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Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)

Rustie-
Aspirant

Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)

I need to know if it is possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 just as a Direct Attached Storage (DAS) device as opposed to a NAS. Strange question I know. However, I'm not an IT pro by any means, but from what I have read on various forums trying to find a solution I understand that Microsoft have stopped supporting the SMB1 file sharing protocol recently due to security vunerabilities. As the Duo v2 uses this protocol and presumably, because Netgear have also stopped supporting this system becasue let's face it it is getting a bit old, I can no longer see my device as a drive within file explorer. I can log onto it through the IP address over the inernet so I can view the files stored on it but I can no longer save files to it making it pretty useless. It's frustrating because the system itself works absolutely fine, or at least it did, there's nothing else wrong with it at all, I've got masses of space left on the disks and I really don't want to just throw it out. Hence my question, is it possible to somehow use this a DAS. I'm currently running Windows 7, although I'm looking to upgrade this to 10 as soon as I get time. Any help would be appreciated.

Model: RND2000v2|ReadyNAS Duo v2 Chassis only
Message 1 of 12
StephenB
Guru

Re: Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)


@Rustie- wrote:

I need to know if it is possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 just as a Direct Attached Storage (DAS) device as opposed to a NAS. 


No, you can't.  If you were to get a new NAS, you could repurpose your old Duo as a backup device (using rsync backup jobs).

 


@Rustie- wrote:

 I can log onto it through the IP address over the inernet so I can view the files stored on it but I can no longer save files to it making it pretty useless. 


I am assuming you mean "over your home network", and not "over the internet".

 

What firmware are you running?

 

You should be able to store files also - I am suspecting you have a credentials issue on the PC.  Can you try running the command prompt on the Windows PC, and entering

net use * /delete /y
net use t: \\nas-ip-address\C /user:admin nas-admin-password

using the real NAS IP address and admin password of course.  Be careful on the typing (the spaces and the slash directions matter).

 

The first command will terminate any open network sessions, the second attempts to map the NAS data volume to drive letter T.  Note this won't work if the NAS is still using the default admin password.

Message 2 of 12
Rustie-
Aspirant

Re: Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)

I will give this a go and check the firmware version when I get home from work. 

Message 3 of 12
schumaku
Guru

Re: Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)


@Rustie- wrote:

... from what I have read on various forums trying to find a solution I understand that Microsoft have stopped supporting the SMB1 file sharing protocol recently due to security vunerabilities. ...


This is not correct. The effecive vunerabilities for SMB 1.0 on Windows and Linux/SAMBA were fixed essentially almost before the big noise whent through the media years ago.

SMB 1.0 transport protocol and the NetBIOS name resolution and discovery is still readily available on the latest Windows 10 system builds. 

 


@Rustie- wrote:

As the Duo v2 uses this protocol and presumably, because Netgear have also stopped supporting this system becasue let's face it it is getting a bit old, I can no longer see my device as a drive within file explorer.


The the Duo v2 was discontinued in 2013.  Netgear ended firmware updates for both models in 2017 (similar to Microsoft ending support for Windows 7). Netgear released a firmware update back in 2017 also for your NAS addressing the CVE-2017-7494 vulnerability which allowed to access and write to any shared folders even if the users wasn't authorized.

The "big" vulnerability was fixed on both Windows and SAMBA source code - and deployed https://kb.netgear.com/000038792/RAIDiator-Version-4-1-16-Sparc. Still, and shared folder legally accessible on a NAS, a Windows PC or Server, on a business class storage systems, ... can be encrypted by malware. Dropping SMB 1.0 does not change a s**t. 

 

I won't talk of the fact that SMB1 isn’t modern or efficient - many features have made it to the higher protocol versions. Some would (massively) help on these underpowered NAS system like yours - however, it has never happened. Other features are simply out of scope, like protocol signing or encryption

Enabling the CIFS/SMB 1.0 feature can be done in a very easy way on the Windows 10 systems: Just add/enable the CIFS/SMB 1.0 Client feature.

There are many legit reasons why users can and must continue using the SMB 1.0 [Items 1..3 stolen from a Microsoft blog, and extended:

 

  1. You’re still running XP or WS2003 under a custom support agreement.
  2. You have old management software that demands admins browse via the so-called ‘network' aka 'network neighbourhood’ master browser list.
  3. You run old multi-function printers with old firmware in order to “scan to share”.
  4. You operate legacy storage systems, legacy NAS models, ... only supporting SMB 1.0/CIFS.

FWIW - I've borrowed most of my reply from my own posts here in the community. 


So all you have to do is to enable the Windows [7,8,]10 feature (type: "feature" in the Windows search!) for the user friendly control, scroll down to "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing" - required is only the  "SMB 1.0/CIFS Client". Let it rattle, reboot the WIndows system - and ta-taa your Duo v2 will be discovered again, and the file share access is back.

Send beer or money 8-)

Message 4 of 12
Rustie-
Aspirant

Re: Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)


What firmware are you running?

 

You should be able to store files also - I am suspecting you have a credentials issue on the PC.  Can you try running the command prompt on the Windows PC, and entering

net use * /delete /y
net use t: \\nas-ip-address\C /user:admin nas-admin-password

using the real NAS IP address and admin password of course.  Be careful on the typing (the spaces and the slash directions matter).

 

The first command will terminate any open network sessions, the second attempts to map the NAS data volume to drive letter T.  Note this won't work if the NAS is still using the default admin password.


The firmware version is 5.3.13

 

I've tried the instruction on the command promt (assuming I am doing it correctly) and the response I'm getting is "System error 53 has occured"  "The network path was not found" 

I know the IP address I'm typing in is correct and so is the admin password and I've double checked the spaces and slash directions so they are also correct.  Any further ideas?

 

 

 

Message 5 of 12
Rustie-
Aspirant

Re: Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)


So all you have to do is to enable the Windows [7,8,]10 feature (type: "feature" in the Windows search!) for the user friendly control, scroll down to "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing" - required is only the  "SMB 1.0/CIFS Client". Let it rattle, reboot the WIndows system - and ta-taa your Duo v2 will be discovered again, and the file share access is back.

Send beer or money 8-)

I've looked at this before due to post I read on another forum, but SMB 1.0 just doesn't exist in the Windows Feature list on my machine. I've opened up all the sub files in the list, just to check, it's just not there anymore.

Message 6 of 12
StephenB
Guru

Re: Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)


@Rustie- wrote:

So all you have to do is to enable the Windows [7,8,]10 feature (type: "feature" in the Windows search!) for the user friendly control, scroll down to "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing" - required is only the  "SMB 1.0/CIFS Client". Let it rattle, reboot the WIndows system - and ta-taa your Duo v2 will be discovered again, and the file share access is back.

I've looked at this before due to post I read on another forum, but SMB 1.0 just doesn't exist in the Windows Feature list on my machine. I've opened up all the sub files in the list, just to check, it's just not there anymore.


SMB 1 is enabled on your Win7 machine, unless you ran specific commands to disable it.

 

Can you try rebooting the PC and re-entering the commands I gave you above?  You can also change C to a share name.

 

Also, are you running internet security software on the PC?

 

 

Message 7 of 12
Rustie-
Aspirant

Re: Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)


@StephenB wrote:

@Rustie- wrote:

So all you have to do is to enable the Windows [7,8,]10 feature (type: "feature" in the Windows search!) for the user friendly control, scroll down to "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing" - required is only the  "SMB 1.0/CIFS Client". Let it rattle, reboot the WIndows system - and ta-taa your Duo v2 will be discovered again, and the file share access is back.

I've looked at this before due to post I read on another forum, but SMB 1.0 just doesn't exist in the Windows Feature list on my machine. I've opened up all the sub files in the list, just to check, it's just not there anymore.


SMB 1 is enabled on your Win7 machine, unless you ran specific commands to disable it.

 

Can you try rebooting the PC and re-entering the commands I gave you above?  You can also change C to a share name.

 

Also, are you running internet security software on the PC?

 

I understand what you are saying but this isn't a problem that has happened just now, I first noticed it a couple of months ago. I don't use the NAS every day, it's used as a back up for my files and photo's etc. rather than it being used as a full system back up every time I switch my pc on, so the PC and the NAS have both been rebooted numerous times since I first noticed I couldn't see it as a drive in explorer, it makes no difference, I still can't see the NAS as a drive. I definitely haven't disabled anything myself that might cause this issue.

 

I am using internet security on my pc, but it's the same software I've been using for the last couple of years without any problems, so unless an update a couple of months ago caused a conflict I'm not sure why that should now be causing the problem.


 

Message 8 of 12
StephenB
Guru

Re: Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)


@Rustie- wrote:

I am using internet security on my pc, but it's the same software I've been using for the last couple of years without any problems, so unless an update a couple of months ago caused a conflict I'm not sure why that should now be causing the problem.


You should rule that possibility out by disabling that software and then trying the commands I gave you again.  Some internet security software will block SMB 1 access by default, and it is possible that your software was updated to do that.

 

If you don't use the NAS much, you could also enable FTP access for the shares, and use an FTP client like FileZilla or WinSCP to access the shares.  Though we should be able to get SMB 1 to work, FTP would give you an immediate way to upload and download files.

Message 9 of 12
Rustie-
Aspirant

Re: Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)


@StephenB wrote:

@Rustie- wrote:

I am using internet security on my pc, but it's the same software I've been using for the last couple of years without any problems, so unless an update a couple of months ago caused a conflict I'm not sure why that should now be causing the problem.


You should rule that possibility out by disabling that software and then trying the commands I gave you again.  Some internet security software will block SMB 1 access by default, and it is possible that your software was updated to do that.

 

If you don't use the NAS much, you could also enable FTP access for the shares, and use an FTP client like FileZilla or WinSCP to access the shares.  Though we should be able to get SMB 1 to work, FTP would give you an immediate way to upload and download files.


So I disabled the software and retried the commands but I'm still getting the the same error message as previously.

So going back to SMB1. I rechecked the Windows Feature list once I had disabled the internet security software, assuming I am looking in the right place, SMB1 still wasn't there to re enable.

 

To be honest I'm starting to think it's not worth the effort to try and resolve this, it's proving more problematic than I thought it would be. I think perhaps I need to get my laptop upgraded to Windows 10 then see where I am after that. If that doesn't resolve anything I think I might resort to a couple of HDD enclosures to put the disks from the NAS in and just use them for direct access to back up my files. If I then get some disk encryption software to secure them I think this is probably simpler than trying to resolve the issues with the NAS. Seems a shame to get rid of something that in essence is perfectly useable but it's starting to get frustrating. 

 

 

Message 10 of 12
schumaku
Guru

Re: Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)

Well, the problem is related to your Windows system and not dependant of the aged ReadyNAS Duo v2. Unclear why SMB 1.0 and/or NetBIOS should have stopped working at some point - considering Microsoft has changed nothing on the longer time unsupported Windows 7 now.

Is it possible that you had followed some of the many ideas/hints/commands/hacks for forcing SMB 1.0 transport to no longer work again the days the (fixed) vulnerabilities were flooding the world - and the issues exist since that day?

 

Sorry for the misleading information - the SMB 1.0/CIFS feature controls exist since Windows 10 only - they won't magically show up on the unsupported WIndows legacy systems.

Message 11 of 12
Rustie-
Aspirant

Re: Is it possible to use a ReadyNAS Duo v2 as Direct Attached Storage (DAS)


@schumaku wrote:

Well, the problem is related to your Windows system and not dependant of the aged ReadyNAS Duo v2. Unclear why SMB 1.0 and/or NetBIOS should have stopped working at some point - considering Microsoft has changed nothing on the longer time unsupported Windows 7 now.

Is it possible that you had followed some of the many ideas/hints/commands/hacks for forcing SMB 1.0 transport to no longer work again the days the (fixed) vulnerabilities were flooding the world - and the issues exist since that day?

 

Sorry for the misleading information - the SMB 1.0/CIFS feature controls exist since Windows 10 only - they won't magically show up on the unsupported WIndows legacy systems.


Yeah I know it's windows that's causing the problem, but I definitely haven't changed anything  relating to SMB1, or anything else for that matter. Windows does it's updates and that's it, I really don't mess about with it beyond that, as I said previously, I'm not an IT pro so I just let the updates do their thing. I think I'm going to get on to Windows 10 then take it from their, it will either start working or it won't, if it doesn't at least I might have the option of resurrecting SMB1 once on that OS. Unless either of you have any other ideas to try, I really appreciate the time  time and effort both of you have offered to try and help with this. Without forums like this and people like you who know what their talking about, us amateurs would be lost. Thanks for your assistance guys, much appreciated.

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