[RT-AC68U] - WD My Passport 2tb USB 3.0 Problem

[nandez]

Hi,

i've a problem with my router (RT-AC68U) with this firmware version:

• 
  3.0.0.4.376.1663 - asus

• 
  3.0.0.4_376.44_alpha3 - merlin

• 
  3.0.0.4_376.44_alpha4 - merlin

• 
  3.0.0.4_376.44_alpha5 - merlin

Problem detail:
The disk appears unmounted.

usb log:

Jul 25 23:45:28 kernel: usb 1-1: new SuperSpeed USB device using xhci_hcd and address 2
Jul 25 23:45:28 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
Jul 25 23:45:28 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
Jul 25 23:45:28 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
Jul 25 23:45:29 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
Jul 25 23:45:29 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: disable burst on ep 2
Jul 25 23:45:29 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN no SS endpoint bMaxBurst
Jul 25 23:45:29 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
Jul 25 23:45:29 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: short transfer on control ep
Jul 25 23:45:29 kernel: scsi4 : usb-storage 1-1:1.0
Jul 25 23:45:30 kernel: scsi 4:0:0:0: Direct-Access     WD       Elements 10B8    1007 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
Jul 25 23:45:30 kernel: sd 4:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg0 type 0
Jul 25 23:45:30 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:30 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:30 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:30 kernel: sd 4:0:0:0: [sda] Spinning up disk...
Jul 25 23:45:30 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:31 kernel: .
Jul 25 23:45:31 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:31 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:31 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:32 kernel: .
Jul 25 23:45:32 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:32 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:32 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:33 kernel: .
Jul 25 23:45:33 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:33 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:33 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:34 kernel: .
Jul 25 23:45:34 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:34 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:34 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:35 kernel: .
Jul 25 23:45:35 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:35 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:35 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:36 kernel: .
Jul 25 23:45:36 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:36 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:36 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:37 kernel: .ready
Jul 25 23:45:37 kernel: sd 4:0:0:0: [sda] 3906963456 512-byte logical blocks: (2.00 TB/1.81 TiB)
Jul 25 23:45:37 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:37 kernel: sd 4:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off
Jul 25 23:45:37 kernel: sd 4:0:0:0: [sda] Assuming drive cache: write through
Jul 25 23:45:37 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:37 kernel: sd 4:0:0:0: [sda] Assuming drive cache: write through
Jul 25 23:45:37 kernel:  sda: sda1
Jul 25 23:45:37 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: WARN: Stalled endpoint
Jul 25 23:45:37 kernel: sd 4:0:0:0: [sda] Assuming drive cache: write through
Jul 25 23:45:37 kernel: sd 4:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI disk
Jul 25 23:45:37 rc_service: asus_sd 1396:notify_rc restart_xhcimode 2
Jul 25 23:45:38 iTunes: daemon is stoped
Jul 25 23:45:38 FTP Server: daemon is stoped
Jul 25 23:45:38 Samba Server: smb daemon is stoped
Jul 25 23:45:38 kernel: gro disabled
Jul 25 23:45:38 Timemachine: daemon is stoped
Jul 25 23:45:38 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: remove, state 1
Jul 25 23:45:38 kernel: usb usb1: USB disconnect, address 1
Jul 25 23:45:38 kernel: usb 1-1: USB disconnect, address 2
Jul 25 23:45:39 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: USB bus 1 deregistered
Jul 25 23:45:39 rc_service: hotplug 1416:notify_rc restart_nasapps
Jul 25 23:45:39 rc_service: waitting "restart_xhcimode 2" via  ...
Jul 25 23:45:39 kernel: ehci_hcd 0000:00:0a.1: remove, state 1
Jul 25 23:45:39 kernel: usb usb2: USB disconnect, address 1
Jul 25 23:45:39 kernel: ehci_hcd 0000:00:0a.1: USB bus 2 deregistered
Jul 25 23:45:39 kernel: ohci_hcd 0000:00:0a.0: remove, state 1
Jul 25 23:45:39 kernel: usb usb3: USB disconnect, address 1
Jul 25 23:45:39 kernel: ohci_hcd 0000:00:0a.0: USB bus 3 deregistered
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: xHCI Host Controller
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 1
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: irq 112, io mem 0x18023000
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: Failed to enable MSI-X
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: xhci_hcd 0000:00:0b.0: failed to allocate MSI entry
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: usb usb1: No SuperSpeed endpoint companion for config 1  interface 0 altsetting 0 ep 129: using minimum values
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: hub 1-0:1.0: USB hub found
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: hub 1-0:1.0: 1 port detected
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: [xhci-hub] usb2mode:[2]
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: ehci_hcd: USB 2.0 'Enhanced' Host Controller (EHCI) Driver
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: ehci_hcd 0000:00:0a.1: EHCI Host Controller
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: ehci_hcd 0000:00:0a.1: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 2
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: ehci_hcd 0000:00:0a.1: irq 111, io mem 0x18021000
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: ehci_hcd 0000:00:0a.1: USB 0.0 started, EHCI 1.00
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: hub 2-0:1.0: USB hub found
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: hub 2-0:1.0: 2 ports detected
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: ohci_hcd: USB 1.1 'Open' Host Controller (OHCI) Driver
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: ohci_hcd 0000:00:0a.0: OHCI Host Controller
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: ohci_hcd 0000:00:0a.0: new USB bus registered, assigned bus number 3
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: ohci_hcd 0000:00:0a.0: irq 111, io mem 0x18022000
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: hub 3-0:1.0: USB hub found
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: hub 3-0:1.0: 2 ports detected
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: usb 2-1: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 2
Jul 25 23:45:40 kernel: scsi5 : usb-storage 2-1:1.0
Jul 25 23:45:41 iTunes: daemon is stoped
Jul 25 23:45:41 FTP Server: daemon is stoped
Jul 25 23:45:41 Samba Server: smb daemon is stoped
Jul 25 23:45:41 kernel: gro disabled
Jul 25 23:45:41 kernel: scsi 5:0:0:0: Direct-Access     WD       Elements 10B8    1007 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
Jul 25 23:45:41 kernel: sd 5:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg0 type 0
Jul 25 23:45:41 kernel: sd 5:0:0:0: [sda] 3906963456 512-byte logical blocks: (2.00 TB/1.81 TiB)
Jul 25 23:45:41 kernel: sd 5:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off
Jul 25 23:45:41 kernel: sd 5:0:0:0: [sda] Assuming drive cache: write through
Jul 25 23:45:41 kernel: sd 5:0:0:0: [sda] Assuming drive cache: write through
Jul 25 23:45:41 kernel:  sda: sda1
Jul 25 23:45:41 kernel: sd 5:0:0:0: [sda] Assuming drive cache: write through
Jul 25 23:45:41 kernel: sd 5:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI disk
Jul 25 23:45:42 hotplug[1502]: USB /dev/sda1(ntfs) failed to mount at the first try!
Jul 25 23:45:42 Timemachine: daemon is stoped
Jul 25 23:45:43 kernel: gro enabled with interval 2
Jul 25 23:45:45 Samba Server: daemon is started
Jul 25 23:45:47 kernel: ufsd: sda1 is mounted as NTFS (without journal)
Jul 25 23:45:47 hotplug[1502]: USB ntfs fs at /dev/sda1 mounted on /tmp/mnt/MEDIASERVER
Jul 25 23:45:49 hotplug[1502]: USB partition unmounted from /tmp/mnt/MEDIASERVER

No problem with:

• 
  3.0.0.4_374.43_2 - merlin

• 
  3.0.0.4_376.44_alpha1 - merlin

• 
  3.0.0.4_376.44_alpha2 - merlin

Any suggestion?
I did a factory reset for every firmware installation.
I can't make a HD Format (it's full of data )

Thanks

PS
Maybe 3.0.0.4_376.44_beta1 fix this problem?

 

[coldengrey]

Not sure about how to interpret the syslog you included, nor if I'm having exact same issue - but, I too, have a WD Passport that fails to mount.

Don't want to hijack or misdirect your thread - wonder if our problems are Western Digital specific drive firmware or related to the Virtual CD implemented in the drive for the WD backup function?

I reformatted several times and am still having the problem, so don't bother risking your data to format - don't think it'll help you much..

--> Does you drive show up on the GUI (recognized/detected by USB), but shows 'unmounted', like mine does? Or is it not recognizing anything connected to USB at all?

--> I formatted mine NTFS, but getting syslog line reporting:
kernal:FAT: utf8 is not a recommended character set for FAT filesystem...

Hopefully someone with more technical expertise will be able to help you out here. Good luck. Least I topped it for you, lol

 

[hggomes]

Try to "Reducing USB 3.0 interference" option DISABLE.

 

[ronny]

Enable and Disable is kind of confusing... Enabled, Disabled would make more sense in my humble opinion. Or just the ON/OFF buttons used elsewhere in the user interface maybe...

 

[rudy]

Hi guys,

I have the same problem with my 3TB WD and RT-AC68U_3.0.0.4_376.47.
Was there a workaround or should I go back to earlier release?

Thanks,
Rudy

 

[czupet]

AC68U and WD My Passport 1GB USB3.0 connection issue

I have similar issue. I have allowed guest access to HDD in 'Samba' interface. When I connect HDD to USB2.0 port it works fine. When I connect it to 3.0, it doesn't se the drive when 'Reducing USB 3.0 interference'='Disable'. When I set it to 'Enable' it works but max speed ~20MB/s, like in USB2.0.

I heard about this USB3.0 issue, so I bought 2meter, double shielded USB 3.0 cable. Does it mean I'm afected here by the interference?

I've disabld Wireless, and reducing interference = disable.... and I can't see my disk anyway. I'm also confused what Enable/Disable means here.
Can anyone enlighten me, pls?
(my HDD is 1TB - error in the title)

Firmware Version:3.0.0.4.376_1663

 

[goedtkindt]

Same problem here - is it also present on the RT-AC87U

Hi,
I have exactly the same configuration (RT-AC68U + WD My Book 2TB) and... same issues (using Firmware:376.49_4).
Once the dive is unmounted, sometimes it never gets mounted again unless a restart. Even if the drive gets mounted again, often Time Machine does not see the drive anymore.
Work around is to re-select the drive in the Time Machine settings on the router's USB Application settings... but it's tedious.

Is this bug also present on the RT-AC87U ? ( I guess it is a hardware design issue)
Are there known workarounds ?

Greeting from Switzerland,
--
Peter

 

[polish_pat]

the problem is with the usb 3.0 port. Seems like Asus have some trouble with usb 3. Check my thread here http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/showthread.php?t=21737

I mention this problem and one other, which in my book, the other problem is worse than the drive not being able to be mounted. Just switch to usb 2.0 port. Problem solved.

P.S. Dont disable USB interference, it creates more problems than it solves

 

[coldengrey]

Usb 2.0 speeds, huh?
Kinda defeats purpose of having a top of the line wifi-AC device!

 

[RussellInCincinnati]

Usb 2.0 speeds, huh?
Kinda defeats purpose of having a top of the line wifi-AC device!

The machine functions pretty well as a cutting-edge-performance WiFi-AC device in 2015. It does not happen to share USB-drive files as quickly as the better NAS networked attached storage devices, and the USB 3.0 port does not function optimally with many a USB 3 flash drive. Nor does it have space inside it to mount hard drives like a NAS. And it does not have many of the other synchronization and RAID functions, iSCSI, eSATA ports, virtual machine hosting...ad infinitum of a NAS. Probably because Asus does not consider it to be, nor market it as, a NAS.

Surely Asus throws in the USB ports as a sweetener to what is primarily a WiFi router. On this point will note that have never had a client that was even aware of the possibility or utility of having a WiFi transmitter also serve as a file server. Even though every client without exception is very interested in having a WiFi device with good range, speed and consistency.

Consider how easy it is to fix all the problems with AC router file sharing. I.e. if the failings of the Asus router as a NAS are not worth $90 dollars to anyone to remedy (to buy a single-bay NAS QNAP TS-120 that SmallNetBuilder has handily reviewed), then those failings are not really very important to anyone in any case.

 

[RussellInCincinnati]

I have similar issue. I have allowed guest access to HDD in 'Samba' interface. When I connect HDD to USB2.0 port it works fine. When I connect it to 3.0, it doesn't se the drive when 'Reducing USB 3.0 interference'='Disable'. When I set it to 'Enable' it works but max speed ~20MB/s, like in USB2.0.

The Asus router USB 3 ports do not function with all USB 3 hubs and storage devices. For example a Mushkin Ventura Ultra USB 3 flash drive will only function on the USB 2.0 port, just as others have noted in this thread.

If you want a high-speed storage device for the Asus USB 3-capable routers, can recommend getting Patriot Magnum flash drives. They function perfectly in USB 3 mode, and have been able to get read speeds of 70 megabytes per second off the device with ext2 format.

 

[mgttr]

The Asus router USB 3 ports do not function with all USB 3 hubs and storage devices. For example a Mushkin Ventura Ultra USB 3 flash drive will only function on the USB 2.0 port, just as others have noted in this thread.

If you want a high-speed storage device for the Asus USB 3-capable routers, can recommend getting Patriot Magnum flash drives. They function perfectly in USB 3 mode, and have been able to get read speeds of 70 megabytes per second off the device with ext2 format.

I've got a 64GB Patriot Magnum USB 3.0 flash drive that I decided to try in my RT-AC68U after reading your post. It seemed to be real picky about recognizing it - half the time after inserting it the USB 3.0 light on the front panel did not come on. Even when it was recognized, when I went into the admin interface, the USB icon showed "Patriot" but listed it as "Unmounted".

No matter how many times I tried unplugging and re-plugging it back in the status was always "Unmounted". Yet the flash drives works flawlessly in my PC - go figure?

 

[BPerry]

For what it's worth I'm running my router on 3.0.0.4.378_3813 and it detects a WD My Passport Ultra 1TB no problems at all, in both USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports.

Shove a USB 2.0 256MB flash drive in it and doesn't recognise it all. Light comes on on the front of the router which indicates it knows something is there, but doesn't like it at all.

Just popped a USB 2.0 512MB flash drive in and that one worked.

 

[RMerlin]

For what it's worth I'm running my router on 3.0.0.4.378_3813 and it detects a WD My Passport Ultra 1TB no problems at all, in both USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports.

Shove a USB 2.0 256MB flash drive in it and doesn't recognise it all. Light comes on on the front of the router which indicates it knows something is there, but doesn't like it at all.

Just popped a USB 2.0 512MB flash drive in and that one worked.

Make sure you use a supported filesystem. exFat for instance is NOT supported.

 

[huotg01]

I'm using a WD 4TB on a RT-AC68u usb3 port (full speed). It is working "well".

Why "well", and not well? If your disk is formatted ntfs, when using the last firmwares (starting at .44 I think), there is often a "healthy" check made on the disk, and this operation can take up to one hour... Until it is over, the disk won't be mounted and therefore is not available.

Make a test and be patient. To see if the "healthy check" is going on, on the home page, click on the usb circle icon, then on the Disk Utility tab under "External USB disk status" on the right side.

 

[BPerry]

Make sure you use a supported filesystem. exFat for instance is NOT supported.

Thanks for the info. I'd read other threads and tried both FAT32 and NTFS, but it didn't make any difference.

I've tried another flash drive this time 8GB in the USB2.0 port and it worked perfectly well. Given other people's experiences, it looks like luck of the draw.

Is there a readily available list of supported filesystems?

 

[RMerlin]

Is there a readily available list of supported filesystems?

All of Asus's routers support FAT32, NTFS, ext2 and ext3.
In addition to that, newer, ARM-based routers such as the AC56, AC68, AC87, etc... also support HFS+ and ext4.

 

[System Error Message]

with the performance of the broadcom ARM CPU you wont be getting more than usb2 speeds for your hard drives. The only situation where the port is a limitting factor is if you werent hosting a file server and giving direct access to the device to the PC. tplink does this so they can use slower CPUs but with this only one PC can access the device at a time.

gigabit ethernet will only get you 125MB/s while usb2 is 50MB/s. The broadcom CPU cant give you more than 80MB/s for SAMBA.

As a NAS you cant expect a dual core ARM running at 1Ghz to do much in terms of throughput. Using merlin firmware you should be able to create scripts to get around your problem.

The machine functions pretty well as a cutting-edge-performance WiFi-AC device in 2015. It does not happen to share USB-drive files as quickly as the better NAS networked attached storage devices, and the USB 3.0 port does not function optimally with many a USB 3 flash drive. Nor does it have space inside it to mount hard drives like a NAS. And it does not have many of the other synchronization and RAID functions, iSCSI, eSATA ports, virtual machine hosting...ad infinitum of a NAS. Probably because Asus does not consider it to be, nor market it as, a NAS.

Surely Asus throws in the USB ports as a sweetener to what is primarily a WiFi router. On this point will note that have never had a client that was even aware of the possibility or utility of having a WiFi transmitter also serve as a file server. Even though every client without exception is very interested in having a WiFi device with good range, speed and consistency.

Consider how easy it is to fix all the problems with AC router file sharing. I.e. if the failings of the Asus router as a NAS are not worth $90 dollars to anyone to remedy (to buy a single-bay NAS QNAP TS-120 that SmallNetBuilder has handily reviewed), then those failings are not really very important to anyone in any case.

If you want an all in one device for router and NAS together consider mikrotik. Mikrotik has SMB and FTP. Some routerboards have SATA and many have usb though usb2 not usb3. However they do have miniPCIe slots. If you're one of those complaining like this look at mikrotik's recent routerboards with integrated wireless. For $170 you get SFP, 2 miniPCIe, usb and a high powered wifi AP so if your ISP uses fibre optic you can literally have an all in 1 device with no seperate modem/NAS/AP. You would have to buy the sata miniPCIe and the fibre optic SFP module though. Id love to see you get one and configure it just to see the strain you go through. And if the wireless speed isnt satisfactory you can also add a wireless miniPCIe card to the other slot to get more streams.

If you want a proper NAS build one using linux/unix because dedicated NAS are basically linux boxes running integrated hardware. the ARM A9 used in these routers just arent fast enough for the NAS speeds you want. The MIPS, even more so for usb. Thats why the routerboards have miniPCIe. However routerOS only supports linux file systems and FAT32 so your multi TB NTFS/extFAT drives arent going to work in them.

In the mean time report your usb3 asus router bugs calmly and know that the slow speeds are caused by CPU limitation and that usb3 with the new WD passport do not mix well in linux if you ever took a look inside the drive case and that the drivers arent that matured yet.

 

[RussellInCincinnati]

I've got a 64GB Patriot Magnum USB 3.0 flash drive that I decided to try in my RT-AC68U after reading your post. It seemed to be real picky about recognizing it

My apologies for not mentioning, that my successful use of the Patriot Magnum flash drive on the AC68U USB 3.0 port was with the flash drive Linux-formatted with ext2. My way of doing the ext2 formatting was with a freeware Windows utility.

 

[RussellInCincinnati]

If you want an all in one device for router and NAS together consider mikrotik. Mikrotik has SMB and FTP. Some routerboards have SATA and many have usb though usb2 not usb3. However they do have miniPCIe slots. If you're one of those complaining like this look at mikrotik's recent routerboards with integrated wireless. For $170 you get SFP, 2 miniPCIe, usb and a high powered wifi AP so if your ISP uses fibre optic you can literally have an all in 1 device with no seperate modem/NAS/AP.

Can't see what low end Mikrotik device you are talking about that includes anywhere near the functionality of, say, any Merlin-equipped dual band 867mhz-class AC Wifi router paired with a single-bay $90 dollar NAS like the QNAP TS-120. You don't get something that imitates that pair for $170 dollars from Mikrotik, ready to plug in and go. I don't even see any reference to 802.11ac at all at their website.

We do appear to agree that we should only have modest expectations for Merlin-equipped routers circa 2015 to function as Samba NAS's. Not every kind of USB 3.0 storage device with every format is going to plug right into the AC68U etc and give you 50+ megabyte per second file sharing with lots of options. The Asus WiFi devices are not marketed as NASes. And they don't need to be, because it doesn't take much money to add NAS type hardware to a serious file-sharing network in any case. And no serious network is going to depend on a WiFi router USB port as some kind of 24/7 professional fileserver.