OS2 World Community Forum

OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical => Networking => Topic started by: Rick Smith on November 11, 2023, 05:49:18 pm

Title: arcmapper
Post by: Rick Smith on November 11, 2023, 05:49:18 pm
Greetings,

Prior to 5.1 I was able to auto connect to my NAS on reboot, with 5.1 I have to add credentials and it says they are only valid until shutdown so when I reboot it fails to connect.  Is there something different with 5.1?  How to I keep the credentials after reboot so it connects reboot.

Regards,

Rick
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: David McKenna on November 11, 2023, 06:50:15 pm
Hi Rick,

  In the ArcaMapper Network Connections folder, double click the 'New Connection' icon and fill in the info for your share to mount (\\Servername\share) and choose drive to map to. Click 'Options' and make sure any other option needed is chosen, but in particular 'Save this Connection' and then click 'OK', then add your credentials. Then open 'Preferences' and make sure 'Restore Saved Connections on Startup' is chosen.

Regards,
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Alex Taylor on November 13, 2023, 01:53:53 am
Also, when you choose to save a connection, select the restorable connection option on the save dialog. The same dialog also gives you the option of saving your password, although for security reasons this is unchecked by default. If you don't save the password, you'll be prompted to enter it at startup. (You only have the enter the password once if multiple connections use the same credentials.)

I designed it that way because I've worked in a number of environments which are highly security-conscious, and as a result I've largely internalized the "secure by default" way of thinking. As noted, you can save the password along with the connection, but I only recommend doing that if you have full, private control over the computer.

BTW, since the client is based on NetDrive, you can also use the ndctl option to save and restore connections automatically - this basically has the same effect as saving all connections along with their passwords. (This involves hand-editing ndctl.cfg and setting the PersistentVolumeConfiguration option. Again, this is not considered secure if other people may have access to the computer.) Don't do this if you use the ArcaMapper 'restore connections on startup' option, because if you do it'll end up trying to restore connections twice.
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Alex Taylor on November 13, 2023, 01:56:15 am
BTW, the "authentication concepts" section of the ArcaMapper guide, and the Credential Manager section, provide some (hopefully useful) information.
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Rick Smith on November 13, 2023, 02:40:36 am
Also, when you choose to save a connection, select the restorable connection option on the save dialog. The same dialog also gives you the option of saving your password, although for security reasons this is unchecked by default. If you don't save the password, you'll be prompted to enter it at startup. (You only have the enter the password once if multiple connections use the same credentials.)

I designed it that way because I've worked in a number of environments which are highly security-conscious, and as a result I've largely internalized the "secure by default" way of thinking. As noted, you can save the password along with the connection, but I only recommend doing that if you have full, private control over the computer.

BTW, since the client is based on NetDrive, you can also use the ndctl option to save and restore connections automatically - this basically has the same effect as saving all connections along with their passwords. (This involves hand-editing ndctl.cfg and setting the PersistentVolumeConfiguration option. Again, this is not considered secure if other people may have access to the computer.) Don't do this if you use the ArcaMapper 'restore connections on startup' option, because if you do it'll end up trying to restore connections twice.

I have done it this way I believe, it still gives me an error when it reboots that it couldnt connect to the share... I will have another look at it later.

Regards,

Rick
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Rick Smith on November 14, 2023, 03:26:43 pm
BTW, the "authentication concepts" section of the ArcaMapper guide, and the Credential Manager section, provide some (hopefully useful) information.

When I look at the active credentials after I manually restore the connection, my credentials say valid until shutdown?  Not sure if that is what it is suppose to look like, none the less it still errors on reboot that it could not connect to the share until I open arcmapper and restore connection?

Regards,

Rick
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Rick Smith on November 15, 2023, 02:25:35 am
Greetings,

I have tried every which way I can, it fails to connect on reboot until I open arcamapper and click restore connections, then it connects just fine.

Regards.

Rick
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Alex Taylor on November 15, 2023, 03:55:52 am
Just out of curiousity, are you using DHCP?

It's possible that restoring connections might fail if you haven't acquired an IP address yet.
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Rick Smith on November 15, 2023, 05:13:08 am
Just out of curiousity, are you using DHCP?

It's possible that restoring connections might fail if you haven't acquired an IP address yet.

I could assign that machine a static ip and retest it.

Rick
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Rick Smith on November 15, 2023, 06:26:16 am
Greetings,

Setting static IP did not change anything.  Still errors at boot and easily connects by clicking restore connection.  How would I go about reinstalling just that package?

Rick
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Alex Taylor on November 15, 2023, 01:49:35 pm
Which package?

It would be useful to see what is the actual error you are getting. Trying to guess at the problem blindly is, well, guessing blindly. :p
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Neil Waldhauer on November 15, 2023, 03:24:45 pm
Pardon me for jumping in. I have the same problem connecting to my ArcaOS-based SAMBA server.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes it gives the message "Failed to establish 1 connection". Then Details says "Failed to mount "GARBOPEEP\D" on "R:\". The specified server cannot perform the requested operation. My systems use DHCP. I have saved the password.

Rather than using the startup folder to restore connections, I have tcpexit.cmd with "F:\USR\BIN\CONNECT.EXE /restore"
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Rick Smith on November 15, 2023, 05:33:22 pm
Pardon me for jumping in. I have the same problem connecting to my ArcaOS-based SAMBA server.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes it gives the message "Failed to establish 1 connection". Then Details says "Failed to mount "GARBOPEEP\D" on "R:\". The specified server cannot perform the requested operation. My systems use DHCP. I have saved the password.

Rather than using the startup folder to restore connections, I have tcpexit.cmd with "F:\USR\BIN\CONNECT.EXE /restore"

Neil does this seem to work for you?  Whatever changed for me came with 5.1.  I have the exact error msg's you are getting so it appears to be a timing issue?

Rick
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Pete on November 15, 2023, 07:43:31 pm
Hi Rick

I don't use samba or arcmapper myself but you could try deleting the CONNECTIONS  from the config.sys SET AUTOSTART line to see if that solves the problem.


Regards

Pete
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Neil Waldhauer on November 15, 2023, 09:30:31 pm
Pardon me for jumping in. I have the same problem connecting to my ArcaOS-based SAMBA server.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes it gives the message "Failed to establish 1 connection". Then Details says "Failed to mount "GARBOPEEP\D" on "R:\". The specified server cannot perform the requested operation. My systems use DHCP. I have saved the password.

Rather than using the startup folder to restore connections, I have tcpexit.cmd with "F:\USR\BIN\CONNECT.EXE /restore"

Neil does this seem to work for you?  Whatever changed for me came with 5.1.  I have the exact error msg's you are getting so it appears to be a timing issue?

Rick

No. It works sometimes.

I'll bet it has something to do with credentials. You know, there isn't any documentation on setting up users for Samba, so did I do it right?

I guess if it works even once, it can't really be bad users on the server side.

I had no luck figuring out the \usr\bin\net command. It seems to try NETBIOS first.
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Rick Smith on November 15, 2023, 11:16:05 pm
Greetings,

My computer is slow enough that I am able to see a window briefly pop up with system somethings not loading.  Maybe that could shed some light on this issue?  Where can I hunt for system error logs?

Also on another machine restore connections acts differently.  It does not have a connection error at boot it asks for connection password at boot then restores connection.

Regards,

Rick
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: David Graser on November 15, 2023, 11:29:42 pm
If using XWP, open the desktop properties page, select the Startup page, and check

Write WPS start.log file

Show WPS classs initialization

At he bottom, you can set an XWP startup folder startup delay in seconds.  I normal install XWP startup folder and move the programs from the regular startup folder to it.
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Rick Smith on November 16, 2023, 03:14:12 am
greetings,

it took a bit but I got the tcpip error at boot...

Regards,

Rick
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: Alex Taylor on November 16, 2023, 08:58:51 am
Well, it looks there are two different things going on there. First of all, you clearly have something wrong with your tcpexit.cmd file. No way for me to know what, but probably something is mistyped, or perhaps it's trying to run something in a non-default shell.

Second issue is the failed restore on that connection. Showing the details would tell me more, but I'm pretty sure it's a timing problem related to TCP/IP initialization.

From your description, I'd say the reason you don't see this on the other system is that it prompts you to enter the password before it attempts to restore the connections, and that delay prevents the timing problem.

I've seen this happen occasionally on my own system which uses DHCP, and it's on my TODO list to add some better check logic to the restore routine. However, since no bug reports have submitted on this by any users so far (hint, hint), it has not been near the top of my priorities.
Title: Re: arcmapper
Post by: ivan on November 16, 2023, 09:43:24 am
Hi Alex,
I see that about 80% of the time I start my computer but since the computer is on 24/7 for at least a month at a time I don't see it as a big problem.
As you say it appears to be a timing problem because it is the first connection that fails to my two NAS boxes, the second one always connects without problems.