How do I go about disabling updates? I'm comfortable with they system running exactly as is and have it safely confined to my local home network where security will not be an issue. Every single time I visit the NAS web interface I'm prompted to update or cancel. There has to be some way to disable these notifications or the updates themselves right? Thanks in advance. 🙂
Please note that firmware updates come with a range of improvements including new features, enhancements, bug fixes, security updates etc. Whilst from what you said you may not be interested in the security fixes, you would still benefit from the other improvements. I would not recommend staying on an old firmware version.
Currently running 6.2.2 and I literally have zero reasons to update a working system.
I understand that it's recommended, but I'm confident that I can handle things. 🙂 Guess if I have to (and assuming possible) I'll manually edit the web interface on the device itself to exclude the dialog.
Yup, this is the exact kind of thing I run into everytime I update any system I own. Sure there are great new things, and every possibility of something going wrong.
Usually everything is fine, othertimes I end up having to SSH into a system and force reinstall GRUB or some non-sense.
I'd just rather avoid it and not have the popup every single time I load the interface.
Making updates mandatory, atleast in the sense of nagging dialogs, isn't ever a good idea.
I would encourage the firmware update. With any update there will be some users who run into issues, but that should not dissuade you from updating. You are more likely to run into issues staying on older firmware than updating to 6.2.3 in my view.
I'll keep an eye out for major bug reports and likely update in a month or two if I'm satisfied that there won't be any issues. Until then my only options to stop the nagging are clear.. edit the web interface myself, or configure system level host blocking to prevent the device from determining that there is an update available. Thanks again for your advice, but I'll just go another route. You folks should consider making update nagging an option in the future since not everyone wishes to see these notifications.
Every time I have let ReadyNAS do an update it wipes out the modifications I've had to make to get the fan spinning fast enough to keep the 6 hard drives cool (before modification we lost two 3TB drives over a couple of months, looked stongly like failed due to overheat - when pulled from box were almost too hot to handle! Without modding fan would only spin around 900rpm and drives were often reporting over 49 degress C, with the fanspeed mod the fan varies based on hard drive temp and hovers around 1800rpm and drives sit around 35 degress C ).
Or it changes how the underlying system works so the fanspeed mod no longer functions and so it needs modifying again (of course if Netgear software also monitored hard drive temps and adjusted fans accordingly I wouldn't have any need to do this).
None of the public type interfaces are turned on with this box (only the management interface) and it is behind a corporate firewall so security is not an issue.
I also can not have the risk of an update doing bad things to box (as previous poster mentioned), it is the primary backup repository for around 15 servers and needs to be up 24/7. It functions well now and l'd like to leave it in this stable state.
The web browser compatability reason for updates strikes me as a red herring, I'm sure I could find a browser to still talk to it if need be.
So Netgear, how about giving us ability to turn OFF these updates? I would go through the grief of an update to get this 'turn off' ability.
Failing that, does anyone know what may need changing in the underlying linux system to stop it searching for updates?
Of course you can set up the NAS to only apply the updates when you explicitly tell it too. So this is really only about not seeing the prompt that an update is available.
A home user (and perhaps some business users) can block update.readynas.com in the firewall/router and download/install updates manually.
If you don't need internet access, you can also deliberately assign a static address w/o a DNS server. You'd need to use IP addresses for NTP (which you should try first, just to make sure it functions ok).
I think that users should install updates (perhaps after a delay in order to make sure they are stable). The Synolocker attack that hit Synology users last year used a vulnerability that Synology had fixed several months before. Users who kept up with updates were not affected. So there is value in keeping up.
But I also see the value in being able to disable the pop-up, since it is quite easy to install the update accidentally from the pop-up. Users do need to be in control.
Blocking on the router would work, but on principle, shouldn't be required. A user shouldn't be required to work-around something which should be device configurable.
I will post this on the suggestions forum - as it should be up to administrators to decide when to update.
Instead of an all encompassing prompt, that completely takes over the administration webpage, preventing you from further administering your box until you actively click "cancel/ignore/no thank you" every... single... time... you log-in to administer the box, why not a simple message or note on the front screen, next to the current version?
Something like "6.2.5 ***A newer version is available***. Click here for more information. Click here to install." And further, why not offer to update to a newer BUT NOT THE NEWEST version by the web administration page! "Click here to select which version to install"
Blocking on the router would work, but on principle, shouldn't be required. A user shouldn't be required to work-around something which should be device configurable.
I don't disagree.
But if there are steps users can take now, it's worthwhile identifying them.
I found the best way to disable updates is to edit the /etc/hosts file and statically map update.readynas.com to localhost ip 127.0.0.1. This means update checks are disabled and I can update manually, when I want, to the version I want.
I found the best way to disable updates is to edit the /etc/hosts file and statically map update.readynas.com to localhost ip 127.0.0.1. This means update checks are disabled and I can update manually, when I want, to the version I want.
Clearly that will work, and is very targeted. If you have a router with parental controls, I think you can accomplish the same thing (w/o ssh) by blocking access to update.readynas.com in the router.
