The Nighthawk AX router's DLNA Media Server intermittently stops working (Roku devices hang when trying to browse content) until I reset the router, or disable & re-enabled DLNA Media Server in the Advanced Menu. Even after DLNA stops working, I can continue to access the drive fine as a Windows network share drive from a PC, but can no longer view shared media content via DLNA (using the Roku Media Player app, Roku 3 or Roku Ultra, wired or wireless). Nothing is recorded in the router logs when the DLNA server stops working. I've reproduced this with only a handful of MP4 video files on the Samsung USB drive, and note that the Roku Media Player is able to play the content if I plug the same USB thumb drive directly into the Roku, taking the Netgear router out of the picture completely (but this makes it less convenient to add content to the USB drive).
Re: RAX45 DLNA server stops working intermittently
No, I have not done a factory reset and setup from scratch since I last upgraded firmware. Am I supposed to do that whenever the router does an Automatic Firmware Update?
Re: RAX45 DLNA server stops working intermittently
Firmware upgrades should retain and update settings as needed, though in some rare edge cases, corruption can happen, and in those cases, clearing the NVRAM is needed (basically what the factory reset does).
If the issue happens after a factory reset, another thing to test, is connecting a different drive, even if it is just a flash drive, and put a few random media files on it, and see if the issue still happens, it ie doesn't, then odds are likely that you may have a media file that has some corrupt metadata that is causing the DLNA service to freak out. In which case, the only way to find out which file is doing it, will be to head to the debug page and then start capturing debug logs, then saving the zip file, then unzipping that file to a new folder, and then reviewing the logs for DLNA related errors and see which files it failed on.
Just remember, do not share debug logs on a public forum, since they contain all router config data in plain text, including the router's admin password, WiFi passwords, and other passwords for things such as DDNS services.
PS, if you ever need to do a factory reset to solve an issue, do not immediately restore a backup config file since the config files are essentially an encrypted image of the NVRAM, thus if there is corruption there, it will essentially restore that corruption.
Though one option that is useful, is to do abackup of the config file, especially if you have a large number os port forwards, address reservations, and security policies which can take a long time to re-enter. In those cases if a factory reset doesn't solve the issue, you can simply restore the backup.
Re: RAX45 DLNA server stops working intermittently
@Razor512 Thank you for the suggestions. Using the www.routerlogin.net web ui, I don't see a "Debug" page or the option to save a "Debug Log" (I do have all available logging options enabled and nothing appears in the log regarding DLNA), so please let me know if there's something I'm missing there.
Re: RAX45 DLNA server stops working intermittently
Usually it can be accessed via the router IP /debug.htm
For example if it is 192.168.1.1 the the debug page will be 192.168.1.1/debug.htm
This is a harder method of tracking the issue since the log files will contain a massive amount of unrelated info to look through.
In terms of efficiency and time, to rule out any issues with the miniDLNA process and the client device, testing it with a USB flash drive and a few random media files can help.
If it is stable there, then it could indicate an issue with the index or cache that it generates. If needed you could clear it by disabling the DLNA service, and then deleting the folder named ". Ready DLNA", and then enabling it again to have it rebuild the cache and index.
If it still happens, it could potentially be a corrupt media file causing the service to crash.
Re: RAX45 DLNA server stops working intermittently
@Razor512 Thank you for the suggestions. As a firmware engineer myself, I highly value the debug logs. I'll try these suggestions and see what happens.
