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How to use USB LAN adapter for clean install of DSM?


reDDevil

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Hello! Please explain me how I can use correctly the external USB 3.0 LAN adapter with AX88179 chip to make a clean install of ds3617 DSM 6.3.2-25426 (or below) to let it work with that external adapter

 

HP Ex485 MediaSmart server (headless)

CPU: Intel Pentium Processor E5200 2M Cache, 2.50 GHz, 800 MHz FSB

RAM: 2Gb DDR2 SDRAM 800 Mhz

LAN adapter: Realtek 10/100/1000 (Gigabit) RJ45 Ethernet.

 

With DSM 6.3.2 already installed through integrated LAN adapter the external USB doesn't work as "Plug & play", nor with DSM booted nor after reboot. I can not see it as a LAN2 in DSM as well as there is no new client in DHCP list of the router with MAC address of the adapter. If I reboot DSM with USB LAN adapter plugged, the DSM doesn't start anymore unfortunately.

 

After some tries I could make somehow working my USB NIC only in such way:
Prepared USB with 1.03b loader with MAC and serial number generated as usually. LAN cable is in internal LAN adapter.

When loader is successfully booted, Synology Assistant detected DiskStation (with generated MAC from grub.cfg) and initial page of web assistant is available through browser, I plug my USB NIC into USB port of my server. After that I can see that USB NIC in DHCP list of the router and I can get an access to a web assistant through new IP address provided according to MAC address of USB NIC. But in this way the Synology assistant finds DiskStation with the original MAC address of USB NIC, not which was used in grub.cfg

 

So the question is: can I try to make an installation of DMS with this way discovered? Or after reboot DSM will not start because of some reasons which did not let start DSM when it was already installed? Or I have to change MAC address in grub.cfg before or after installation of DSM to the original MAC address of USB NIC? Or what is the right way? Thank you in advance

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MAC address in grub is not critical for installation purposes.  It's only used if you are trying to solve a MAC assignment conflict on your network or if you are planning to use Wake-On-LAN features once installed.  And you can change it in the loader after install, no problem.

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17 минут назад, flyride сказал:

MAC address in grub is not critical for installation purposes.  It's only used if you are trying to solve a MAC assignment conflict on your network or if you are planning to use Wake-On-LAN features once installed.  And you can change it in the loader after install, no problem.

I tried both variants. Unfortunately DSM does not boot with USB NIC in the port even after successfull installation process. No LEDs, nothing. As soon as I disconnect it from the USB port and connect cable to the internal LAN, the DSM is up and running. But when it is loaded and I am trying to plug-in again the USB NIC nothing happens. No LEDs, no connect to DSM. Tried to use extra.izma 0.11 but it didn't help

Edited by reDDevil
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Yes, that is clear. I'm trying to answer parts of your question so that you have a better technical understanding of the situation.

 

You seem to want a different answer that immediately solves your all your problem. If I had that solution, I would try and explain it. 

 

The best outcome here is for folks to respond to you with ideas, inferences, and facts. Then you will be able to progressively and interatively figure it out, or decide it cannot be fixed.

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1 hour ago, reDDevil said:

DSM does not boot with USB NIC

it should,  i tested it a few minutes ago with a old 100mbit ax88772a usb2 adapter, found the loader over usb nic after boot in network

driver its loaded on boot from extra.lzma same as other nic and storage controllers

there is a ax88179_178a.ko for ASIX AX88179/178A based USB 3.0/2.0 Gigabit Ethernet

supported vid/pid buy 3615/17

vid: 0DF6 pid: 0072
vid: 0B95 pid: 178A
vid: 0B95 pid: 1790

 

i will try later to install, need to find a disk and time

 

3 hours ago, reDDevil said:

But in this way the Synology assistant finds DiskStation with the original MAC address of USB NIC, not which was used in grub.cfg

either disable onboard nic or edit grub.cfg to have 2 nic's and add usb's mac

but as flyride already mentioned mac does not matter as long as WOL is not used and can be changed after install in grub.cfg too

 

1 hour ago, reDDevil said:

But when it is loaded and I am trying to plug-in again the USB NIC nothing happens. No LEDs, no connect to DSM

afaik hotpluging a usb nic is not be supported by dsm, when i tried with the usb nic from above it needed a reboot to show up

Edited by IG-88
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36 минут назад, IG-88 сказал:

it should,  i tested it a few minutes ago with a old 100mbit ax88772a usb2 adapter, found the loader over usb nic after boot in network

I repeated a try to run my server with prepared flash drive for clean installation or with installed DSM through internal NIC with external USB NIC connected many times but none of try was successful :( LEDs on USB NIC are not blinking and DSM doesn't boot. Probably this is an issue of the hardware or BIOS settings which I can not change because hp ex485 is a headless machine and I can not check what's wrong is going there.

 

44 минуты назад, IG-88 сказал:

afaik hotpluging a usb nic is not be supported by dsm, when i tried with the usb nic from above it needed a reboot to show up

How can you explain then that I could get USB NIC working after loading DSM to initial screen through internal LAN as hotplug and I even could make a full setup through USB NIC? When DSM was installed successfully in that way and gone for reboot it didn't boot

 

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1 hour ago, reDDevil said:

LEDs on USB NIC are not blinking and DSM doesn't boot. Probably this is an issue of the hardware or BIOS settings which I can not change because hp ex485 is a headless machine and I can not check what's wrong is going there.

when its headless how do you see the difference between not booting and a driver problem?

the proper way of see whats going on a by using the serial port with a null modem cable and a console like putty

(afair there are adapters for vga for this hardware but the only thing you could see is the grub loader and a short message from jun, anything else go's to the serial port)

 

1 hour ago, reDDevil said:

How can you explain then that I could get USB NIC working after loading DSM to initial screen through internal LAN as hotplug and I even could make a full setup through USB NIC?

i was talking about a installed dsm and when you open the webgui's network part with the one internal nic present and then plug in a usb nic, there will be no 2nd nic shown without a reboot - aka no hotplug nic in dsm, might be different case when installing

 

i now tested to install with just a usb nic present (disabled the onboard for testing) and it was not problem

if you know the nic is working in dsm does not mean its possible to use it for installing the driver for installing with it would need to be in the dsm kernel (and rd.gz) or in the extra.lzma

if its a driver that only comes inside the dsm *.pat file then the adapter will be working after installing dsm but can't be used for installing dsm

original synology units have onboard nic's and installing is only supported by using these nic's, on a original 3617 you can add a mellanox nic (pcie) but it you want to install you will have to connect to the internel nic as the mellanox drivers are not on rd.gz

 

please post the usb vid/pid of the nic you use

but i guess if the system boots without it and not when its connected then its some kind of special problem, under normal conditions both nics would be ready for dhcp after dsm staerted and you could swap cables between ports and check the dhcp server or use synology assistant

if its bios/boot then it might be possible to connect the usb adapter shortly after the boot process started, but the timing would be difficult and thats not really solution

 

 

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9 часов назад, IG-88 сказал:

when its headless how do you see the difference between not booting and a driver problem?

you are right, I can not see the difference. I just can say that the boot process is abnormal with unknown reason when USB NIC is in a port of NAS. And there is no serial port in ex485 unfortunately

 

9 часов назад, IG-88 сказал:

i was talking about a installed dsm and when you open the webgui's network part with the one internal nic present and then plug in a usb nic, there will be no 2nd nic shown without a reboot - aka no hotplug nic in dsm, might be different case when installing

Thank you for explanation. The only strange thing that I can switch between adapters during installation process but not when DSM is installed 😕 

 

9 часов назад, IG-88 сказал:

please post the usb vid/pid of the nic you use

 

The vid/pid of my USB NIC are 0B95/1790 and I can see it in a "FULL Hardware list support 6.2.0 synoboot DS3615xs"
USB https://xpenology.com/forum/topic/34466-full-hardware-list-support-620-synoboot-ds3615xs-usb/


But what does it mean in a situation when I try to use ds3617 6.3.2-25426?

ShalI I try to use 6.2 for ds3615? Or 6.3.2 for ds3617 includes it as well

 

Edited by reDDevil
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1 hour ago, reDDevil said:

Thank you for explanation. The only strange thing that I can switch between adapters during installation process but not when DSM is installed

dsm/synology handles things there own way in higher functions, on install level its more in lower kernel area

if you connect it on a running dsm there will be a additional ethX for the adapter but that does not make it part of the "appliance"

it sure is possible to mangle something by restarting services but thats uncharted territory (at least for me) and you would need to find out on your own

if thats not possible this seems to be a dead end for you, its not dsm itself that stalls the boot process, might be a bios problem as the system try's to boot from the usb nic or something like that, you would need to solder or buy a adapter

http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=14530

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VGA-Adapter-fuer-HP-MediaSmart-EX470-EX475-EX480-EX485-EX487-EX490-EX495-EX497-/132005092582

 

if its just for testing network speed and the problem is bios related then plugging it a few seconds after switching on can help, just try 5,10,15 ... and check the outcome (dsm gui)

make sure to have stable base like switched off a start point and try different times, without any clue on a monitor/screen it will take some experiments (over all that can be done in 15-20 minutes)

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