How to Hack WD My Book Live

By kumkum on Dec 20, 2011 - Comments: 22 - Today view: 0 - Total view: 2,962

WD My Book Live is network storage installed with Debian Linux operating system. We can setup this device to be our web server at home. Here are the steps how I did it.

SECTION 1

Follow this section 1 if you haven’t upgrade the firmware and you don’t want to use Debian Squeeze. If you just upgraded your My Book Live to latest firmware and you want to use Squeeze, go to Section 2.

1. Activate SSH

Open browser, and go to http://device_ip/UI/ssh and then enable SSH service.

2. Login to SSH

username: root
default password: welc0me

3. Backup the system and protect udev update

Backup system:

# dd if=/dev/sda bs=15728640 count=1 | bzip2 &gt; /DataVolume/shares/Public/SDA_MBR_FREESPACE.bz2
# dd if=/dev/sda1 | bzip2 &gt; /DataVolume/shares/Public/SDA1_IMA.bz2
# dd if=/dev/sda2 | bzip2 &gt; /DataVolume/shares/Public/SDA2_IMA.bz2

Protect udev update:

# aptitude hold udev

4. Disable load cycle count

Download idle3 tool from http://mybookworld.wikidot.com/local–files/mybook-live/idle3ctl.tar.gz
# wget http://mybookworld.wikidot.com/local--files/mybook-live/idle3ctl.tar.gz
Extract, execute and reboot.
# tar zxvf idle3ctl.tar.gz
# ./idle3ctl -d /dev/sda
# reboot

5. Install mysql-server

Comment out debian squeeze references from packaging list
# sed -ie "s/deb .* squeeze/#&amp;/g" /etc/apt/sources.list
Update aptitude and install mysql
# apt-get update
# apt-get install mysql-server mysql-client php5-mysql
Create symlink of /etc/init.d/mysql in /etc/rc2.d/ to autostart the mysql server
# ln -s /etc/init.d/mysql /etc/rc2.d/
Initialize mysql data dir and create system tables
# mysql_install_db --user=mysql --basedir=/usr --datadir=/var/lib/mysql
Restart apache
# /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

6. Create apache virtual host

Go to apache vhost folder:

# cd /etc/apache2/sites-available/

Copy current vhost configuration file:

# cp wdnas mywebsite

Edit mywebsite vhost file:

# nano mywebsite

Modify to the following:

&lt;VirtualHost *:80&gt;
ServerName mywebsite.mooo.com
ServerAlias www.mywebsite.mooo.com
ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost

DocumentRoot /DataVolume/shares/mywebsite/

&lt;IfModule mod_rewrite.c&gt;
RewriteLog /var/log/apache2/rewrite.log
RewriteLogLevel 0

RewriteEngine On

&lt;/IfModule&gt;

&lt;Directory /&gt;
Options FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride None
&lt;/Directory&gt;

&lt;Directory /DataVolume/shares/mywebsite/&gt;
Options -Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
AllowOverride None
Order allow,deny
allow from all
&lt;/Directory&gt;

ErrorLog /var/log/mywebsite_error.log

LogLevel warn

&lt;/VirtualHost&gt;

Create document root folder:

# mkdir /DataVolume/shares/mywebsite

Enable virtual host file:

# a2ensite mywebsite

Restart apache:

# /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

7. Create your domain mywebsite.mooo.com using free DNS service by afraid.org. Follow this article on step no. 4, 5, 6.

8. Make cron running when in standby mode

Kill monitorio.sh script:

# killall monitorio.sh
# nano /usr/local/sbin/monitorio.sh

Comment out the following line:

#/etc/init.d/cron start &gt; /dev/null
#/etc/init.d/cron stop &gt; /dev/null

9. You can access your website at http://mywebsite.mooo.com. My Book Live UI also available at http://device_ip

SECTION 2

Use this section if you are just upgrading your My Book Live to latest firmware.

1. Activate SSH

Open browser, and go to http://device_ip/UI/ssh and then enable SSH service.

2. Login to SSH

username: root
default password: welc0me

3. Backup the system and protect udev update

Backup system:

# dd if=/dev/sda bs=15728640 count=1 | bzip2 &gt; /DataVolume/shares/Public/SDA_MBR_FREESPACE.bz2
# dd if=/dev/sda1 | bzip2 &gt; /DataVolume/shares/Public/SDA1_IMA.bz2
# dd if=/dev/sda2 | bzip2 &gt; /DataVolume/shares/Public/SDA2_IMA.bz2

Protect udev update:

# aptitude hold udev

4. Disable load cycle count

Download idle3 tool from http://mybookworld.wikidot.com/local–files/mybook-live/idle3ctl.tar.gz
# wget http://mybookworld.wikidot.com/local--files/mybook-live/idle3ctl.tar.gz
Extract, execute and reboot.
# tar zxvf idle3ctl.tar.gz
# ./idle3ctl -d /dev/sda
# reboot

5. Install mysql-server

Update aptitude and install mysql
# apt-get update
# apt-get install mysql-server mysql-client php5-mysql
Create symlink of /etc/init.d/mysql in /etc/rc2.d/ to autostart the mysql server
# ln -s /etc/init.d/mysql /etc/rc2.d/
Initialize mysql data dir and create system tables
# mysql_install_db --user=mysql --basedir=/usr --datadir=/var/lib/mysql
Restart apache
# /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

6. Create apache virtual host

Go to apache vhost folder:

# cd /etc/apache2/sites-available/

Copy current vhost configuration file:

# cp wdnas mywebsite

Edit mywebsite vhost file:

# nano mywebsite

Modify to the following:

&lt;VirtualHost *:80&gt;
ServerName mywebsite.mooo.com
ServerAlias www.mywebsite.mooo.com
ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost

DocumentRoot /DataVolume/shares/mywebsite/

&lt;IfModule mod_rewrite.c&gt;
RewriteLog /var/log/apache2/rewrite.log
RewriteLogLevel 0

RewriteEngine On

&lt;/IfModule&gt;

&lt;Directory /&gt;
Options FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride None
&lt;/Directory&gt;

&lt;Directory /DataVolume/shares/mywebsite/&gt;
Options -Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
AllowOverride None
Order allow,deny
allow from all
&lt;/Directory&gt;

ErrorLog /var/log/mywebsite_error.log

LogLevel warn

&lt;/VirtualHost&gt;

Create document root folder:

# mkdir /DataVolume/shares/mywebsite

Enable virtual host file:

# a2ensite mywebsite

Restart apache:

# /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

7. Create your domain mywebsite.mooo.com using free DNS service by afraid.org. Follow this article on step no. 4, 5, 6.

8. You can access your website at http://mywebsite.mooo.com. My Book Live UI also available at http://device_ip

Reference: http://mybookworld.wikidot.com/mybook-live

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Filed Under: Featured • Linux • Networking • Technology • Tips and Tricks • Tutorial

Comments (22)

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elmany says:

February 5, 2012 at 9:25 am

Hi,

Can this be done in an already updated WD MyBook Live 2Tb?
I want to use it to host my web page while I learn to program and to configure PostFix mail server

Reply
- kumkum says:
  
  February 5, 2012 at 9:52 am
  
  Hi, elmany. Yes, as long as you can get root login, you can setup your web server on it. Let me know if you need any help.
  
  Reply
ubuntu says:

February 18, 2012 at 9:36 pm

Is it normal that the 3. step takes over an hour ?

Reply
- kumkum says:
  
  February 20, 2012 at 11:05 am
  
  Hi, ubuntu
  
  Yes, it is normal for 800Mhz machine with 256MB RAM to backup and compress 1,2GB of data. It will take an hour.
  
  Reply
chkstar says:

March 30, 2012 at 10:14 am

When I attempt to do the apt-get install mysql-server mysql-client php5-mysql I get the following:
Reading package lists… Done
Building dependency tree
Reading State information… Done
Note, selecting mysql-server-5.0 instead of mysql-server
Package mysql-server-5.0 is not available, but is refferred to by another package.
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or is only available from another source
E: Package mysql-server-5.0 has no installation candidate

Its a MyBook Live 2TB and all the commands prior worked fine. Any ideas on how to get this to work?

Reply
- kumkum says:
  
  March 30, 2012 at 10:23 am
  
  It looks like a repository problem.
  What is the content of /etc/apt/sources.list file ?
  
  Reply
  - chkstar says:
    
    March 30, 2012 at 10:43 am
    
    a cat sources.list in the /etc/apt directory yeilds:
    deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main
    deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ sid main
    deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ esperimental main
    
    Reply
    - chkstar says:
      
      March 30, 2012 at 11:02 am
      
      Can I assume that the
      sed -ie “s/deb .* squeeze/#&/g” /etc/apt/sources.list
      
      Command (which I did) should have removed the reference to
      
      deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main ?
      
      What should be there in its place ?
      
      Reply
      - kumkum says:
        
        March 30, 2012 at 11:14 am
        
        Yes. This tutorial is not using squeeze. Don’t do the sed command if you are using squeeze.
      - chkstar says:
        
        March 30, 2012 at 11:21 am
        
        I was following the Tutorial exactly. The sources.list file has the three lines above with # in front (Commented out)
        
        Its been a while since I did anything with Linux, so pardon my confusion.
        
        Should there indeed be a non commented line in the sources.list file and if so, what should its contents contain ?
      - kumkum says:
        
        March 30, 2012 at 11:25 am
        
        Just remove # character in sources.list file and run apt-get update.
        
        So sorry if my article make a confusion.
        Maybe I have to update my article to avoid this problem.
        Thanks.
Alex says:

April 2, 2012 at 3:04 am

Can somebody send me original vhost configuration file, that was copied on step 6? I lost it
My mail is mr.fomos@gmail.com. Thanks.

Reply
- kumkum says:
  
  April 2, 2012 at 8:43 am
  
  Hi, Alex. Vhost file sent. Please check your email.
  
  Reply
Karl says:

April 10, 2012 at 5:03 pm

Hi!
How do I reste MyBook to it’s original state after doing all of this (I am tryin gto learn more about Debian OS etc. hacking).

Reply
- Karl says:
  
  April 10, 2012 at 5:29 pm
  
  Also have another question; I got the same error as chkstar when running “apt-get install mysql-server mysql-client php5-mysql”
  
  I took away the # before the three lines in the sources.list file.
  
  It upgraded but I got an error. (will post later)
  
  I can’t access my MyBook via http://www.wd2go.com, is this normal?
  
  Reply
  - kumkum says:
    
    April 11, 2012 at 7:59 am
    
    I also can’t access my device via wd2go.com.
    Having problem in loading Java interface.
    I’m using Firefox browser. I haven’t try to use another browser.
    
    Reply
- kumkum says:
  
  April 11, 2012 at 7:55 am
  
  Hi, Karl
  To revert to original state, you have to download .deb firmware file from http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5735 and execute this command:
  $ sudo dpkg -i firmware-file.deb
  
  Reply
the_lumpster says:

April 14, 2012 at 9:43 am

I am not using any of the other features of my 3rd generation MBL except the share creation. I need access to the share through a mapped drive, which has been accomplished in setup, but I also want intranet web access to the share for music and video streaming that needs to be able to see directories and files i.e. ht tp ://192.168.1.100/Media/ to give a listing of files and folders in the media share folder, without any authentication. I am ok with disabling the UI through SSH and only turning it on when needed.

Reply
- joboborab says:
  
  April 21, 2012 at 6:28 am
  
  I needed the same thing. This is how I did it.
  
  ‘set up a share using UI’
  
  ‘go to http://device/UI/ssh to enable ssh’
  
  ‘ssh in’
  Username root
  Password welc0me
  
  cd /etc/apache2/sites-available/
  nano webshare
  ‘add this to the file and save’
  
  ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
  
  DocumentRoot /DataVolume/shares/
  
  RewriteLog /var/log/apache2/rewrite.log
  RewriteLogLevel 0
  
  RewriteEngine On
  
  Options FollowSymLinks
  AllowOverride None
  
  Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
  AllowOverride None
  Order allow,deny
  allow from all
  
  ErrorLog /var/log/mywebsite_error.log
  
  LogLevel warn
  
  cp wdnas wdnasbakup
  cp webshare wdnas
  a2enmod autoindex
  /etc/init.d/apache2 restart
  
  That’s it. Remember that your share is case sensitive.
  
  Reply
  - joboborab says:
    
    April 21, 2012 at 6:32 am
    
    That just derped all my code for the webshare file, but it is the same as the tutorial, with the directory pointing to DataVolume/shares/ instead of DataVolume/shares/mywebsite
    
    Reply
Mark says:

April 26, 2012 at 9:48 am

Got apache and php successfully working (able to display a page with .

However, having trouble with mysql. Specifically, the mysql_install_db command fails with the following:

—–

# mysql_install_db –user=mysql –basedir=/usr –datadir=/DataVolume/www/mysql_data
Installing MySQL system tables…
ERROR: 1 Can’t create/write to file ‘/DataVolume/www/mysql_data/mysql/db.MYI’ (Errcode: 13)
120425 21:42:26 [ERROR] Aborting

120425 21:42:26 [Note] /usr/sbin/mysqld: Shutdown complete

—–

Installation of system tables failed! Examine the logs in
/DataVolume/www/mysql_data for more information.

I checked permissions of mysql_data and the owner is mysql with group root. Attempted setting permissions to 777 with no success.

Any ideas?

Reply
- kumkum says:
  
  April 26, 2012 at 10:02 am
  
  Hi, Mark.
  Can you check mysql log for any error message?
  Maybe can check on /DataVolume/www/mysql_data or /var/log
  
  Reply

How to Hack WD My Book Live

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