OK, I figured it out. It’s not exactly a layer8 issue, but not far off.
First off, the NTP server field in the web GUI is expecting a FQDN, like time.nrc.ca.
You can screw up the NTP setting on the NAS using Chrome for Linux. (I’m on Ubuntu) If you try to set a new primary NTP server using Chrome, you will get the 5657 communications error. At that point, you need to do a partial factory reset to restore things to the way they were.
****USE FIREFOX****
So, the fix for this was for me to simply use Firefox to configure the device after the factory reset. Using Firefox, I was unable to hose the NTP settings at all. Switching back to Chrome, I hosed the NTP settings again, and needed to do another factory reset.
So, once again, use Firefox.
This behaviour is reproducible, and here’s how. Back up your data. After doing a short factory reset, go to the NTP settings using Chrome, and try to enter a new primary time server. Enter “server time.nrc.ca”, which is an incorrect value for this field. Hit “Save” and you will get the communications error popup. Navigating back into the Settings panel, you will see the two “Notice” text fields at the top of the page as noted in my previous post.
I’ve had the same issue for the past two to three weeks. And I use FireFox, exclusively. The partial reset didn’t help, but the full factory restore did - until I tried to change the settings again and got the same communication error. And once the communications error happens, *all* the NTP hosts are gone. I’ve been back and forth with tech support a few times and they concluded that I needed to do an RMA and get a new drive! What I don’t know, at the moment because I’m typing this at work, is what my current firmware version is.
Did you put “server” in front of your hostname, or just use the full hostname?
Also, what version of Firefox do you have? I’m not running the latest version yet due to some add-on incompatibilites, but I’ll upgrade if it fixes this issue.
A tip… Find and take a copy of every configuration file on the NAS while the NAS is working correctly. Makes it a lot easier if something screws up some configuration.