Reinstalling to an out-of warranty NAS with blank drives

[1000001101000]

That’s an Intel-based device, the boot process it a bit different. You’ll need to boot from a recovery image on a usb drive.

Support can typically sell you one on an SD card.

There’s also a process to make your own:
https://buffalonas.miraheze.org/wiki/Create_Recovery_Disk_for_Intel-based_Terastation

Once you use that to boot into em mode the process for installing the firmware is basically the same as other models.

[1000001101000]

(Then you can follow the non-TFTP process)

https://buffalonas.miraheze.org/wiki/Restoring_Stock_Firmware_without_TFTP

[Birdman23]

111101010111..  (sp? LOL)   Nice work, and thanks for spending the time to help folks....   BUT,

Absolutely CRAZY!  The fact you would need to get a EE or CS degree (which I have!) to try and rebuild the firmware onto a $200 NAS device because of a failed HD is non-sense.  After quickly reading thru this, I'm going to just throw the dead LS420D in the garbage and go buy something else.  I don't quite understand how it is sooooo complicated to simply re-load a firmware onto a simple nas drive?  A boot chip to store the firmware on would have cost about $1.

What am I missing?   Anyway, off to find a new drive since this is the 2nd time Buf has done this to me.

[1000001101000]

If you have a CS degree you might be interested in replacing the firmware with a Debian install:
https://github.com/1000001101000/Debian_on_Buffalo

Having the firmware/OS on the drives is my favorite thing about these since it simplifies installing/testing custom OS stuff.

[bobrooney]

finally performing the install using the firmware updater in Debug mode with the "rebuild partition table" and "force update" options selected:
https://buffalonas.miraheze.org/wiki/Enable_Debug_mode

I downloaded latest firmware for my TeraSation 1200D but I don't have "rebuild partition table" as an option.



Is that because of firmware version or something else?

[1000001101000]

They seem to have started removing that option from the updaters. I could only speculate as to why.

There is a workaround I’ve been meaning to add to the wiki:
https://forums.buffalotech.com/index.php?topic=28446.msg117764#msg117764

It might be worth contacting support see what the official solution is for firmware re-install now that they’ve made that change.

[bobrooney]

I found another workaround that was easier for me.

Since you said that this came with new versions of firmware I searched for an older version of a firmware and found version 1.66 on Softpedia.
That version (1.66) has that necessary option so I installed 1.66 in Debug mode with "rebuild partition table" and "force update" options selected and after that normally installed latest (1.68) in normal mode.

Thanks a lot 1000001101000.

Btw... Just one more question. I saw in first post on this topic that firmware for my Terastation is installed on drives. Which one? Fist one, second? Or both?

[1000001101000]

It installs it to all of the drives.

Specifically it creates a separate raid1 volume for boot,swap and rootfs which spans all the drives.

[bobrooney]

Thanks a lot for clarification.
I understand now why some problems happened to me during this process and why this is not just putting new drives in bay and formatting.

Cheers!

[racer24]

Hello All,
I am having problem with getting my NAS working. I have a TS-WX2.0TL/R1 two drive unit that I got with no hard drives installed.  I installed two 500 GB drives that I removed all of the partitions from using Windows 10 administrative tools, so they should be blank drives. It will boot into EM and I can see it in NAS Navigator.  I am trying to update the firmware and have several different versions to try to get around the problem of the newest updater having the "rebuild partition table" and "force update" option greyed out. Currently I have tried FW1.71 but when I try to do the update and force it to update the partition tables, it just beeps and starts flashing red. I have used acp commander to input the line of code listed in this thread to set it for two drives and it dd not make any difference. I have tried to TFTP, but it never changes the boot sequence, no matter when I hit the "function" button and never seems to hit the server. What I have NOT tried is anything with a USB. Is there anything I can do with a USB to get me up and running? Any other suggestions? Would like to get the thing going, but it has been a challenge.
Thanks, Todd

[eugrus]

If I prefer a clean Debian installation to a blank drive inside of LS-WXL and just make the files from http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/bullseye/main/installer-armel/current/images/kirkwood/network-console/buffalo/ls-wxl/ available on a TFTP server at 192.168.11.1, will the LS-WXL be able to boot into the installer and let me reconnect to it via normal LAN and ssh into it with the installer:install name and password?

"Option 3" on https://github.com/1000001101000/Debian_on_Buffalo/wiki/Preparing-Device-for-Debian-Install so to say.

Or is this option not available for LS-WXL an I would have to reinstall the stock firmware first and use the acp_commander?

[1000001101000]

TFTP for debian install will only work if the device has access to the internet as well as the TFTP server. Really all 3 options require internet access but people often setup TFTP through a direct connection to a PC which doesn’t work if it doesn’t also provide dhcp etc.

You may have better luck with my installer images rather than the ones hosted by Debian since I have a few additional bug fixes etc:
https://github.com/1000001101000/Debian_on_Buffalo/tree/master/Bullseye/installer_images/armel_devices

[eugrus]

TFTP for debian install will only work if the device has access to the internet as well as the TFTP server. Really all 3 options require internet access but people often setup TFTP through a direct connection to a PC which doesn’t work if it doesn’t also provide dhcp etc.

You don't mean that there should be Internet available from the 192.168.11.0 subnet, do you?

direct connection to a PC

Certainly wasn't plaining to do that:

My understanding is that once u-boot loads the initrd, the bootstrap system gets an IP via DHCP.

So my plan was to just set the 192.168.11.1 IP on my laptop with TFTP server, let the initrd load, then set the laptop back to DHCP and ssh into the installer. All while the laptop and the NAS still connected to the same switch as the router.

[1000001101000]

Sounds like a configuration that could work.

[apple2k]

Hi all, I was given a TS-QVH12TL/R6.  It had 4 1TB drives in it.  When it was 'retired' it was mentioned that it worked.  When I received it, and try to boot up, and drive 2 would make a noticeable grinding noise..  It goes thru its paces trying to boot.. (Please wait, initialize USB, DRAM test, initialize HDDs) It would just stay in 'TeraStation initialing from HDDs.  after a 3-4 minutes, LCD would say 'POST ERR: 0401' and red error light is lit and LCD screen would read 'TeraStation Boot from HDD0' and just stay there. Upper left of NAS is a power button that would constantly blink in green.  Next to the Error light is the LAN1 light with flashes intermittently.  (Yes, I have LAN cable attached to LAN1 port in back)   
I downloaded NAS Navigator2 from Buffalo site but nothing shows up. My router is at IP 192.168.1.1.  I have no idea what the IP addy is for the NAS.

Can anyone provide assistance to get this NAS to boot up?  I DON'T CARE about retaining any info on the existing drives.. just getting this NAS booted back up and starting from scratch.   

Does anyone have a USB recovery/initialization for this NAS?  Anything to move to reinstalling firmware so I can revive this NAS.  Buffalo support is of no help indicating I should try this forum and TFTP.   Any assistance would be appreciated!