AC66 Disk Sharing Authentication Problem

[Dilvish]

I'm running Merlin's 376.49_2 firmware on my AC66 router. I've shared a disk connected to one of it's USB ports. I can access it fine from Windows Explorer.

I'm trying to backup to the router disk using the free version of Aomei Backupper. However, when I try to connect to it, I keep getting errors (Invalid password, path etc.). I'm corresponding with their support, but they haven't been able to figure it out. This also happened when testing EaseUS ToDo Backup. However, the backup programs have no problem authenticating and backing up to a disk connected to another Windows 7 PC. They can also connect to the router's disk if I enable guest logins (but I don't want to disable passwords).

Since the backup programs can access disks connected to Win 7 systems but not the router, I'm wondering if there's an authentication bug?

 

[huotg01]

I'm running Merlin's 376.49_2 firmware on my AC66 router. I've shared a disk connected to one of it's USB ports. I can access it fine from Windows Explorer.

I'm trying to backup to the router disk using the free version of Aomei Backupper. However, when I try to connect to it, I keep getting errors (Invalid password, path etc.). I'm corresponding with their support, but they haven't been able to figure it out. This also happened when testing EaseUS ToDo Backup. However, the backup programs have no problem authenticating and backing up to a disk connected to another Windows 7 PC. They can also connect to the router's disk if I enable guest logins (but I don't want to disable passwords).

Since the backup programs can access disks connected to Win 7 systems but not the router, I'm wondering if there's an authentication bug?

Please make the following test: enable "Guest login" in the Samba page. The system will no longer check for an id/password.

Also could you please give the path used for accessing the share?

 

[Dilvish]

Please make the following test: enable "Guest login" in the Samba page. The system will no longer check for an id/password.

Also could you please give the path used for accessing the share?

I did test with "Guest login" enabled, and could access the disk, as stated in my OP.

I tried with the "simple disk name sharing" option set both ways. However, the programs still couldn't access the disk when an id/password is required.

 

[huotg01]

I did test with "Guest login" enabled, and could access the disk, as stated in my OP.

Sorry, I did missed that one...

Same work group ? I quite often also have problem connecting, but most of the time it is because I have something wrong in my login id path. Have you tried, as a test, to have the same ID and the same password on both ends, and try again ?

 

[ColinTaylor]

You need to create a Samba user account and password on the router that exactly matches the account/password you are using in your backup software. Both the account name and password are case sensitive. Don't use any non-alphanumeric characters as that can cause problems.

 

[Dilvish]

Sorry, I did missed that one...

No problem.

Same work group ? I quite often also have problem connecting, but most of the time it is because I have something wrong in my login id path. Have you tried, as a test, to have the same ID and the same password on both ends, and try again ?

Thanks for the suggestions.

The router, my desktop and laptop are all set to the same work group. I'm also using the same username and password on all three.

Any other tips I can try?

 

[Dilvish]

You need to create a Samba user account and password on the router that exactly matches the account/password you are using in your backup software. Both the account name and password are case sensitive. Don't use any non-alphanumeric characters as that can cause problems.

Thanks for the suggestions.

The Samba username and password is the same as what I'm entering in the backup software. The username and password are alphanumeric only and the cases match.

Can you think of anything else to check?

 

[huotg01]

No problem.

Thanks for the suggestions.

The router, my desktop and laptop are all set to the same work group. I'm also using the same username and password on all three.

Any other tips I can try?

When you "try to connect to it", do you enter the path, or do you browse to the path ?

You said that you can access the router disk with no problem from your PC (win 7). Could you just assign a "letter" to that share, and try again with that letter in the backup program ?

What do the logs says on the router ?

 

[Dilvish]

When you "try to connect to it", do you enter the path, or do you browse to the path ?

You said that you can access the router disk with no problem from your PC (win 7). Could you just assign a "letter" to that share, and try again with that letter in the backup program ?

What do the logs says on the router ?

I've tried connecting to it both by browsing to it and setting the path in the backup software.

I tried assigning a letter, but AOMEI Backupper doesn't show it as an option.

It seems to me that there is a problem in the firmware somewhere since this has happened when trying out different backup programs.

 

[ColinTaylor]

Can you post the output of the following command:

# grep log /etc/smb.conf
log file = /var/log.samba
log level = 0
max log size = 5

Assuming that you've got the line "log level = 0", try creating the following script and reboot the router. Then try connecting again and see if there are any clues in the log file.

/jffs/scripts/smb.postconf

#!/bin/sh

CONFIG=$1
source /usr/sbin/helper.sh

pc_replace "log level = 0" "log level = 2" $CONFIG

NB This may not work because in older versions of the firmware changes to the log level were ignored. I don't know whether that has changed in the current version.

 

[Dilvish]

I've been trying a few things over the past several days.

First, I flashed the latest standard ASUS Firmware and I was able to "login" from the backup programs with no problem. Unfortunately, I only tested briefly before I flashed Merlin's 376.49_5. I've had mixed results since. I have been able to "login" from the backup programs most of the time. However, I will still occasionally get the the "invalid password..." error. I'm not sure why it works sometimes, but not others.

I'm going to do some more testing and am considering trying Merlin's new version that I see is out now.