NAS542 stuck in a boot loop

ilbirs

Mijzelf if I even find the correct environment (mtd2) for model 542, will this http://zyxel.diskstation.eu/Users/Mijzelf/RescueSticks/NAS540_521AATB3C0_Upgradekey.zip  script work?

Mijzelf

Both the upgradekey and the mtd dump are usable for all 5xx boxes. For the u-boot environment you'll have to set the right board id. You read the environment using /firmware/sbin/info_printenv, and use /firmware/sbin/info_setenv (info_setenv <name> <value>) to change it.

For the upgradekey you'll have to provide the right ras.bin (a renamed firmware file) and it's md5sum.

ilbirs

yes i did so

/firmware/sbin/mrd_model -s B403

although the script was executed and I see errors in the logs. and the NAS does not boot from the native firmware. Debian is booted from USB. attach a log

Mijzelf

Ubifs is not supported. Did you ever flash another kernel? Can you post a bootlog?

ilbirs

hello, I apologize for the long answer, I was on a business trip, I'm not sure about which specific log you are asking, I rebooted to and attached the main logs
regarding kernal upgrade not sure, I upgraded from 9th to 10th debian during upgrade it could upgrade kernel

Mijzelf

ilbirs said:

I'm not sure about which specific log you are asking, I rebooted to and attached the main logs

I had the impression that you had a reboot loop. But booting to Debian succeeds? So you basically want to revert to stock?

Your kernel seems stock, according to kern.log April 29. And the commandline is also OK. (Identical to the one from my 520). So I don't see why your upgrade fails.

When you put in a Debian thumb it boots to Debian, and when you remove it it's in a boot loop? Do you have serial access? A serial log from poweron to reboot can tell why it reboots.

ilbirs

I had the impression that you had a reboot loop. But booting to Debian succeeds? So you basically want to revert to stock?

yes there was a reboot cycle, yes booting from usb with dedian is successful, and yes I want to return to the stock firmware

Your kernel seems stock, according to kern.log April 29. And the commandline is also OK. (Identical to the one from my 520). So I don't see why your upgrade fails.

This may be due to the fact that I am running the update from debian? when I follow the instructions and write to a bootable USB flash drive with fs fat, then it does not boot from it

When you put in a Debian thumb it boots to Debian, and when you remove it it's in a boot loop? Do you have serial access? A serial log from poweron to reboot can tell why it reboots.

Yes, the code I insert a USB flash drive with debian, it boots with it, when I pull it out, it boots and it constantly beeps without getting an ip address. unfortunately no console cable

GandalfTheGrey

Hi everyone!
I think I may be having the same problem as the OP:

After shutting off power to my apartment to change a ceiling lamp, one of my two NAS542's shows the same behavior: when powering ON the NAS, the front power light comes on, but no beeps, no fan movement, no HDD action lights. BEFORE shutting off power to my apartment, I had powered down BOTH machines. The other one works fine, just like it did before.

I've tried resetting trough the button at the back of the NAS, but to no avail: the NAS doesn't even seem to be noticing I'm pressing RESET.

I'd like to try the fix discussed in this thread, but I consider myself just slightly above the novel Linux user. I've tried telnet from my Windows 10 PC (after activating the Telnet feature), but the connection fails. Possibly, because I had never enabled Telnet on the now failing NAS? Probably because the NAS itself is in some sort of pre-OS "limbo" state

I have a laptop that runs Linux Mint and is connected to my LAN. I could try telnetting from there, in case this is a Microsoft Telnet incompatibility, but in the meantime:

Would you kindly explain to me:
1. where/how to go about obtaining the script you were mentioning, which to me sounds like you were simply overwriting the NAS's boot process. I might be able to just use the one already posted above.
2. how to save that "script" to a USB drive, if not simply copy/paste
3. most importantly, how to make the NAS read that "script" from said USB drive
4. whether and what Telnet commands (possibly via my Linux laptop) have to be run to enable the fixes.

Thanks in advance!

GandalfTheGrey

OK, I've tried using the terminal on my Linux laptop to telnet into the non-booting using the IP address I had assigned to it. I get a "no connection/no rout to host" error. Tried the same with the working NAS, after enabling Telnet on it, and I CAN access IT via Telnet.

I will try some "fiddling around" on the broken one, mostly to learn and try out the above scripts. Let's see what happens.

GandalfTheGrey

Tried unzipping the contents of 
http://zyxel.diskstation.eu/Users/Mijzelf/RescueSticks/NAS540_521AATB3C0_Upgradekey.zip
onto a FAT32 USB drive and tried re-powering up the NAS with the USB in the front and back USB ports, alternatively. In either case, nothing happens. The USB stick has an LED that turns off to show the stick as "mounted/connected/recognized", but it stays off in both front and rear ports after power-up.

For the sake of thoroughness, and wishful thinking, I checked flash.log to see if anything happened, but I don't see any new or different info compared to the original file in the above download link.

Reluctant to try the process on the working NAS, in case the firmware flash is automatic/unattended. Don't want to potentially ruin my "reference machine" for when I will re-configure the currently broken one.