Internet box - USB HDD storage ext4

spinof

Hi everyone,

Working with ubuntu 18.04 (4.15.0.34 generic), fdisk / gparted

Trying to access an ext4 formatted new 4GB HDD trough the router –> impossible.

Making new partition table (GPT) with two partitions (1 ext4 2GB / 1 NTFS 2GB) –> ext4 fail / NTFS OK

Formatting the same device with 4GB NTFS partition –> no problem

MS-DOS partition table with an ext4 partion of 1GB –> impossible

Creating an ext3 partition of 4GB –> no problem

Converging ext3 to ext4 partition (tune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index) –> no problem!

Older device with an ext4 partition of 3GB (formatted with an old Ubuntu 14.04) –> no problem

Is there a known problem of ext4 support with the internet box plus (fw: 09.04.00/09.01.52/01274) or any other option to create a correct ext4 partition supported with this box?

Thanks

nemesis-lechat

I think you don’t end up with the same features when you upgrade from ext3 to ext4, compared to directly creating an ext4.

The reason might be that ext4 CAN be retro-compatible with ext3, but apparently MUST not forceably.

The internet box claims to be compatible with ext3, not ext4 (did I miss something?). So probably you can only access ext4 partitions that where created as ext3 in the first place.

spinof

Thanks for your reply

The internet-box is fully compatible with an “old” version of ext4 (HDD formatted directly in ext4 format with ubuntu 14.04 kernel 3.13.nn). If I have time, I reinstall an old VM with Ubuntu 14.04 to try it again.

But it doesn’t explain the difference between a newly formatted HDD in ext4 and the same converted from ext3 to ext4 (ubuntu 18.04 kernel 4.15.nn (any kernel linux/ubuntu freaks there?)).

Seems that an improvement in ext4 (kernel 3.13 –> 4.15) formatting procedure make it no more compatible with internet-box?

PS: read TB instead of GB in my first post… tired…