HT202807: AirPort base stations: About USB disks

Learn about AirPort base stations: About USB disks
kk74974

Q: Why my Disks stop appearing?

Hello, I have a Airport Extreme Base Station, and via the USB port I do have 2 external Hard Drives connected.

Those external hard Drives does have its own power cable so I assume they do not take power from the USB.

Those external HD are connected to a D-link USB multiport (which also has its own power cable) and then, that multiport is connected to the Airport EBS via the USB port.

My problem is that, most of the times, when I tried to acces those disck via Finder on my Mac, I can't find those disks, the finder keeps "searching" and the disks are not shown.

I do have to disconnect and turn off everything to make them appear on my finder.

Is this normal? Will this be a problem of configuration? Is a problem of AEBS software? Hardware?

A

AirPort Extreme 802.11n (5th Gen), Other OS, v 7.6.4

Posted on Jan 5, 2014 6:25 PM

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Q: Why my Disks stop appearing?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by LaPastenague,Helpful

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Jan 5, 2014 8:29 PM in response to kk74974
    Level 9 (52,476 points)
    Wireless
    Jan 5, 2014 8:29 PM in response to kk74974

    Not all USB hubs work even though it is powered. The AE and TC have a very limited selection of USB chipsets that are available via built in drivers.. so if the dlink doesn't use one then it won't work.

     

    Test with just the USB drive plugged into the AE one at a time.

     

    You can also find two different disks simply doesn't work.

  • by kk74974,

    kk74974 kk74974 Jan 6, 2014 4:47 AM in response to LaPastenague
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 6, 2014 4:47 AM in response to LaPastenague

    Thanks @LaPastenague I do understand your explanation, but, it seems more that the problem is software, because both disks shows up in the airport utility, but, they do not show up on my Finder...

     

    thanks again

     

    Konrad

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Jan 6, 2014 2:05 PM in response to kk74974
    Level 9 (52,476 points)
    Wireless
    Jan 6, 2014 2:05 PM in response to kk74974

    What OS do you run?

     

    Expect most issues from Mavericks.. Apple changed default networking profile to SMB.. a strange and overall bad move.

     

    I strongly recommend mounting manually in finder.

     

    Go, Connect to Server.

     

    AFP://TCname.local (you often need the full domain)

     

    Once the computer finds the resource it will suggest disks that can be connected to.. you can select them one by one and add a password (public) by default to be saved in your keychain..

     

    But there is still an issue at the TC - USB interface.. where the disks spin down and refuse to spin up .. access will only be availabe where you manually power the drive off and on again.. this is a failure of the hardware.