MyBookLive device can access the dashboard via IP address but not the network name (Windows 7 x64)

WD Legacy Products My Book Live
21

Exactly the same problem with mine too!

To the folks at WD – this is not really acceptable. I’ve wasted my whole weekend on exactly this same issue :frowning:

On the box it says the MyboxLive device is simple to set up. You’re supposed to just be able to plug it into your router and run the CD and presto! Well if only it was that simple. In reality it’s a nightmare.

The on-device firmware and also the software in the PC should be able to automatically talk to each other and jump through all these ‘hoops’ for us in the background. Instead we have to become experts on ‘pinging’ in a DOS box, and dealing with IP address conflicts, DHCPs. etc. etc.

The ridiculous thing is that your software on the PC/CD sometimes tells me that the MyBox is not on the network, and then tells me to do things which are completely unnecessary – like checking the box is plugged in etc, especially as when you go online you can get to the dashboard where it reports that the device is just fine. Clearly, the ‘SMART’ popup (in the system tray) is not so ‘smart’, because it often disappears because it cannot find the drive itself. Your software should be able to locate the drive, especially as not only can we find it manually by simply going online to the ‘Dashboard’, but also the MyBox Public folder and the files in it  are still accessible in ‘My Computer’ ! 

In short, WD, can you please in your next software update make it a LOT more intelligent and fix this problem for us, once and for all?

Many thanks in advance for your advice.

Regards,

Martin.

22

Unfortunately, ya’ll have NO IDEA what you’re talking about.

If you can’t browse by NAME, it’s your NETWORK’S FAULT.    There’s NOTHING WD can do to make your COMPUTER work.   The MBL is a standalone box.    It can’t magically fix your PC’s configuration problems.

When you type a name like this:

\mybooklive\myshare

Your PC has to go to NetBIOS Name Service (or any of several substitutes) to resolve that name to an IP.   If it can’t do it, your PC IS BROKEN.

If you are trying to get to the Dashboard, like this:

http://mybooklive/UI

and your PC cannot resolve that name via DNS, then your COMPUTER or DNS service is BROKEN.

There is NOTHING the MyBook Live can do to fix YOUR issues.

23

TonyPh12345,

There is no need to SHOUT so much. I can read in lower case just fine :wink:

Secondly, you’ve just done what so many other companies do who have bad customer service: just throw it all back (with inaccuracies) and say it’s all the customer’s own fault. For example, someone from WD earlier in this thread suggested we should never turn the router off. Implying that if we did so it would be the customer’s ‘fault’ if problems then arose. Well that is totally unacceptable. I should be allowed to turn my router off when I want. I should never be forced to have it switched on 24/7 365 days a year. It’s energy wasteful to leave it on when I’m away for a while. I also don’t want people seeing my network when I’m away and having lots of time to try hack into it. If the MBL cannot reconnect properly to the network and PC after a reboot than that’s WD’s fault, not our’s.

Note that in my particular case I can go to http://mybooklive/UI and access the MBL dashboard. So why on earth – intermittently – can’t the ‘smart’ thing in the Windows desktop tray see it?

 – and it’s not just me – lots of normal, reasonable people are having exactly the same issue. The way it stands presently, MBL and the associated software is not aligned to the needs of ‘normal’ intelligent people. In my case I have an engineering masters degree, and I have also programmed computers since the days of the ZX81, Commodore PET, and the C64.

  

Martin.

24

Martin:

 If the MBL cannot reconnect properly to the network and PC after a reboot than that’s WD’s fault, not our’s.

Methinks you have a fundamental misunderstanding of how networks actually function, because that statement is just simply wrong.

When you shut off a router, then the DHCP Lease Table (that is managed by the router) is lost.

If the MBL is using DHCP, and If the MBL attempts to renew its lease while the router is OFF, it will fail.   If the DHCP server isn’t restored by the time the DHCP lease expires, it will not be able to get a new lease.   

If the Router is also performing the DNS registration service for DHCP devices, then the hostname to IP translation is also lost.

If the router is also performing DNS SERVICES for any clients, then DNS lookups will fail during the time between the DNS cache expiring on the client and until the DNS server is restored.

If instead of using DHCP, a static IP address is defined, then there is no automatic DNS registration made at all, so the user has to define a manual DNS entry in their DNS server (or router.)

You *are* allowed to turn off your router whenever you want.   But you have to realize the impact of doing so.   You can’t just patently blame the WD for failing to work when you’ve chopped its legs out from underneath it.  

Just like driving a car down the highway:  You can turn the engine off any time you want; but you must be prepared for the loss of power stearing and power braking, etc…  The car will still be controllable if the driver is prepared to deal with the change.

The phrase “Exactly the same issue” keeps getting tossed out.    But there’s several issues being discussed here.

My comments are with respect to people talking about this thread’s SUBJECT:   Can access the dashboard via IP but not the network name.   So I’ll say it again.   That’s a PC or Network configuration problem.   It is impossible for the WD MBL to respond to name requests; that’s not how the protocol works.   The MBL doesn’t even SEE the requests until the name has been translated.  The Name is translated to an IP address first using DNS.    And that protocol is the responsibility of devices OTHER than the MBL:   The PC and/or the router.

I can darn near guarantee that if the people having this issue add an entry to their static HOSTS file, that problem would go away.    But it should not be necessary.    I haven’t editted a HOSTS file in more than a decade.  

I have no idea how the “Smart” software works;  I have no need for it and it’s not even installed.   So, yes, there may be something amiss with that software, but that’s not what this thread was about… 

25

ok – thanks a lot Tony.

p.s. a few days ago I used the desktop app option: “Shutdown” . Then on re-powering startup, my Dune media player could no longer see the MBL. The only thing which got it all working again was to update all the firmware – both in the MBL and also the PC-resident software.

Now presently i’m travelling, and my router at home is off, and my MBL is in standby mode with the ethernet cable unplugged from it( MBL’s red light was on, but the unit was still making a quiet hissing sound when I left it – so I presume the disc is still spinning inside??)

NB. Due to my earlier experience I was afraid to shut it down completely – as it now seems we are not meant to do this (but then, what is that “shutdown” function for?). (NB I do like to turn things off completly when not in use). I’ll be really interested to see what happens when I turn everything back on again on my return. . . Would my solution be to programme a static IP address?

26

Static IP addresses can definately have advantages;  but again, you’ll have to ensure you manage the DNS settings in your router appropriately…

27

I’m back home now. Started-up and all the IP addresses had changed again! I found the new one on the MBL’s web dashboard. I then typed this number into my Dune HD media server, and it found the MBL music folder again.

But to do this every time I start up is a pain. And now you say that the only way to stop this is to: "ensure you manage the DNS settings in your router appropriately"…

Well I’m afraid that doesn’t really help me much. Can you please elaborate?

28

Another day later, and without doing anything in particular, all devices see eachother again, and the QuickView is working. Also, I get the blue light on the MBL, indicating that the unit is in suspend mode – so I’ll leave it on.

29

Laura…I’m having the same problem…I have a session with Tim from level 2 support. If you have a fix I would like to speak to you if possible…please…please…please…please send me a message and I can give you my telephone# … Thanks!

30

i tried the reset  but no luck for me!

31

yeah, my quick info is now working.  when I hover over the icon in the notification area I see temp: good and usage(or whatever) 12%.  changing the DNS seems to have resolved all those issues.

32

I’ve read most of the threads on this issue, as I have encountered it myself.  It’s NOT a PC issue, it’s a software issue and real world usage issue.

Nor is it a reality to expect a router to be on 24/7-since when can one ensure this?

_ Your PC Isn’t Broken, it really is WD… _ 

The reality is that WD assumes that all DNS errors will be resolved within the customer’s network and as a failsafe they use a device name (http:\mybooklive]) as a way to avoid a static IP assignment.  This is not reality since errors result in the DNS resolution as well as the auto-assigned IP.  The solution is in better programming, not expecting the user to resolve issues due to presumptions the software makes.  It is not unusual for DNS errors to be re-directed, thus completely undermining WD’s attempt to make the device easy to find using a name.

In most cases, ISP’s now provide a DNS error landing page as a search assist.  Regardless of your IE settings, or opting out, the only way to rid this problem is to set your DNS settings in your Network Settings within your Win PC.

One Fix for some of you:

In the case of *Windstream Search Assist* (only in this case) the proper way to avoid a “WD Quickview>MyBookLive>Dashboard” resulting in a DNS error redirect to a seach assist (since your ISP is re-routing your error to their page), you would choose: Settings>Network Settings>Local Area Connection>Properties, then click on “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)”, then “Properties”.  In the popup window radio button click “Use The Following DNS Server Addresses”, Preffered and Alternate…in Windstreams case, those are 166.102.165.32 and 207.091.005.032.

Research your ISP’s alternate not opt in servers or contact your customer service for your isp to resolve the DNS redirect.  They may not readily give up this information, and like some who post here, tell you it’s YOUR PC AND YOUR FAULT because you don’t understand networks.  Ignore them and push on to google “remove DNS search assist for [insert isp name here]”

Hopefully…

In short, WD is relying on something that is NOT consistent in the real world of PC’s to use as a menu function, and thus it IS poor programming to do so.  The IP address should be fixed static as part of the installation and as the menu selection, not the DNS name to be translated and resolved.  Add management software for this and it will be easy.  If that’s too much trouble, then remove the dashboard feature (along with the Map feature) and the rest…what’s the point of having the software installed if it’s not managing the device via a devoted connection anyway?  At worst, at least make them customizable for the user to enter a static IP rather than worrying about the whole DNS resolution.

Lightening anyone?

Also, WHO DOESN’T turn off their router?  This is inevitable, due to such things as POWER OUTAGES, Cleaning, re-locating, rebooting after system changes etc.  To think that a customer has an uninterruptable power source for their product is extremely naive.

Hopefully these issues will be fixed, yes FIXED by WD in subsequent software updates so that their software will be more user friendly and less prone to errors due to real world issues.

The only thing of any consequence in the previous post regarding the user’s PC being Broken (which is NOT true) is the use of STATIC IP addresses.  Regardless of the warnings, using a static IP ensures on reboot the user can at least use a bookmark to find the My Book without having to resort to NetSniffer or their router to discover connected devices.

Since WDLive Boxes have the ability to be seen on the network without the aid of static IP’s, it would be likely that the solution is within the next software release, not the user.

33

I’m not sure if you’re talking about the PC-based software being broken, or the Web Access to the MBL.

But since you’re referring to URL Redirection, I’m assuming you’re talking about web access to the MBL dashboard, in which case you couldn’t be more inaccurate.

 _ Your PC Isn’t Broken, it really is WD… _ 

No, it is NOT the WD, and it may NOT (but probably is) your PC, but it might be your router.

In order to be able to resolve the URL http://mybooklive

Your PC *MUST* be able to resolve that name to an INTERNAL IP ADDRESS.    It doesn’t matter one whit if your ISP uses DNS REDIRECTION.     Even if you point to a DNS that does NOT use Redirection, you will STILL get an error if your machine is incapable of properly resolving that name.

There are only THREE ways of making this work.

  1>   Define a static HOST entry in your PC’s “hosts” file, whereever it might be.

  2>   Correctly configure your ROUTER to resolve all internal names, and pass EXTERNAL queries to a DNS via its own DNS PROXY.

  3>   Use a REGISTERED domain name for your internal network, and use a public DNS to resolve the name to your internal IP space.

Either way, this is what a properly functioning resolution looks like:

C:\Users\Tony>ping mybooklive

Pinging mybooklive.xxxxx.net [10.0.0.15] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 10.0.0.15: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64
Reply from 10.0.0.15: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=64

My PC queried the DNS address for “MYBOOKLIVE”.   My Router is acting as the DNS server, so it properly responded with an INTERNAL address of 10.0.0.15, and of course, the pings respond.

 The IP address should be fixed static as part of the installation and as the menu selection, not the DNS name to be translated and resolved.

No, that’s not true, either.

If your MBL is using DHCP, and your router is a properly functioning DHCP server and DNS proxy (which the majority are)  the DHCP lease request from the MBL will also include the client’s HOSTNAME.   The DHCP handler in the router should take that hostname and feed it to the internal DNS server of the router.

It will look like this, using my router as an example:

All of those items marked as DYNAMIC also registed the hostname shown, so I can now do:

C:\Users\Tony>ping BLACKBERRY-EAB5
Pinging BLACKBERRY-EAB5.xxxxxxx.net [10.0.0.154] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 10.0.0.154: bytes=32 time=1654ms TTL=128
Reply from 10.0.0.154: bytes=32 time=47ms TTL=128

So, again, even though it’s DHCP-based, I can still find it BY NAME on my network.

 Also, WHO DOESN’T turn off their router?

Anyone who expects these things to work properly…

 This is inevitable, due to such things as POWER OUTAGES…

C’mon.  Now you’re just being silly.  If your power is out, your PCs and your MBL is down, so all of this is moot.  And if your PC and MBL are on a UPS, then your router darn well better be, too, as REGARDLESS of what your workarounds are, you still are depending on it to resolve DNS.

 Hopefully these issues will be fixed, yes FIXED by WD in subsequent software updates.

They cannot fix your network.  That’s your responsibility.