Hi there!

I'm currently migrating my old file server to unRAID. So far it's working not too bad but I'm having an issue when accessing the shares. Webadmin is just fine.

I'm currently using 1+2 disks, fixed IP, usersecurity activated and it takes about 20 - 30 seconds to give me access to \\tower\disk1 from WinXP.

I don't think it's a translation issue as stated by Joe L. on this post because I updated my WinXP host file (not the unRAID one) and I get the same issue when accessing via the IP address.

I also have this issue when accessing via putty (telnet) : it takes a few seconds to ask for login/pw

 

I don't think it's a Win firewall issue as I get the same problem when disabling it.

 

Any idea where this could come from?

 

For more info on my project here's my first post about it

You need to put your nameserver in resolv.conf

 

In my GO script, I have:

 

echo nameserver 192.168.0.11 >/etc/resolv.conf

echo 192.168.0.50 tower >> /etc/hosts

 

Excellent! That worked like a dream!

Thanks a lot bubbaQ

And more thanks from me, that removed my 21 second delay.  I had tried the other suggestions myself, and have never seen any improvement, but after custom fitting your 2 lines, the telnet password prompt is instantaneous.

 

To help others who might want to try this:  using the example below, change 192.168.0.100 to the local IP of your unRAID server.  If necessary, change tower to your unRAID server's name, and change 192.168.0.1 to be the same as your gateway (probably the normal location of your nameserver).  And note that the first line has 1 right-angle (greater than symbol), the second line has 2.

 

A default example pair of lines, to be appended to your flash go file (/config/go) :

echo nameserver 192.168.0.1 >/etc/resolv.conf

echo 192.168.0.100 tower >>/etc/hosts

 

The default resolv.conf contains 192.168.1.1, which would only work for those few that had changed the typical router's default subnet from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.1.1.  I had changed my subnet to something quite different, which probably explains the almost 21 second delay.  Perhaps, Tom, this should be changed to 192.168.0.1, the most common value?

 

awesome.. BubbaQ and RobJ, would you mind putting a few lines of the Wiki ?

/Rene

I implemented this and it DRAMATICALLY increased my speeds when browsing directories on the server, as well as loading videos into MPC.

 

Thanks! 

Does this just get added to the next blank line in the script?

 

#!/bin/bash

# Start the Management Utility

/usr/local/sbin/emhttp &

"do we type it here"

 

thanks,

 

Dave

That's fine.

I would like to reiterate something I said in a post a while ago.  I think this is such an important thing for unraid network performance, it should be included in the next version of the web interface.  Until I made this change, I was seriously regretting my decision to go with Unraid as my network server. 

 

And I'm not sure the nameserver line is important.  In my testing, just having the

 

echo 192.168.0.50 tower >> /etc/hosts  (substituting my settings of course)

 

line made all the difference in the world.  If the nameserver line made any difference, it was in my opinion negligible. 

I posted a feature request for this.

Is this line Case Sensitive. IE should tower be Tower or does it matter.

 

I just did mine and I am about to reboot, I only have a slight lag when browsing the shares but hey if this will make none then all the better. I also add all my nethood devices to my security tabs in IE7 and that helps to load explorer a little faster as well and all the shares are listed as Local Network.

 

Thanks,

 

Dave

Fixed

Edited April 21, 20179 yr by stephenm00

I don't believe hostnames are case sensitive. Still, I would get into the habit of following case as normally it does matter in unix.

Does this still work in 4.3?

 

hey StephenM00,

 

Yes it works in 4.3. I do not think this is a Linux resident issue but a general networking procedure. I have echo turned on on my router as well. You are just helping the system (network) by broadcasting the servers makes the rest of the network (windows) have an easier time finding them.

 

Regards,

 

Dave

This worked for me My Shares came up a lot faster after doing this.

Perhaps I am stating the obvious but this is so fundamental it should not be a hack it should be a default of unRAID.

Agreed and that is why I put in a feature request.

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=2035.0

I really believe this to be a necessary fix.

It does not always improve performance, but it's an omission in setup that should be resolved.

 

To help others who might want to try this:  using the example below, change 192.168.0.100 to the local IP of your unRAID server.  If necessary, change tower to your unRAID server's name, and change 192.168.0.1 to be the same as your gateway (probably the normal location of your nameserver).  And note that the first line has 1 right-angle (greater than symbol), the second line has 2.

 

A default example pair of lines, to be appended to your flash go file (/config/go) :

echo nameserver 192.168.0.1 >/etc/resolv.conf

echo 192.168.0.100 tower >>/etc/hosts

 

The default resolv.conf contains 192.168.1.1, which would only work for those few that had changed the typical router's default subnet from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.1.1.  I had changed my subnet to something quite different, which probably explains the almost 21 second delay.  Perhaps, Tom, this should be changed to 192.168.0.1, the most common value?

 

 

I'm a little dense today: The resolv.conf and hosts is supposed to reside on the PC I'm connecting from (to the Unraid box)?

 

And that 2nd line: does that add to an existing hosts file?  /etc/hosts is not the complete path to a hosts file.

 

But then, the comment above reads: "A default example pair of lines, to be appended to your flash go file (/config/go) :", so that sounds like instead of creating 2 files on my PC, I'm supposed to put those itwo lines n a file titled GO on my Unraid box, in the config directory. But then also from what I read that GO file is supposed to exist. I don't see any GO file.

 

(I've tried a search, but this particular forum software is different from most I"ve used, and I'm not having luck searching for GO and not finding a lot of other stuff).

 

Thanks for any help...I"m just really confused on this.

 

To see the files on the flash drive, you must enable the ability to see hidden and system files in Windows Explorer.

 

Yes, those two lines, edited to represent YOUR nameserver, and YOUR unRAID server IP address, get added to the end of the "config/go" file on the flash drive on the unRAID server, NOT on your PC.

 

On unix/linux /etc/hosts IS a complete path to the "hosts" file.

 

You can shut down the unRAID server, move the flash drive to the PC, and add the two lines to the end of the "go" file using wordpad, or notepad, then move it back.

 

Make sure to edit the two IP addresses. One to be the IP address of your router, the other the IP address of your unRAID server.

 

Joe L.

Thanks Joe.

 

I do have view hidden files turned  but still couldn't see them when mapping to the Flash drive. Interesting.

 

I'll make then changes. I did notice the files there a little bit ago when I pulled the flash over to upload the syslog for my other thread re: performance.

 

 

Thanks Joe.

 

I do have view hidden files turned  but still couldn't see them when mapping to the Flash drive. Interesting.

 

I'll make then changes. I did notice the files there a little bit ago when I pulled the flash over to upload the syslog for my other thread re: performance.

 

 

There is another checkbox you need to uncheck to enable viewing of "protected operating system" files by windows file-explorer.  When checked, it hides protected operating system files.  (It comes from Microsoft as "checked" to hide the OS files)

Thanks Joe.

 

By the way, I want to tell you, you provid excellent support input. Very professional. You think ahead about what someone may forget or take for granted, and mention that while you are at it. I notice that, and wanted to tell you.

 

I feel sorta dumb...I should have thought about the system files setting. I now see the files.

 

That being said, I dno't see an etc directory, and hence hosts file.

 

Is this command being entered in the go file going to create that? If so, will it not append another entry for that host entry every time it runs? Seems like just creating teh directory and hosts file would do the job. Maybe the GO file needs to do something every time it boots?

 

As long as I've been around PCs, I only scratched the surface on Linux, years ago, then ended up in a different area of IT from Infrastructure, so never went down that path.

 

 

Thanks Joe.

 

By the way, I want to tell you, you provid excellent support input. Very professional. You think ahead about what someone may forget or take for granted, and mention that while you are at it. I notice that, and wanted to tell you.

 

I feel sorta dumb...I should have thought about the system files setting. I now see the files.

 

That being said, I dno't see an etc directory, and hence hosts file.

You will not see it when looking at the flash drive when plugged into the PC.

 

When unRAID boots, the first thing it does is uncompress the bzimage file on the flash drive and start up a Linux kernel.  It then creates an in-memory file system on your unRAID server. There are over 150 folders and over 1000 files that make up linux and unRAID.  Those are all in RAM, different that on a PC where they are all loaded on the "C" drive hard disk.  One of those files in RAM is /etc/hosts.

 

If you log onto the unRAID server using its system console, you can type

ls -lR / 

to see a file listing (log in as "root", there is no password needed until you assign one)

 

You can see the contents of the file using this command:

cat /etc/hosts

 

Cat is an abbreviation of the word "concatenate" as the command can be used to combine multiple files into one... somewhat like the "copy /b file1 file2" command in DOS.  In any case, using the "cat" command without a destination file will result in the output being sent to your terminal.

Is this command being entered in the go file going to create that?

No, the file is already there, but with the default contents.

If so, will it not append another entry for that host entry every time it runs?

No, because a fresh set of files is uncompressed from the bzimage file every time you reboot the unRAID server.

So, every time you reboot, you are back t the default contents again.

Seems like just creating teh directory and hosts file would do the job. Maybe the GO file needs to do something every time it boots?

Well, it does exactly that, it runs the "go" script and creates the entries every time you reboot.

It is different than a PC, there you load the OS files on a disk (usually once) and run them from there.  In unRAID, a new copy of the OS files are loaded into an in-memory file system every time you reboot from the compressed bzimage file.  Any changes made to the in-memory file system are gone when you reboot.  That is why some special files are copied to the "config" folder on the flash drive, to restore settings for after you reboot.

As long as I've been around PCs, I only scratched the surface on Linux, years ago, then ended up in a different area of IT from Infrastructure, so never went down that path.

I'm sure there's tons of stuff you know, in your field, that I do not.  Plenty of room for all.

 

Oh yes, Thanks for the compliment.

 

Joe L.