /var /temp and /home.

It found the original buffalo partitions.  I assume it used them.

This time, it would not install Grub.
And, I'm still getting the same error above- about the script again.

If the script works as it should- using the stock buffalo firmware partitions:
Then what am I doing wrong?

I rebooted, and I'm right back at the stock firmware again. :(


Rebooted with the debian installer flash drive, and it's back to the installer as usual.

If it ran the script- what did it even do?
It sure said it was copying and installing things...  but onto what?

I checked the array real quick in the buffalo gui, and the array is fine.   

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Re: Buffalo WS-WV4.0TL/R1 Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 help
« Reply #36 on: January 21, 2020, 07:52:22 PM »
You’ll want to use manual partitioning, none of the automatic options will do what you want.

Kane88

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Re: Buffalo WS-WV4.0TL/R1 Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 help
« Reply #37 on: January 22, 2020, 06:46:47 AM »
Ok, for manual partitioning-  what do I select for the partitions?

I have no idea what each of the buffalo partitions are for, besides the large data one.

If I leave the partitions alone and go to the bottom, and pick finish partitioning and write changes:  it errors out.

No root file system is defined

Please correct this from the partitioning menu.

Apparently it doesn't detect what the previous partitions were for.

This is what I have, after doing the buffalo firmware install.

booting from SystemRescueCd:
lsblk info:
[root@sysresccd ~]# lsblk
NAME      MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE  MOUNTPOINT
loop0       7:0    0 788.8M  1 loop  /run/archiso/sfs/airootfs
sda         8:0    1   1.8T  0 disk 
├─sda1      8:1    1   4.8G  0 part 
│ └─md127   9:127  0   4.8G  0 raid1
├─sda2      8:2    1  15.3G  0 part 
│ └─md124   9:124  0  15.3G  0 raid1
├─sda3      8:3    1     1M  0 part 
├─sda4      8:4    1     1M  0 part 
├─sda5      8:5    1   3.8G  0 part 
│ └─md126   9:126  0   3.8G  0 raid1
└─sda6      8:6    1   1.8T  0 part 
  └─md125   9:125  0   3.6T  0 raid0
sdb         8:16   1   1.8T  0 disk 
├─sdb1      8:17   1   4.8G  0 part 
│ └─md127   9:127  0   4.8G  0 raid1
├─sdb2      8:18   1  15.3G  0 part 
│ └─md124   9:124  0  15.3G  0 raid1
├─sdb3      8:19   1     1M  0 part 
├─sdb4      8:20   1     1M  0 part 
├─sdb5      8:21   1   3.8G  0 part 
│ └─md126   9:126  0   3.8G  0 raid1
└─sdb6      8:22   1   1.8T  0 part 
  └─md125   9:125  0   3.6T  0 raid0
sdc         8:32   1  59.6G  0 disk 
├─sdc1      8:33   1  59.6G  0 part 
├─sdc2      8:34   1  31.5K  0 part 
└─sdc4      8:36   1   841M  0 part  /run/archiso/bootmnt
[root@sysresccd ~]#



In gparted, it shows for /dev/sda:
/dev/sda1 linux-raid /dev/md127 4.77GB no label - ???

/dev/sda2 linux-raid /dev/md124 15.26GB label TS-QVHL-EMB80:1 - ???

/dev/sda3 grub2.core.img 1 MB - no label - assumed to be boot partition?

/dev/sda4 unknown - 1 MB ??? - no label - ???

/dev/sda5 linux-raid /dev/md126 3.82GB label TS-QVHL-EMB80:2 - ???

/dev/sda6 linux-raid /devmd125 1.79TB label TS-QVHL-EMB80:10 - I know this one is samba data

unallocated 7.82 gb


Also, about the grub installer part of your script:
Since there was the problem with the buffalo firmware trying to find 4 drives when there are only 2, how does your script handle the grub install?
Does it check to see how many drives are in the system?
Is it trying to write it to 4 drives, even though it will not find 2 of them with this unit?

Thanks.

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Re: Buffalo WS-WV4.0TL/R1 Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 help
« Reply #38 on: January 22, 2020, 09:42:22 AM »

If you're starting with the raid devices created by the Buffalo firmware they should show up similar to this:
https://github.com/1000001101000/Debian_on_Buffalo/blob/master/.images/12-blank_MDs.png

You'll want to go into each and set them up via the menu. define the the first smaller one as /boot, the larger one as /, one will likely already show as swap and should be used as swap. The result will look similar to:
https://github.com/1000001101000/Debian_on_Buffalo/blob/master/.images/17-all_volumes.png

Quote
Since there was the problem with the buffalo firmware trying to find 4 drives when there are only 2, how does your script handle the grub install?
Does it check to see how many drives are in the system?
Is it trying to write it to 4 drives, even though it will not find 2 of them with this unit?

By default the Debian installer just installs Grub to the disk that you tell it to at the end of the install. This can be a big hassle if that disk dies or gets replaced etc. I wrote a fairly simple script that determines what device /boot is mounted on and if it is a raid array figures out which disks make up the array and then installs grub on each of them. The script doesn't care how many disks that it is.


Kane88

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Re: Buffalo WS-WV4.0TL/R1 Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 help
« Reply #39 on: January 24, 2020, 03:49:16 PM »

If you're starting with the raid devices created by the Buffalo firmware they should show up similar to this:
https://github.com/1000001101000/Debian_on_Buffalo/blob/master/.images/12-blank_MDs.png

You'll want to go into each and set them up via the menu. define the the first smaller one as /boot, the larger one as /, one will likely already show as swap and should be used as swap. The result will look similar to:
https://github.com/1000001101000/Debian_on_Buffalo/blob/master/.images/17-all_volumes.png

Quote
Since there was the problem with the buffalo firmware trying to find 4 drives when there are only 2, how does your script handle the grub install?
Does it check to see how many drives are in the system?
Is it trying to write it to 4 drives, even though it will not find 2 of them with this unit?

By default the Debian installer just installs Grub to the disk that you tell it to at the end of the install. This can be a big hassle if that disk dies or gets replaced etc. I wrote a fairly simple script that determines what device /boot is mounted on and if it is a raid array figures out which disks make up the array and then installs grub on each of them. The script doesn't care how many disks that it is.

Thanks for those partition pictures and the other suggestions, they helped a lot.  I was able to set up what was needed, and reinstall.
This time things went much better.  There was no script error this time at the end of the install.  It looks like it went as it should.
And I left the password box blank for root during the install, so that super user is activated for the user acct.

I'll take a look at OpenMediaVault and Webmin, once I get the xfce going.

It looks like any time the regular user acct needs root, the commands are to be done with sudo such as
sudo apt-get install smartmontools
sudo shutdown -r now
etc

Is this how it is supposed to work?  It prompts for the password each time.

It's funny that it cannot find the shutdown command, if I don't do the sudo.
I was getting these errors also, without sudo:

kane88@debian:~$ apt-get install smartmontools
E: Could not open lock file /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend - open (13: Permission denied)
E: Unable to acquire the dpkg frontend lock (/var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend), are you root?
kane88@debian:~$ apt-get install xfce4
E: Could not open lock file /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend - open (13: Permission denied)
E: Unable to acquire the dpkg frontend lock (/var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend), are you root?
kane88@debian:~$ su - root
Password:
su: Authentication failure
kane88@debian:~$ su - root
Password:
su: Authentication failure
user@debian:~$


What else needs to be installed?  Is there something you had for the display that needs to be loaded?

Will the front panel display always be the yellow/green color?

Is there any updating procedure (similar to win updates) you do with debian to keep the os updated and patched?


And a question on xfce:
I just got it to run from the console.
But I'm getting an error trying to have it run remotely from the ssh putty session.

Is there a way to have it run remotely like there is RDP for the Windows Desktop?

kane88@debian:~$ startx
xauth:  file /home/kane88/.Xauthority does not exist

/usr/lib/xorg/Xorg.wrap: Only console users are allowed to run the X server
xinit: giving up
xinit: unable to connect to X server: Connection refused
xinit: server error
Couldn't get a file descriptor referring to the console
kane88@debian:~$

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Re: Buffalo WS-WV4.0TL/R1 Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016 help
« Reply #40 on: January 24, 2020, 09:55:18 PM »
Quote
It looks like any time the regular user acct needs root, the commands are to be done with sudo such as
sudo apt-get install smartmontools
sudo shutdown -r now
etc

Is this how it is supposed to work?  It prompts for the password each time.
Yes. You can configure sudo to not ask for a password if you want. If you plan to run a bunch of commands you can run
Code: [Select]
sudo su - for a root shell.

Quote
Will the front panel display always be the yellow/green color?
You can change the color to whatever you like, in fact you can display pretty much anything you like. The script that sets the message/color at startup is:
Quote
/usr/local/bin/micon_scripts/micon_startup.py
Information about how to control the display on be found here:
https://buffalonas.miraheze.org/wiki/Terastation_Microcontroller_Interface

Quote
Is there any updating procedure (similar to win updates) you do with debian to keep the os updated and patched?
Code: [Select]
apt-get update; apt-get upgrade
Quote
Is there a way to have it run remotely like there is RDP for the Windows Desktop?
I usually use x11vnc, this allows you to connect to the local xsession over vnc.




1000001101000

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TFTP/USB boot:
You can boot debian boot files via TFTP if you want, this is particularly useful for the installer for some circumstances. You could use that to run a rootfs of a usb device if you wanted too.

To do anything useful you’d probably need to modify uboot which is inadvisable on a device without a working serial console.

Xserver on TS-XEL:
Once you’ve mastered x11vnc on the tswvhl you can use essentially the same process on the ts-xel. There are some tweaks to make the xserver use a “dummy” display adapter, I have some notes on that I can dig up. You might want to try something lighter like icewm (or no window manager) instead of xfce since performance won’t be great.

We should circle back in a couple of weeks and add some of these things you’ve learned to the wiki.

rz0y66

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Help appreciated.  I have an old linkstation I need to be able to access the files on, and I am unable to due to the SMB1 restrictions. 

I can run the acp gui app fine and it says SSH enabled OK. When I use Putty, it does allow me to enter the admin id and password. As soon as I hit enter after the password I get "Remote side unexpectedly closed the connection." If I manually enter the commands and reboot, I get a connection refused when I try to SSH/Putty. Any ideas? Thanks in advance

1000001101000

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the ACP commander GUI version hasn't been updated in a very long time. The enable ssh feature only works for certain devices on certain firmware versions which were standard at the time.

A little while ago I forked the command line version and made some enhancements which allow it to reliably enable a temporary telnet shell on every model/firmware I've been able to test against. that should allow you to make the tweaks you want.

The files and instructions can be found here:
https://github.com/1000001101000/acp-commander

If you're interested you could also install Debian on the device which allows you to install a more modern version of Samba. Information can be found here:
https://github.com/1000001101000/Debian_on_Buffalo

Kane88

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What model is it?  Maybe it allows for SMB 2.x

If it was just a matter of needing the files, for those who aren't adept with linux, I'd suggest just building a quick oracle virtual box windows VM- and just access it that way.  You don't need to enable SMB 1.x in the Windows host operating system, only in the VM.  And virtual box is free, no cost...