Connect a NAS using SMB/CIFS

SMB connects OpenATV to a NAS, Windows PC or Samba server. CIFS is also the Linux mount type cifs; that name does not imply SMB1. For new connections, use SMB3 and a dedicated account.

Prepare the NAS share and account

1. Enable SMB in the NAS administration. Use an up-to-date server supporting SMB2/SMB3.
2. Create a folder/share, for example Recordings.
3. Create a dedicated user such as e2recorder with a password. It does not need administrator privileges.
4. Give that account read/write access to the recording share. Read access is sufficient for playback only.
5. Check share permissions, file permissions and any quota. A user quota can be exhausted while the NAS still has free space overall.

NAS menu names vary by manufacturer. For a Windows PC providing storage, follow the Windows 11 guide.

Configure the receiver

Open Menu → Setup → Network → Network Mounts Overview → MENU → Add Mount Manually.

Field	Example and meaning
Protocol	SMB / CIFS
Server	Actual NAS hostname or IP address
Remote path	Recordings, the published share name. Not a Windows drive letter or the NAS-internal /volume… path
Local share	nas-recordings, used in the receiver’s local path
Mount mode	autofs for access on demand
Username / Password	An account on the server, such as e2recorder; not automatically the receiver’s root login
SMB version	Start with SMB3
Character set	UTF-8 for typical modern environments
Access mode	Read/Write for recording
HDD replacement	No for an additional NAS share

Documentation address and empty password field. A real connection requires your credentials; this example was not saved. Open original image ↗

Save and open /media/autofs/nas-recordings. Check files and write access before selecting it as a recording destination. You can also select shares using Browse; supply server credentials if listing requires authentication.

A missing discovery entry does not prove SMB is unavailable. Try a manual definition with the known server and share name. Do not install SMB1 merely to recover an old-style browse list.

SMB versions and security

The checked dialog offers SMB3, SMB2 and Legacy (SMB1), generating vers=3.0, vers=2.0 and vers=1.0 respectively. In this version, “SMB3” therefore does not explicitly select vers=3.1.1. If a server permits only a different dialect, the image, client kernel and server policy must be compatible. Do not override the version using another vers= in the extra field.

Signing protects SMB messages against undetected alteration; encryption also protects their contents in transit. Modern Windows configurations may require signing. Use compatible clients and authenticated accounts instead of disabling signing or password protection. The Windows guide also distinguishes connection direction.

Additional SMB options

Leave Optional arguments empty initially. These examples explain individual controls; they are not one combined optimisation string:

Option	Purpose
domain=MEDIA-PC	Supply the Windows computer/account domain when needed. A local account does not require setting up a domain server.
sec=ntlmssp	Modern password-based NTLMSSP authentication, often already the client default. Do not fall back to old sec=ntlm recipes.
sec=ntlmsspi	Variant requiring signing, if supported by the client and needed for the case.
seal	Request SMB encryption; both endpoints must support it.
uid=…, gid=…	Local ownership mapping where suitable Unix information is not provided. Does not change the authenticated server account’s rights.
file_mode=…, dir_mode=…	Local mode presentation, depending on server/Unix extensions. Does not replace NAS ACLs.
cache=strict	Consistency-oriented client caching. More aggressive settings can make incorrect assumptions when multiple clients write.

Not every kernel supports every option. Change only what the specific failure requires, then check the result. noperm, blanket 0777 permissions or disabled security features do not fix server-side authentication rejection.

The manager generates user, password, ro/rw, vers and iocharset from dedicated fields, rejecting those parameters in the extra field. Mount files and saved server credentials can contain passwords: do not publish complete fstab, auto.network or .cache files.

Common failures

Symptom	Next check
Login rejected	Username, password, account domain and server account restrictions
Server visible but share missing	Credentials for listing and permission on this specific share
IP works but hostname fails	Name resolution and DHCP assignment
Dialect/signing error	Versions and security requirements at both endpoints
Reads work but writes fail	Mount mode, NAS share/file permissions and user quota
Freeze while NAS is off	Outage behaviour and autofs

Verification: Native SMB dialog captured; the existing CIFS/autofs share was previously checked for reading and writing. Extra options are not individually tested defaults for every NAS.

Sources: Dialog and dialects, mount parameters, CIFS mount options, Linux SMB client, SMB1 in Windows.

For receiver files in Windows File Explorer, configure the receiver as a Samba server. SMB client, Samba server and Windows discovery have separate Network Services entries.