NAS326 web gui stuck in NFS package update loop after fw update to 5.21

AlexSA

Hi all, new user here, thought i'd ask before i start deleting filers over ssh and potentially getting myself into even more trouble!

Situation: An old NAS326, was partly set up years ago as NFS server, never really used, but would like to use it now. Decided to apply fw update (5.10 to 5.21) which went ok I think until the second reboot. Now, I can't use the web interface at all because whatever I do (please see images below), it will hang. Seems I should have removed the NFS package before updating? But I didn't know this. Oops.

Have working SSH access (FFP) thankfully, and the (default) LAN shared folders are also working. My SSH knowledge is extremely rusty.

Here's what I see after login (yes & no buttons below are cut off the image, they are there):

If I choose yes (it hangs here);

If I choose no (it hangs here):

If I refresh, then I'm back at first stage (pic above), and so on, forever.

My first thought it to delete the NFS package over SSH. Is this the right course of action? How best to do this without breaking anything else? The server isn't in use, I don't mind reinstalling NFS etc.

Here's what's installed on my box. The first NFS package was installed and working, the second appears to be just a link to FTP:

 ftp://ftp2.zyxel.com/NAS326/zypkg/5.21/NFS_1.3.0_arm_006.zpkg

AlexSA

maybe worth adding: network settings afaik were/are correctly configured on the box, it updated online, and I can ping google from the SSH command line.

ikubuf

I think this package is not available on the new firmware of NAS.
I find a topic has a link for the mirror repository  
https://community.zyxel.com/en/discussion/comment/40196#Comment_40196
 http://zyxel.diskstation.eu/Users/Mijzelf/zypkg-repo/zyxel_fw4_zypkgs/, which can be added to MetaRepository instead of ftp://ftp2.zyxel.com/+

AlexSA

thanks! NFS not working would be a problem for me as that's what box was bought for... but I think it is still working after update, just that I can't configure anything because web gui stuck! hmm.

yes I see the NFS package isn't in the link in that thread for newer  NAS devices. the older directory has v 004 and 005 (not the 006 my box is looking for).

Any tips please how to configure MetaRepository from the command line? That itself might get me out of this loop?

AlexSA

aha! from your link above I found this path which has the 006 NFS package my NAS is looking for!

ftp://ftp2.zyxel.com/NAS326/zypkg/5.21/NFS_1.3.0_arm_006.zpkg

great. now could anyone please advise how to add a path to the config files over SSH? i'll try later but very unsure where everything is located on these boxes..

big thanks in advance

btw, if anyone from Zyxel is reading, this doesn't really solve the problem that the box can semi-brick itself from an update quite easily? /

AlexSA

Sorry I think i'm barking up wrong tree, the NAS seems to know that folder already? Does this look correct?

I think I need to go back to my first idea, deleting NFS and reinstalling it? Because I need to get the Web UI working, then NFS working (NFS is currently working!). Can anyone with experience advise what to do please?

Mijzelf

You are looking at the wrong place for your packages. MetaRepository is not more than an 'in between'. The actually installed packages are installed in /i-data/sysvol/.PKG/ (mind the dot). I think you can disable NFS by executing 

su

mv /i-data/sysvol/.PKG/NFS /i-data/sysvol/admin/

reboot

If that doesn't solve the issue you can simply revert it.

AlexSA

brilliant thanks! i'll try later when i get a moment and let you know what happens

so that moves NFS installed package to admin folder (so it won't execute?)

great, thanks!

Alex

AlexSA

ok i tried that and it's no longer asking about NFS update, but the Web UI seems to be stuck with a loading circle after logging in... any ideas please how to check the log to see what it's stuck on? many thanks!

looks like my 3rd pic above, loading spinner, blue background, nothing more happens.

A

Mijzelf

Have you already tried another browser, clear your browsers cache, or use a 'private window'? In the past there have been problems after firmware updates and webinterface, caused by the browser having cached a now incompatible script.

If that is a dead end, you could try to move all packages from .PKG to admin. (You can see them with 'ls /i-data/sysvol/.PKG/') and if that solves the issue move them back one by one, (with a reboot in between) to see which one causes the issue.

If moving all packages doesn't help, the only remaining option is a factory reset (3 beeps) I think.

AlexSA

Yes it looks like i'm probably going to have to do factory reset, but before i do that, is there a log from the webui to see where it's hanging please?

slightly afraid of bricking it, as it is basically working now with FFP installed. when i factory reset i'll lose the FFP, just busybox? will telnet or ssh be ON by default?

doesn't appear to be a browser issue, happens with current versions of firefox, chromium on laptop and accessing from a mobile browser, all the same.

can try disabling each package as you said, i'm now thinking it wasn't related to NFS at all, perhaps that was another issue. i've no idea.