The Windows Update Problem :-(

[OverTheTop]

I went to do a simulation for an upcoming flight in about four weeks. Nice flight to over 40k' but I need to get the paperwork submitted ASAP. I fired up the simulator only to find that my sim file was not accessible. None of my three network attached storage devices were visible to any PC on my network .

A few days of available time later I tracked it down to an update that was recently installed. There is a protocol that Microsoft were not happy about, so they deprecated it. The new update installed quietly and normally. After not having any activity using that protocol for 15 days the OS decided to uninstall the protocol making my entire NAS storage and files unreachable . I think the same people that write viruses work for MS. The outcomes are certainly similar.

So now I have managed to talk to the drives, but have not yet set up any new NAS devices, or transferred it to a USB drive. That has to wait for now. Too busy. I did manage to get the sim file extracted and get the paperwork in, albeit at few days later than I would have liked.

So, continuing the Windows Update theme, I suggest everyone, before a launch, updates their PC about a week prior to a flights, especially important ones. Then reboot, confirm a clean reboot and then turn update off until after the launch. That will save you booting the laptop out in the paddock only to have a "Windows is updating" message on the screen for 45 minutes under battery power. Trust me. I can vouch for the fact that that is not what you need for a stress-free launch.

You have been warned!

 

[cerving]

I'm assuming that your're talking about the ancient SMBv1 file access protocol. Yes, some older non-Windows devices such as NAS's and MFP's were designed around it and never updated. You can re-enable SMBv1 support on your PC... see below. At my day job we went through this exercise about three years ago when a big vulnerability related to SMBv1 came out... we had to create group policies to push it out, and it ended up being fairly messy.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...-disable-smbv1-smbv2-and-smbv3-in-windows-and

 

[OverTheTop]

That's the one. Just a bit stressful when a deadline for flight information is at your doorstep. I got there in the end.

I guess it is time to update my NAS devices. I like having the file servers sitting on the network available to all the PCs around the house.

Anyone have any suggestions for some good current NAS devices? Otherwise I'll just pick some that look reasonable.

 

[Hardline]

I use a Synology Diskstation DS411J. Set it up with (4) 3 Terabyte Western Digital Red Hard drives in RAID so all I have to do is hot swap a hard drive if failure. I've had this setup for 5 years and only had 1 hard drive failure of an earlier different branded hard drive and it took about 15 minutes to hot swap it and get back up and running with no data loss.

Best thing I like about it (other than it works flawlessly all the time) is I have two WD 4 Terabyte My Passport external hard drives. One is kept off site and the other backs up the Synology every week and I swap out the hard drives after each update so I will only lose about 1 weeks worth of work if everything fails (not likely but I'm planning for the worst possibility).

Newest version is the DS418. To pick it up, with (4) 3TB Wd and 2 externals gives you everything for a little more than $1000 on amazon. I can reach it will all 14 computers and the iPads, iPhones and have a place for a DropBox for customer access of large files. I really, really appreciate the simplicity of use (seamless) since I simply don't have time to deal with network issues.

I had tried several different types of NAS's before I went to Synology and they all had failures. After 5 years of little issue I would not hesitate to replace my current unit with another Synology if needed. It may seem a bit pricey but the peace of mind I have is priceless. YMMV

https://www.synology.com/en-us

 

[mpitfield]

I use a Synology Diskstation DS411J. Set it up with (4) 3 Terabyte Western Digital Red Hard drives in RAID so all I have to do is hot swap a hard drive if failure. I've had this setup for 5 years and only had 1 hard drive failure of an earlier different branded hard drive and it took about 15 minutes to hot swap it and get back up and running with no data loss.

Best thing I like about it (other than it works flawlessly all the time) is I have two WD 4 Terabyte My Passport external hard drives. One is kept off site and the other backs up the Synology every week and I swap out the hard drives after each update so I will only lose about 1 weeks worth of work if everything fails (not likely but I'm planning for the worst possibility).

Newest version is the DS418. To pick it up, with (4) 3TB Wd and 2 externals gives you everything for a little more than $1000 on amazon. I can reach it will all 14 computers and the iPads, iPhones and have a place for a DropBox for customer access of large files. I really, really appreciate the simplicity of use (seamless) since I simply don't have time to deal with network issues.

I had tried several different types of NAS's before I went to Synology and they all had failures. After 5 years of little issue I would not hesitate to replace my current unit with another Synology if needed. It may seem a bit pricey but the peace of mind I have is priceless. YMMV

https://www.synology.com/en-us

I resell Synology NAS'. We only deal with the rack mount models, which are designed for commercial vs. residential. As such the software options are greater so I am not sure what the residential devices come with. They also have prioritized support. The manufacturer is great to deal with and for the price point the product is feature rich and good quality. I should qualify that by saying that the device comes unpopulated with drives, so the reliability and performance will vary based on your hardware and RAID choices.

 

[heada]

In my day job I manage 100s of PBs of NAS from multiple vendors (NetApp, EMC, IBM, etc) Disabling SMB1 is a very good thing. It sucks that Microsoft did it in a blind update but they've been suggesting disabling it for years. It really is full of nasty security holes.

At home I have a Synology DS1819+ with 8x 10TB drives in a RAID6 config. I've had several different brands of NAS over the years and their products are the most feature rich for home use.

 

[OverTheTop]

Thanks for the information everyone. I am aware of the reasons for deprecating the protocol, but my network is relatively low risk. The problem I have is that it was uninstalled after not using it for 15 days and no notifications given. You could go away for work (as I did) or on holiday, and return to find you devices invisible.

I'll see what devices I can get down here. I don't think I want anything that is already 4 or 5 years old though. That would make them about the same vintage as the NAS I have.