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Forum Discussion
Ultra 2+ Powers On - No ethernet activity - Corrupt Firmware ? - USB Boot Recovery NOT Working
Any help or suggestions appreciated.
Helping a friend recover the use of his older ReadyNAS Ultra-2+ which does not boot into the NAS's system management webserver or even attempt to send ethernet packets on the LAN. RAIDar does not find the ReadyNAS on the LAN (with DHCP server available).
His data was backed up to another system (my Synology NAS) ... fortunately, because both 2TB WD Black hard drives in his Netgear ReadyNAS are not accessable at this point. So thankfully data recovery is not our current issue. We would be very happy to get the box to work in any useful way at this point.
What we have tried so far to restore his Ultra-2+ to some useful working state:
- Used rear reset button and backup button "Boot Menu" (LED front panel indicators) procedure to initiate "Factory Default" and "OS reinstall" selections => LED's behaved as expected to indicate each correct menu selection, but did not restore NAS functionality.
- Removed both WD drives and replaced with a known working newly EXT4 formated 500-GB hard drive in slot #1 and repeated above "Boot Menu" procedure => same result as above.
- Confirmed that one of the original WD Black hard drives spins up fine and could be formated as EXT4 under Linux and R/W to partition OK.
- Downloaded the Netgear ReadyNAS "RAIDiator 4.2 USB Flash Recovery.zip" (5.4 megs) and installed it onto a 1gig FAT32 formated USB drive by running usbrecovery.exe under WinXP, which asked for the target USB drive letter BUT DID NOT ask for a RAIDiator image file. So it seemed to us the Netgear online instructions for creating a USB boot recovery device to re-install the approx 50meg Ultra2+ NAS firmware image code onto the NAS internal flash memory were not completely useful, or we didn't understand how to interpret the instructions. The 5.4 megs obviously couldn't contain a firmware image file and booting with in the Ultra2+ front USB port had no useful effect.
- Repeated the USB Boot Recovery creation again with RAIDiator-x86-4.2.31 (57 megs) in the same folder as the "usbrecovery.exe" file and the other small files associated with it. This time the USB creation utility asked for the image file and we selected the one and only "RAIDiator-x86-4.2.31" which was placed along with ancillary linux files on the USB memory stick. Tried booting the Ultra2+ with this new USB stick and letting it run for awhile but result same as before => no ethernet packets or any observable functionality from the Ultra2+ ReadyNAS ....
So I am stumped and grateful for any suggestions as to how to get a working copy of firmware into the ReadyNAS Ultra2+, if that is our issue to restore it's functionality ???
Thank you.
18 Replies
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At Step 2 you should not be using a pre-formatted disk, erase the partition (using WD Data Lifeguard perhaps) then boot the Ultra.
At steps 4 & 5 try with another USB drive, older smaller capacity ones are best
bedlam1 wrote:
At Step 2 you should not be using a pre-formatted disk, erase the partition (using WD Data Lifeguard perhaps) then boot the Ultra.
It's easiest to use a blank (unpartitioned) disk, though the factory default option should reformat the disk anyway. The OS-reinstall won't work for this - it does a partial reinstall to repair the ReadyNAS OS partition, and it does nothing if that partition isn't there. With WDC's lifeguard program, the fastest way to unpartition the disk is to use the quick write-zeros test. You can also unpartition it manually in Microsoft's disk manager - click on every "volume" and delete it.
But I suggest removing all hard drives from the ultra, and powering it up. Then see if RAIDar can detect it (and if it is pingable). RAIDar should show a "no disks" status. That should help isolate the problem to either the NAS chassis/power or the disks.
Thank you for your reply. I will delete the WD hard drive's EXT4 partition using my Linux box so that it should appear to the ReadyNAS Ultra2+ as unformated and try that in the ReadyNAS later today and report results.
I do have another 3 USB memory sticks formated FAT32 and will try those in my step #5.
For whatever reason this additional info did not get posted on the thread, could be operator error, so let's try again.
More testing and troubleshooting since my first post. I appreciate the replies, will implement the suggestions and report back. Plugged an ethernet cross-over cable directly between the ReadyNAS Ultra2+ LAN port #1 (then LAN #2) and my MacBook-Pro LAN port after manually setting the Mac to the assumed Ultra2+ default IP subnet (192.168.168.x) => result, no active ethernet channel, no packets, nada. Without changing the Mac network settings I moved the cross-over cable to a known good NAS ethernet port and immediately saw an active ethernet channel registered, even on different subnets ... as one would expect.
So it appears the ReadyNAS Ultra2+ internal firmware is not configuring the PHY ethernet channels. Based on replies to this post, this does not seem normal if the firmware was OK, even when no hard drives have been installed/configured in the Ultra2+ it is supposed to communicate status info with RAIDar over ethernet, however other users report non-functioning LAN ports in situations where corrupt firmware is suspected.
I wish Netgear support staff would post updated USB boot recovery info on the website as I found the 2017 dated page hard to follow or inaccurate. Not good for a delicate procedure many on the web have resorted to after citing that a ReadyNAS RAIDiator OS update bricked their box. Several posts on NewEgg and Amazon mentioned this and users returning units when Netgear procedures did not resolve the issue. The USB recovery procedure listed did not integrate how the firmware image was coupled to the USB boot creation utility. Also, it would be very useful to know exactly what files are supposed to be present on the USB memorystick boot device created by the utility - eh ???
Lastly, but I think very important: many Netgear ReadyNAS support articles are extremely vague when describing how the ReadyNAS units respond physically to troubleshooting and recovery procedures, saying: .... if after 20 minutes or so nothing good happens procedure XYZ probably wasn't processed by the ReadyNAS. Can anyone on the forum report what files exactly are on the firmware USB boot recovery memory stick they used successfully or how a ReadyNAS box responds: lets the user know the recovery procedure was being processed by the ReadyNAS, other than well it fixed things. Without this information you can't know if the USB boot recovery didn't have the result you were seeking because that wasn't the source problem, or if the USB firmware was not properly made available to the ReadyNAS so that has to be addressed first... very frustrating for users.
Before I started purchasing Synology NAS's (4 so far) I owned a ReadyNAS NV+ 4 drive unit. I liked it alot, very good build quality, never caused me any significant issues, a workhorse machine. Then friends I recommended newer ReadyNAS boxes to began having issues including now my friend with his Ultra2+ which I am trying to get working at all. This forum seems very active and supportive of users, which is a big plus. With only a few datapoints my experience can't be considered significant as there are many satisfied users including myself with the old NV+ , but I would like Netgear support to take recovery from bricked events more seriously. It is not acceptable for Netgear to say, as they and some users do in online postings - "if the FAT32 formated USB memory stick you tried didn't seem to work during the USB firmware boot recovery .... try several more, especially older ones, maybe they will work .... maybe." And without providing a clue as to how the ReadyNAS properly reacts DURING the recovery procedure, except to say ... well after some long period of time if the ReadyNAS doesn't fix itself, powercycle it and ... maybe try again.
You list a bunch of things you tried, but I'm not seeing a clear indication that you powered up the NAS diskless.
If you didn't, then please do try that. With disks inserted, the NAS boots up off the disks. If there's an issue with the OS partition on the drives, that can fail in a variety of ways. But when no disks are inserted, the boot procedure stops early on. If the chassis is healthy, then RAIDar will detect it, it will get an IP address (if it finds a DHCP server), and it will respond to ping.
If that's what you see, then a USB recovery generally isn't the solution.
mark-in-seattle wrote:
Plugged an ethernet cross-over cable
There's no need for ethernet cross-over with the NAS, as all gigabit ethernet devices will autodetect.
Thank you for the reply regarding trying to troubleshoot without hard drives installed.
Should have documented that indeed I have tried booting up the Ultra2+ sans any hard drives. As you noted, removing drives reduces the troubleshooting complexity. The ReadyNAS powers ON, cooling fan speed changes but still does not show any activity on either ethernet port using a cable and LAN connection tested several times during my troubleshooting and known to be good. A healthy DHCP server is running on my LAN as well. RAIDar v6 installed on my MacBook-Pro can see my older ReadyNAS NV+ v1 OK using the same ethernet cable and connection to my switch, but not my friend's Ultra2+ which I am trying to get working for him. His data was previously backed up so data recovery thankfully is not an issue.
I have also thought to follow a suggestion from this forum to re-seat the RAM memory module and run a RAM "memory test" from the rear panel reset button boot menu. Was able to toggle the boot menu item front panel LED pattern indicating "Memory Test = Power LED and disk 2 LED are lit", selected it and watch it cycle thru several loops of a 4 LED sequence: Disk #1 LED, Disk#2 LED, Power LED, Backup Button LED (repeats), which I think indicates the RAM memory test is running and had not yet found errors. Let it run for 15 mins or so.
mdgm (NETGEAR Moderator) posted a reply 2018-08-05 which was very helpful giving me valuable information about the USB Recovery Boot process and the files involved that I think has helped me inch closer to being able to transfer a RAIDiator firmware file from a USB stick to the internal flash memory which I suspect is corrupted. The new approach involves using SYSLINUX commands to prep USB memory stick as bootable and install a boot loader file "ldlinux.sys" mentioned by mdgm and it's companion "ldlinux.c32" both of which Netgear's "usbrecovery.exe" program did not generate or place on the USB stick when I ran it many times before using 5 different older USB sticks all under 4 gigs (yes ... I admit hanging onto hardware beyond a reasonable shelf life, so they were lying around just waiting for this opportunity to shine).
Should also issue a mea culpa. Mdgm mentioned the online USB Boot Recovery instructions seemed pretty clear, though it had taken me a few tries to get the RAIDiator firmware file integrated with the output of the Netgear USB boot recovery utility. They were good instructions, but I had mistakenly extracted the RAIDiator file one folder level above the extracted USB boot recovery utility instead as intended into the same folder. If I'd paid more attention the Netgear online instructions clearly state to place them inside the same folder, apologies ... my bad.
What is puzzling: after executing the small Netgear "USBRECOVERY.EXE" program on my old WinXP system the target FAT32 USB memory stick contained several of the files mentioned by Mdgm, but not the important boot loader(?) "ldlinux.sys" file. Here is what was on my USB memory stick after executing the "usbrecovery.exe" under WinXP:
initrd.gz (2,619 KB)
kernel (2,638 KB)
RAIDiator-x86-4.2.31 (56,026 KB)
syslinux.cfg ( 1 KB)syslinux.exe (27 KB)
no "ldlinux.sys" hidden or otherwise (continued)
USBRECOVERY.EXE - What it does and does not do ?
.... so the Netgear USB boot recovery program: "usbrecovery.exe" (53 KB) I ran under WinXP did not appear to generate a linux boot loader file(?) "ldlinux.sys" to place on the USB memory stick target and no file like that was extracted from the original Netgear USB-Recovery zip archive either.
At 53 KB I'm not sure "usbrecovery.exe" would be able to make my FAT32 formated USB memory stick target "bootable" either. Probably as Mdgm mentions in an earlier post, it is up to the user to find a USB memory stick compatible with the ReadyNAS (Ultra2+), partition it properly, format partition #1 as FAT32 then run "usbrecovery.exe" linking it during creation/runtime to the correct RAIDiator firmware file in the same folder as the extracted USB Recovery utility files and finally help the ReadyNAS use the firmware file to replace it's current (possibly corrupted) firmware file stored in internal flash memory.
Why Have My Earlier Attempts to Use the USB Recovery Method Not Worked ?
Initially did not integrate the RAIDiator Firmware file (RAIDiator-x86-4.2.31 (56,026KB)) onto the USB memory stick ... operator error. Corrected that but still the Ultra2+ did not seem to initiate any conversation with the FAT32 formated USB boot recovery memory stick.
Had not done anything special on my part to make the USB memory stick "bootable", or partitioned/formated in any special way other than as FAT32, assumed those details would be done by "usbrecovery.exe". Not a good assumption in retrospect since usbrecovery.exe also did not place the "ldlinux.sys" file on the USB either. Maybe "ldlinux.sys" isn't really used by the ReadyNAS during the boot recovery, however Mdgm mentioned it should be present on the USB in an earlier post and it was not until I installed SysLinux v6 on my WinXP system ran the CLI command "syslinux.exe -m -a G:" , (from the SysLinux wiki) "-m" installs suitable MBR code into your flash drive and "-a" marks the partition on it as active. G: is my target USB memory stick. I also tried using RUFUS to prep the USB stick as bootable ..etc.
These modifications still did not engage the ReadyNAS Ultra2+ in any discernible positive response when I tried the USB boot recovery procedure.... dang. On the desperately positive side, at least one can say the Ultra2+ still did not seem to like the USB at all and did not pull any files off it (my USB stick has an activity LED). If it had acted like there was a reasonable data transfer and STILL no good outcomes, no ethernet port activity, then well maybe a hardware fault in the Ultra2+ was the source problem.
What to Try Next
Read many SysLinux wiki pages last night to gain a marginally better idea of the USB boot process using that tool, which seems to be used by NetGear for ReadyNAS. Will try different USB memory sticks, because even the SysLinux wiki mentioned CHS (Cylinders - Heads - Sectors) geometry translation on USB sticks is a huge pain and confuses many small computer systems. My guess is that nice low energy CPU's like ones used in the ReadyNAS do not have enough physical or logical memory address space to accept every lame CHS geometry used by a multiplicity of USB stick manufacturers. Big CPUs have address space to burn and aren't put off by excessively wasteful CHS allocation.... just a guess.
Will see if using the most recent Syslinux version is incompatible with the version used by Netgear ReadyNAS USB boot recovery utility, will try using an older version.
More effort to make sure the USB memory stick is partitioned and bootable in a way compatible with USB boot recovery. Anyone have suggestions about this issue ? What procedure did you use to partition and make it "bootable". Has anyone actually used USB boot recovery to fix a suspected internal flash firmware corruption issue on any ReadNAS in the Ultra or Duo or similar series ?
I tried substituting two files provided by Mdgm on the USB stick:
initrd.gz (6.4 MB)
kernel (6.2 MB)to enable remote diagnostics thru RAIDar (I think) but these would not enable booting either - no ethernet activity or visibility by RAIDar. However, it is likely I did not have the USB stick configured as "bootable" or something similar when I tested this. Will try again.
The USB key needs to be syslinux bootable. usbrecovery.exe can be used to do this or you can use a 3rd party software such as Rufus.
You can use a more recent version of the syslinux bootloader than included with usbrecovery.exe if you want.
However if the network port is broken then booting off USB isn't going to fix that.
- The NAS boots off the kernel and loads the initrd.gz and that is what has the commands to put the contents of the firmware image on the internal flash.
There were some special images made to boot RAIDiator off USB many, many years back for Sparc but for the most part there's just been USB Boot Recovery.
It is possible to use a custom USB Boot key to boot the Ultra 2+ into a tech support mode like state. That should indicate if the NIC is working or not.
However if the EEPROM on the internal flash is corrupted that would require remote assistance from NETGEAR to fix or using a customised USB Boot Recovery key with the appropriate files.
USB Boot Recovery is not a magic fix for any and every possible problem. It only helps if the problem is with the firmware on the internal flash which is rarely the case.
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