Solved: Accessing FTP Server

[AshleeD]

Hi,

I'm trying to set up my external hdd on my wifi router's usb slot.

For this I am being required to connect to a ftp server. My first question is why do I need an ftp server on the internet to connect to a modem in the same room as I am? Seems silly. Does this mean I will be uploading the hdd files to the net, and then download them to my computer? Would that require any special security considerations?

The options are to enable UPnP AV MEDIA SERVER and FTP SERVER. Do I need both of these enabled?

The FTP server (which I don't have a username/password for) is automatically assigned on my router interface. Do I need to do anything special to connect to it? or should I seek out an alternative FTP Server?

Any layman's responses to any of these questions would be much appreciated!

Thank you

 

[TerryNet]

How about a link to the router's user manual? It's hard to search for one w/o knowing the brand and model.

 

[AshleeD]

Thank you for your response.

Ok, the router is a Thomson TG782T. There was a link to the manual posted on this forum but the link is dead. I followed the overly simplified steps in the manual with no luck and also followed other people's guides on the web.

Basically what i'm trying to do is content sharing. One person discussed the ftp server setting in "Content Sharing" on the router's tools panel. This is the step I was up to but I am totally illiterate about ftp servers or why I even need one.

 

[AshleeD]

Hi Again,

Please let me clarify that i'm not looking to use someone else's valuable time to fix my issue and am not adverse at all to researching this topic myself. FTP servers seem very complicated and i'm really just in need of generalized feedback or advice (or a "stab in the dark" even) on the questions I asked to head myself in the right direction.

 

[TerryNet]

Maybe this TG787 manual will help. At least I think it's helping me understand what you are up against (I'm beginning on page 30).

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. We commonly think of a FTP server as being on the internet, but it can simply be on any network. In your case it will be on your LAN; it is already built in to your router; and you supply the storage in the form of a drive connected to the USB port.

If you connect that external hard drive to your computer's USB port it will be accessed by mechanisms built into the operating system. But since you want to access it over a network some other mechanism is needed. The FTP server built into the router is one mechanism to use.

Note page 32 for giving a name to the server. Looks like page 37 talks about specifying a password if desired.

Page 36 talks about the UPnP AV MEDIA SERVER. Looks like you won't need that for "normal" computer usage of the data on the drive.

Hoping this router/manual is close enough to yours to be helpful.

 

[AshleeD]

Thank you so much.

The manual is almost identical but i used the default isp address given (\\192.168.1.253) and I found the HDD! I was trying to connect with the Network Server Name, but winexplorer cannot find the address. It offers a link to the windows help guides on DNS but the Thomson manual does not have any specific instructions on what to name the server.

Enabling or disabling UPnP AV Media Server doesn't seem to effect access to the drive.

Enabling "FTP Server" is refering to connecting to the drive via the net. In this case it is irrelevant.

Another note for anyone trying this. The drive comes up with 2 blank folders: Media and Shared. It appears you can't access anything already stored on the drive, you can only read files you added over the network.

Problem solved! You've saved me many hours of reading up about FTP servers. Thanks again

 

[TerryNet]

So, I was reading about the Network File Server and thinking that was the FTP server.

Did you give the Network File Server a name? Because of the way the Computer Browser service works the name may not be known to computers on the network immediately.

The drive comes up with 2 blank folders: Media and Shared. It appears you can't access anything already stored on the drive, you can only read files you added over the network.

Did you read the stuff about "Managed Partition"? It sounds like your disk defaulted to that, but you can probably change it if desired. Depending, of course, on how much difference there is in the routers.

 

[AshleeD]

I tried their suggestion of using the Server Name "Thomson" or leaving it blank. Then tried accessing it in WE with \\Thomson. I tried my computer name, my internet connection name and even tried "Asparagus". No name will work. It say "Windows cannot access [Server Name]. Check the spelling of the name. Otherwise there might be a problem with your network." The ip number works instantly every time.

From reading the manual it appears it should be a unique name you've created. I don't know.

And yes I unchecked the managed partitions and my folders reappeared as a subdirectory of disk_a1. Viola! So it can read previously stored data.

 

[TerryNet]

The server name will need to be unique. After it is assigned it may not become available on the network until the drive or router are restarted. Even then it may take the Computer Browser service up to 15 minutes to get all computers updated on the name. And, if you only have one computer on the network, the Computer Browser service may have shut down, thinking that there is no work to be done.

in short, don't give up on the name just yet.

 

[AshleeD]

Thank you for the explanation. I wasn't giving it any time to register, but after checking services and shuting down everything and giving it time it still hasn't worked. Looking over the net there are many with the same issue (ie the 'ip address' for shared folders works but 'server name' doesn't, coupled with the same error code (0x80004005) but I haven't found much in the way of solutions. At least not anything that has worked.

I just want to check with you. I did map the drive to M: with no problem. This is the only computer connected to the router, so i'm wondering do I really need the Server Name for anything in particular? If I buy a WIFI media player I don't know if that would be affected by the issue.

What do you think?

 

[TerryNet]

As long as you have the drive mapped I doubt you'd then use the server name even if it works.

Don't know about what issues there might be with a media player. When and if you get one you may have to read about that "UPnP AV MEDIA SERVER."

 

[AshleeD]

I wasn't really satisfied with the mapping solution as you don't have ownership of the folders. So I spent hours trying to solve the issue and finally managed to get the name to work!!

If you remember I wasn't sure what to name the so-called "Network File Server/Windows Networking/Server Name". Turns out it should be the same as the hard drive. I know, like me you are thinking duh!! Yes, "Hard Drive Name here" is apparently not fancy enough.

However it has not fixed the folder permissions. Basically you can't set the permissions on the router's config page. One person online said utilised a soldering iron to do it, although you would expect there is an easier method. I'll post back the results of my research anyway.

 

[TerryNet]

Sure wasn't clear to me that the Network File Server name was anything other than an arbitrary string of characters. In fact, I would have stayed away from other known names like Computer name, hard drive name, etc.

I don't have a clue about the permissions. Am sure your research and posts are helping, or will help, others with a similar setup. I have learned that if/when I go to a network drive it won't be with that router.

 

[AshleeD]

Here is where I get disheartened. The next field in the server config below "Server Name" is "Server Description" which according to the manual you can:

"[Add] a short description for what kind of data is stored on the USB storage device."

It couldn't be more vague. Are you starting to get the feeling they are being intentionally misguiding? Googling up "Server Description" with the router brand and/or model didn't tell me anything. So I looked further and found this on an IBM iSeries server documentation:

"A network server description (NWSD) is used to give a name to the configuration, provide an interface for starting and stopping a Linux™ partition, and provide a link between Linux and its virtual disks."

For the same iSeries I found a list of NWSD values along with their corresponding user access levels. So i'm wondering if the access isn't configured by an unknown NWSD value.

The only other suggestion I had was from the person who cracked into his router with a soldering iron. The default admin on the router page is set to user="admin" password="", but there is an additional username="tech" Password="$Sec_Modem__ACCESS_CODE" or "$_PROD_SERIAL_NBR" who has elevated access. When trying to add username "tech" in lowercase letters, you can only add a user with the same or lower priviledges than you. Solder guy broke into the router and added his own username manually. It sounds a little beyond my expetise.

So it seems, after all that, I cannot have ownership on my own drive folders