Webadmin access for Linkstation LS-CHLOAE 1.0Tb stopped working

[davidk]

The webadmin function on my NAS seems to have dropped off the face of the earth.

 

Several points of reference - the webadmin function from the NAS menu opens IE7 and that has never worked (timed out always).

Tried using Firefox to directly http:// the IP address and that worked OK - at least, it used to.  Now, I can't seem to connect to a device that's on the local LAN and right in front of me, even tho the internet is accessible.  The NAS device itself responds to Windows explorer and dispalys the stored folders and files OK.  It just the browser management function that's not working.

 

I get the same results when the internet security package is on or off.

 

Re-booting the PC does not change this either.

 

Firefox recently updated to v3.6.6 - but it's been thru updates before without affecting this.  Connections to other sites - eg, this one - with the updated browser seems to work fine.

 

The NAS is running firmware v 1.07 and NAS navigator verison is 2.10RC4

 

So,  . .  HELP please.  Some thoughts and suggestions on why:

1 - the webadmin IE option doesn't work; and

2 - why connection via firefox has stopped working

 

Davik

[davidk]

More on this  . .

 

Tried shutting everything down - the NAS and the PC - and did a cold re-start on both.  After the start was finished - NAS lights stopped blinking and the PC was stabilised on the dektop, tried to access the NAS webpage from Firefox using the http://ip address method that has worked in the past.  Nada - timed out with the usual can't contact the server message block.

 

Davidk

[davidk]

More on this . . .

I checked the support site for firmware updates and noted there some.

- first I tried v1.31 - the latest update listed - but the updater would not find the NAS device.

- second I tried v1.12 - the next latest listed - and the updated found the device and updated OK.

 

Conclusion - there is clearly a hardware difference to which these updates apply that is not evident in the firmware download package notes.  In fact, there are no notes for the firmware files.  I spent an hour downloading stuff to find this out the hard way.  Just doing this used up about 25% of my monthly download allowance, which I was not impressed with. Pretty poor support information really.

 

Also downloaded and installed the updated windows version of NAS Navigator2.

 

The updated Navigator (v2.24)

- found the updated NAS OK and reported known data about it accurately (name, usage, ip address, workgroup etc, including firmware version)

- when websetting in Navigator was selected, used the default browser with the reported ip address (goodie points) to attempt an admin session on the NAS.  This failed, as before, with a server timeout box.

 

I have screen dump images of these two points totalling about 120K, but there seems to be no way to attach them to the post.  I tried selecting the insert image button above, to include them in it, but all that did was grey out the information box and effectively hang the session and lose the data keyed in.  This is the second attempt . . . .

 

I then tried to use control panel to change the internet options for the local intranet, set for the site defined by its ip address and at the lowest security setting it would allow.  That did not work either - more timeout boxes.  I'm learning to hate that . . .

 

I have verified that the updated NAS - even tho it doesn't respond to admin session connection - still displays folder and file data in windows explorer and both read and write from/to files still happens OK using wordpad and MS word.

 

So, if the NAS is still working to store files Ok why am I pursuing this?  One of my recent posts was about connecting an external USB drive to the NAS - and without a working admin function on the NAS that's just not possible.

 

Can anyone suggest why the admin session is not working???

 

Davidk

 

 

[davidk]

Solved.

 

The problem was the Firefox browser, and longer term IE7, connection settings. More correctly, the changes made by mozilla with out telling anyone.

 

Because a mate also used the same browser and version, same NAS but a different security system, the  initial candidate was the security suite.  But after a fruitless efrort there when nothing worked, I took the drastic step of uninstalling the security system completely (after backing up the C drive and disconnecting the internet phone line, to avoid software accidents).  Even then, access attempts to the NAS web page failed, but (this time) with a proxy failure message. Why use a proxy server for a local - 192 .168.b.c - address which is a strictly private range? On inspection, in the Firefox connections panel the selected option was "use system settings".  But, there was a manual setting which allowed specification of a proxy server and the exclusion of a proxy server for local connections, specified by ip_address.  So, I changed to that approach.  It worked.  And it still worked after I had restored the C drive image and the security suite was again active.  I'd attach a jpg screen dump (84K) of the working config if there was a method to do so.

 

I have since had confirmation from a Mozilla Firefox forum moderator that a change was made in v3.6.6 to introduce the "use system settings option" in force on my PC, and also made that the default.  A mistake in his opinion, as it contributed to a growing lack of confidence in the Mozilla update process.  It certainly has with me.

 

I also checked the IE7 internet connection equivalent panel.  It's laid out differently but again has a checkbox in the Internet options/connections/LAN settings panel to bypass proxy server for local addresses.  Checked that box, OK'd out and tried the admin web page with a local 192.168.a.b ip_address  - and now, it works.

 

I would strongly suggest that the instructions for any NAS installation include an item to check the "avoid proxy for local addresses" or equivalent wording in the configuration of any browser being used.

 

Davidk