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Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menues.

Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menues.

Skärmavbild 2022-10-06 kl. 00.29.53.png

I have a Readynas Ultra 6 with 6 x 4 TB which has ended up in a pretty useless state and I need help to be able to use it again.

It is basically factory reset, sharing the default file structure, but I can't access frontview to configure it, so no way to get emails if a disk breaks or to monitor failing disks, temp, etc., so I wouldn't trust it with any important data. (See screenshot above)

I have configured my browser to allow the old web server of 4.x, so browser is not complaining on outdated https.

 

The problems started shortly after I had upgraded the firmware to 6.x. It was running fine for a while, but all of a sudden it couldn't boot. On power-up it was only spinning the fans and showing the Readynas logo on the built-in display.

Having read about potential issues, I tried replacing the PSU, which turned out to be an improvement, as it went to boot, but didn't complete it. (Can't remember now what the problem was since it was a while ago and I moved on from that.) So I tried the usual steps to recover - reinstall OS, factory reset, but neither of these helped. The best I could do was to reinstall the firmware. I used OS 4.x and then the NAS booted again, but with the limited functionality it has now and I can't get any further. There is a media share that can be mounted and used fully.

 

There is no content on the disks that I need to keep, so any recovery action is okay.

 

I have tried the following:

Read lots and lots of related threads on the forum.

Boot menu can select reinstall OS and factory default, but it never completes the action.

Firmware reset is also not working (using the same USB stick that was successful before with the same 4.x image that worked before).

There is no ssh access configured, since I can't upload packets or access config menues.

 

Ideally I would like to get it back on firmware 6.x, but a working 4.x is better than nothing.

 

Thank you for reading and in particular those of you who might have ideas how to get the NAS back in working order.

         /Daniel

Message 1 of 13

Accepted Solutions
Marc_V
NETGEAR Employee Retired

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu

@DanielEnochsson

 

Welcome to the Community!

 

If the NAS is on Tech Support mode, can you send me a PM regarding its port number? so we can try to get access to it. Also, kindly provide the photo of the label with the model number.

 

Many thanks

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Message 8 of 13

All Replies

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu

Okay, I just realized that the "leds" in the lower right corner actually allows me to monitor the state of disks and fans etc. However this NAS is on its way to my blind friend and I'm not too sure he will be able to check those leds with his screen reader software, so we still need to recover the GUI

Message 2 of 13

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu

...but I would not be able to pinpoint which drive to replace if the drive led changes to red...
Btw, another thing I tried in order to recover the NAS was to boot without disks and to boot with just one other disk...

Boot without disks results in message "ERR: No disks detected!" on the built-in display and no webserver.
Boot with one different disk results in the same empty frontview frame with no way forward.

Message 3 of 13
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu

Does the model or serial number in RAIDar look messed up?  If so, and maybe even if not, your problem sounds like a corrupted VPD (vendor product data) file.  Only Netgear can repair that.  The mods ( @Marc_V and @JeraldM ) sometimes repair the VPDs remotely, so that is perhaps an option.

Message 4 of 13

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu

Really good input, thank you. Yes, the model name is garbled in the output of the Raidar app.

Problem is that I have attempted to put the unit in "Remote support" mode from the boot menu, but it didn't work... (I read somewhere that this could give access to the unit over ssh). Most of the boot menu is not-working, as far as I can tell so it's no longer possible to do factory reset etc. So if bringing the NAS up with "Remote support" actived is a precondition for fixing the unit then that's my next problem.

Message 5 of 13

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu

Actually, I decided to try again to choose Tech Support from the boot menue and this time actually worked. Not sure why it didn't work before, but now the NAS is booted in Tech Support mode and it will stay powered on in this mode for now. Hopefully @Marc_V or @JeraldM will show mercy on my system. I have taken a photo of the label underneath the unit, as a preparation and I'm ready to share the port number with them.

Message 6 of 13
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu

Once it's fixed, I recommend you look at this: Backup-and-restore-of-VPD-file-for-legacy-ReadyNAS-running-OS6.   It seems VPD corruption is becoming a more prevalent problem, and there is no telling how long the mods will be able to continue repairing them.

Message 7 of 13
Marc_V
NETGEAR Employee Retired

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu

@DanielEnochsson

 

Welcome to the Community!

 

If the NAS is on Tech Support mode, can you send me a PM regarding its port number? so we can try to get access to it. Also, kindly provide the photo of the label with the model number.

 

Many thanks

Message 8 of 13

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu

Excellent advice, @Sandshark . I will make sure to keep a copy of the vpd once the unit (hopefully) has been recovered.

Message 9 of 13

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu

An update, in case someone is watching this thread with a similar issue...
@Marc_V is helping out, but the NAS doesn't register properly in Netgear's servers while in tech support mode, so we're struggling a bit... There is telnet connectivity to the NAS in tech support, but not in the standard way... Also the label says model "RND-6A" and that is not how he was expecting to see the model. I am reasonably sure that it's a Readynas Ultra 6, but it's been a long time since I bought it and I've owned a number of models over the years, so I can't say 100% sure...

Message 10 of 13
StephenB
Guru

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu


@DanielEnochsson wrote:

I am reasonably sure that it's a Readynas Ultra 6, but it's been a long time since I bought it and I've owned a number of models over the years, so I can't say 100% sure...


Does it have an RNDU6000 part number on a label?

Message 11 of 13

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu


@StephenB wrote:

Does it have an RNDU6000 part number on a label?

No, it doesn't (at least not on the outside) This is what the label looks like (I edited out mac addresses and serial no due to the wider distribution on the forum. If you want, I can always send the unedited picture in a PM):
ReadyNas_Ultra_6_label.png

Message 12 of 13

Re: Readynas Ultra 6 frontview with firmware 4.x shows an empty frame without the configuration menu

Through Marc's petience and a process of many small steps, this strangely misbehaving NAS is now fully operational again. (It didn't register itself into Netgear's support servers in tech support mode, so we had to improvise for him to get access to it.)
I found out that it was responding on standard telnet port 23, so I setup port forwarding in my internet provider's router and gave the details to him.

Need I mention that I am extremely happy with the level of support I got for a NAS, long out of warrantly.

Message 13 of 13
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