How often does the external IP address gets uploaded to the Buffalonas server for web access?

[lejeanmi]

   

I have a LinkStation Mini for personal use and a Quad for business use.

Both are setup with web access and the Quad is in addition setup for FTP.

Here is my dilemma:

My ISP (AT&T) is changing my External IP address roughly every week which of course makes it difficult for people to access the FTP site with the address changing all the time. They are asking over $50 on top of my current internet rate to flip the switch and stop changing my IP address, e.i.: giving me a static IP address.

I would love using the webaccess (buffalonas.com) more but the BIGGEST drawback is being unable to download a folder. This quicking becomes a joke when dealing with large folders. The same goes for uploading.

So now here are my questions:

1) The LinkStation send my external IP address to the Buffalonas server (for it to still work even with ISP changing everyones IP address all the time), and I can actually see my current IP address in FireFox addressbar when it loggs in after signing in. With this great feature (thanks Buffalo) couldn't there be a very simple utility that would grab that IP address coming back form the Buffalonas server and opening it in your FTP software of choice? If anybody knows of such software please speak up.

2) How often does the LinkStation reports the external IP address to the Buffalonas server? And is there a way to change that frequency? I didn't see anything in the setup menu. Last time my IP address changed the LinkStation Mini webaccess work instantly but it took another day for the Quad to finely upload the IP address up so the web access would work.

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jason]

For FTP you either have to pay for a static IP or use a dynamic dns service.

 

 

Message Edited by Jason on 06-08-2009 07:20 AM

[kevin]

Jason is right! Though you can use FTP with a dynamic IP, you would have to be constantly checking your IP. 

 

1) Not sure I understand correctly... You looking for a software that is programmed to go to buffalonas.com and log into your LinkStation through buffalonas.com so that it can find your Public IP and then open an FTP client and log into your FTP server?

I do not believe this is possible, you would have to know your IP (either by knowing it, or finding it by going to buffalonas.com or somewhere else) and then manually put it into your FTP client.

 

2) As far as I know, your IP does not get registered with buffalonas.com... The LinkStation creates a user name and password for itself (buffalonas name and key when setting up web access) and that is how it joins the server. Your IP is shown in your browser because that is where you are directed once logging into the buffalonas.com name. 

[lejeanmi]

   

Thank you both for the reply.

First Jason,

The missing link with DDNS is that , as far as I know, the Linkstation using the original firmware doesn't allow to upload the IP address info to forwarding sites such as DynDNS, No-IP.com and the like (please tell me I am wrong).

After some search on the web I found that installing Linux on the Linkstation would give me that functionality:

http://buffalo.nas-central.org/wiki/Dynamic_DNS_updater">http://buffalo.nas-central.org/wiki/Dynamic_DNS_updater

I just thought that since you guys have essentially created a forwarding site with buffalonas.com it would be a million time cooler if that data could be accessed via FTP.

 

And to answer Kevin questions:

1)  The few lines of code would not even need to login to buffalonas.com/name since the address automatically change to my external IP address even prior to entering login info. So essentially it would start IE get the IP address and then load it into an FTP client. Of course I am manually doing this now but it would be so much nicer to have an applet for it.

2) I know the Linkstation does send my IP address to the Buffalonas server on a regular basis otherwise when I login to Buffalonas.com/name from work it wouldn't know how to reach my home after my ISP do a routine IP address change. I know it works I just don't know how often the Linkstation send the IP address info up to the Buffalonas server.

[lejeanmi]

   

Has anyone out there setup the Linkstation with a Dynamic DNS service like DynDNS.com?

I am looking for somehting that would not require an attached computer to be powered on all the time.

Instruction would be most welcome.

Message Edited by lejeanmi on 06-10-2009 06:30 AM

[davo]

   

Yeah thats exactly how ive set it up. I setup a DynDNS.com account with a usename and password, entered these details into my router and forwarded ports 20 and 21 to the local IP of the LS. Then to access just enter ftp://username:password@dyndnsusername to access the files.

 

Also ive forwarded port 80 to the local IP of the LS so if i want to admin the settings remotely i just type http://dyndnsusername to access the logon screen.

[lejeanmi]

   

Thanks for the reply Davo.

My 2wire modem/router doesn't support DynDNS login so I just got a Linksys router that does and now my new challenge is to figure out how to switch my 2wire into modem only mode (bridge mode) which is unfortunately more complicated than it should be. I found a bunch of stuff online about it and will fight my way through it.

 

My naive self though all this could be done through my LinkStation box since the Buffalonas web access is essentially DDNS. But I now realize that it just can't. Except if you put Linux on it that is but I am not geeky enough for that.

Thanks for all the help.

And to the Buffalo Tech team if you could add that functionality in the next firmware (since the hardware as apparently all it needs) that would be just fantastic.

 

Actually I have one last question going back to the original subject of this post:

Does anyone know how often the Linkstation check for change in the external IP address? It took hours last time my ISP changed my IP address for my Buffalonas web access to work again.

 

[sfletcher]

   

 

 

I also wonder how often and how the IP address gets uploaded.  I just set up my LinkStation Pro 1.5Gig and it appears to me that my internal IP is being provided to buffalonas.com 

This works great when on my home network, where I don't need the my outside IP address, but 192.168.1.10 is not very useful when I'm out and about.  Has anyone else seen this issue?

 

 

 

 

Message Edited by sfletcher on 09-07-2009 04:56 PM

[Dustrega]

Your internal IP is not relevant information therefore it should not be uploading it to the BuffaloNAS.com site. As for the being able to access the device internally successfully vs. externally you should check your port forwarding on your router. If you have UPnP enabled on the NAS try disabling it and then forwarding port 9000 on your router to the IP of the NAS.

[sfletcher]

   

The next day, I was out and my external IP address is now being used.  I didn't change anything, but I'm very happy it is working ow. 

 Thanks for the reply Dustrega.

[Dustrega]

Not a problem :)

[Razza]

   

Hi all, 

 

Your internal IP is not relevant information therefore it should not be uploading it to the BuffaloNAS.com site

 

I have a similar problem with my internal IP address being used in the URL via buffalonas.com.  I think it's clear why it shouldn't be used but I'm puzzled why it is being used. Should it just magically fix itself as the previous poster suggested? Configuring the port number as 9000 and forwarding the port to the LS Live doesn't fix the problem.