Tutorial How to get Samba 4.18.8 running on an RT-AX86U Pro running Merlin 3006.102.4_0

[bennor]

Is SMBv3 the new router default in FW v3006?

The default (it appears) is SMBv1 + SMBv2.
Currently in 3006.102.4 the Samba protocol version choices are:
SMBv1
SMBv2
SMBv1 + SMBv2

PS: The GT-AX11000 doesn't support 3006.x firmware. It is on the 388 firmware track (3004.388.9_2). The GT-AX11000 Pro supports stable 3006.102.4 and beta 3006.102.5-beta2.

 

[Jeffrey Young]

I

Hi & thanks for the detailed write-up & the following tips.

Is SMBv3 the new router default in FW v3006? Because my router has v3004 and I'm still at SMBv2. Which has been a huge pain for a while (e.g. I'm using WSL a lot (Windows Subsystem for Linux), and its latest v6 kernel is built without support for SMBv2. So any SMB shares on the router aren't available, and I've had to stay with the previous v5 kernel. But now v6 is out of beta so I'll have to move on at some point).

I assume for you to write a whole guide, the method of bind mount isn't recommended? E.g. install smbd in Entware, and bind mount the router's smbd to that so it runs instead. It's what I've been postponing indefinitely planning to do at some point.

I looked for a v3006 build, but it looks like it's a beta build and there isn't one for my router yet (GT-AX11000), so I was wondering, do you think your guide could work in v3004 or should I just wait for v3006's official release?

I can't say for the 3006 firmware as I don't use it. Like Colin, so far my solution has not given me any grief.

 

[iTyPsIDg]

Well, the hard drive I used for this purpose crashed last weekend. I'm not quite as nomadic anymore, so I guess I'll finally get a NAS.

 

[bibikalka]

Ha! How ironic... I had just done the same thing yesterday and was going to PM you about. See my scripts below, but on first glance they seem to be functionally the same as yours (although I'm running the Samba4 version of nmbd - but I can't see a good reason to do that).
...

So I get samba from Entware, save these scripts, and that's all? Or are there any more steps on top of the 2 scripts?

This thread was discussing a few things, but what's the clear guide now?

 

[ColinTaylor]

So I get samba from Entware, save these scripts, and that's all? Or are there any more steps on top of the 2 scripts?

All you need to do is install samba4-server and then create my two scripts. Remember to make the scripts executable with chmod 755. Reboot and that's it.

This thread was discussing a few things, but what's the clear guide now?

Yes it's a bit confusing. There was @iTyPsIDg's original solution which required a few tweaks. Then there were two alternative solutions proposed by myself and @Jeffrey Young. These latter two solutions were simpler and used the same basic idea of being compatible with the router's webUI.

 

[bibikalka]

All you need to do is install samba4-server and then create my two scripts. Remember to make the scripts executable with chmod 755. Reboot and that's it.
...

Ok, installed samba4-server, created scripts, then chmod. Did this instead of reboot:

/opt/etc/init.d/S90smb start

The old Samba drives are working as before.

I get this output, does this mean Entware Samba is working?

admin@RT-AC86U-9988:/# smbd -V
Version 4.18.8

 

[ColinTaylor]

I get this output, does this mean Entware Samba is working?

admin@RT-AC86U-9988:/# smbd -V
Version 4.18.8

No. It just means that you've installed the Entware package. You need to restart the router's Samba service. The simplest way to do that is to reboot the router.