File transfer Hardy to SMB NAS Freezes

I do not suspect your OS, but it might be possible. If possible you could do a packet capture on the process... it almost sounds like there is an issue with the NAS. Have you tried using a different computer or a different OS to test the speed of the transfer?

What brand / model / version of NAS did you get?

I am at work now so I can't check anything from here. i will update with more information when I am back home.

If it helps, I transferred a bunch of music from my dekstop machine which is wired connection running Hardy 32-bit, and large folders of Video and Audio files transferred fine.

The problem only seems to occur on the wirelessly connected laptop which is runnign Hardy 64-bit.

That extra bit of information does help. It narrows the problem down to not including the actual NAS device. I would try using the laptop with a wired connection... if it does not have issues there we have narrowed the problem down to the wireless part of the process.

Any update Marquis?

Hi - has turned out to be a nightmare week so my apologies for the delay in responding.

Notebook PC connected by cable downloading a folder full of photos at a steady 3.8 MB/sec, no dramas. So far 1.5 GB down without issue, so cancelled and deleted the folder from the Notebook..

Ok. Pulled out the cable, restarted the computer just so we are comparing apples with apples. Check Wireless connection is ok. Check remote NAS share is mounted ok. Try to DL the same folder. It chugs along at 1.7 MB/sec with no major hiccups.

But in neither case was I also playing music in Amarok from the NAS stored collection. And nobody else is reading or writing from the NAS Disk at this time. So it's possible the issue is the NAS not managing concurrent usages properly.

Or it could be an uploading issue - which I will test next and post back the results.

Ok - I renamed the newly downloaded 2.4 GB folder to TEST, and tried to upload it back to the NAS over Wireless conection. Transfer stopped at 64.0 KB. Has been frozen for over 2 minutes.

I minimise the File Ops window, and go to the Media 1 (NAS) window, and try to open the new TEST folder to check which files had made it across. But this caused the mouse pointer to change to the "I'm busy" icon, I then switch to the Local Hard Disk folder I was copying from, and it has displayed but with no contents, and all my windows are greyed out.

My CPU monitoring is still updating, saying my CPUs are base around 16%, peaking into the 20s.

I can minimise the windows and move them, but on clicking close (on the Local Hard Disk window) I get a message saying 'The window "Data - File Browser" is not responding' - and my options are to Cancel or Force Quit.

Oh - here's another thing. I have a Screenlet runnign the image browser, pointed to the Images folder on the NAS. The image has not updated since the upload stalled.

It's now been over ten minutes.

Force quit any of the stalled windows has closed ALL of the windows, including the file operation. My Dekstop icons are no longer visible. I cannot open the Apps, Places or System menus. The show DEsktop button doesn't work.

I'm going ot restart. Only there's no response to my clicking the shutdown button.

Launchers from my Cairo Dock seem to work though. I just tried to open a Terminal from the Dock. Must have triggered some kind of reaction, as the system is now shutting down.

On restarting, change to Wired Connection.Delete the TEST folder off NAS. Then start the TEST transfer again.

File ops comes up... interesting. File Ops seems to have paused at 0 bytes transferred!

My hard disk on the notebook is still doing stuff. And the activity light on the NAS is flashing away.

Oh - the File Ops just updated to 64.kb transferred, but no further. And check ing the NAS Destination folder properties I can see that only 64.0 kb has transferred.

Update: the one file transferred now shows 128.0 KB transferred in the File Browser window, but File ops still says 64 KB.

Interstingly the images in the Screenlet image viewer are still changing, albeit much slower than usual.

So....

Looks like the problem is in the NAS receiving the files from this computer, as it is happening both Wired and Wireless.

It's too late at night now to check transfers from a different computer. I am away for a couple of days, will run checks on my return.

(sorry this is so long - just trying to be thorough)

no problem... working through these things is difficult some times...

I would like you to connect your desktop to the NAS, then start a file transfer with the laptop... when it locks (try several times to get it to lock) go to the desktop and try to upload or download files to the NAS.

If the laptop has locked and the desktop is working fine that eliminates the NAS (processor or I/O issues) and makes me go back to some problem with the wireless.

Also, did you try doing the same exact tasks / files with the laptop wired?

any update?

I just locked up the Notebook by trying to upload over wireless connection, and was still able to stream music and download a 300+ MB video file off the NAS from the wired desktop.

So the NAS seems to be coping ok.

It's the uploading from the Notebook that causes the problem.

Connection method:
Desktop - connecting by Places/Network/Media1
Seems to mount the folder - but I cant find the mountpoint.

Notebook: I followed an online guide to getting a NAS automounted on login by adding it to the FSTAB.

From the Notebook FSTAB
//10.1.1.16/Media1 /media/media1 cifs nounix,uid=mark,gid=users,file_mode=0777,dir_mode=0777 0 0

This mounts fine if I log in to Ubuntu with the wireless switched on. If Wireless is off I have to do a sudo mount -a from terminal to get it to mount. Interestingly when i do the mount -a I am asked for a password for both the sudo and for accessing the NAS even though the NAS is not password protected.

Could the mounting method be the problem?

Woohoo! Removing the FSTAB line then restarting and accessing the NAS via Places/Mewtwork allowed me to transfer the same folder that failed above to the NAS!

So it;s looking like it was my setting all along.

Any ideas on how to set up the NAS so that I can mount it on startup if I'm on the network?

Thanks fro all your help so far, btw, You rock.

Reason being that I wish to stream music from the NAS in Amarok, and Amarok needs a mountpoint for the Collection setting.

I would think that you should use fstab still, but perhaps some of your parameters were not correct.

Here are some links to take a look at

http://www.marcus-furius.com/?p=59
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=700705

I hope those help you out.

Thanks PrivateVoid, that solved my question.

I think on eof those links was what got me to this poin in the first place. I'll give them another go, and ask if I am unsure. Thansk again for your help.

no problem -- keep me posted.