KNULLI SMB Share Not Visible in Windows? Fix Network Access to SHARE

Short Answer

Do not use the Windows Network pane as the only SMB test. KNULLI can be absent from Network discovery while its share still opens directly.

On KNULLI, open Start → Network settings.
Confirm the device is connected, then note its current hostname and IP address.
On Gladiator II or Scarab, enable Start → System Settings → Services → SAMBA. SAMBA is disabled by default on those releases.
In Windows File Explorer, enter \\KNULLI\share, replacing KNULLI if the hostname was changed.
If the hostname path fails, enter \\IP-address\share using the current address shown by KNULLI.
If Windows requests credentials, follow the release-specific rules below. Scarab's tagged normal Samba configuration requires username root.

The share export maps to KNULLI's active /userdata storage and is configured writable in Firefly, Gladiator II, and Scarab.

Do not enable SMB1, disable SMB signing, enable insecure guest logons, or turn off Windows Defender Firewall. These are not routine requirements for KNULLI access.

Version scope

KNULLI: Firefly 20241204, Gladiator II 20250813, and Scarab 20260511

Devices: RG CubeXX and other supported H700-series devices

Windows: Windows 10 and Windows 11, with Windows 11 24H2 treated separately where its SMB security defaults matter

Evidence: Official documentation and release-tagged source; no owner hardware result is claimed

Symptom: Identify Which Failure You Have

These five symptoms are different. Start with the one that matches what Windows is doing.

1. KNULLI is absent under Windows Network

This is a discovery symptom. It does not prove that the Samba share is unavailable. Test \\IP-address\share directly before changing authentication or Windows security policy.

2. `\\KNULLI\share` or the current hostname fails

If \\IP-address\share works but the hostname path does not, basic SMB access has succeeded through the IP address. Hostname resolution or discovery is the leading problem area. Read the actual hostname from KNULLI Network settings; KNULLI is only the documented default.

3. `\\IP-address\share` also fails

This is a direct SMB failure, not merely a missing Network-pane icon. Recheck the KNULLI connection, current IP, exact share name, SAMBA service state on Gladiator II or Scarab, and release-specific authentication. Preserve the exact Windows error instead of applying a discovery-only fix.

4. Windows asks for or rejects credentials

Authentication depends on the KNULLI release and Windows guest policy:

Firefly normally allows guest access.
Gladiator II normally allows guest access after SAMBA is enabled.
Scarab's tagged normal configuration requires username root.
Firefly or Gladiator II with Enforce security enabled requires root and the current generated password after reboot.

A stale saved Windows credential can also cause repeated rejection, but treat that as a likely cause only after finding a matching saved entry.

5. The share opens but read or write fails

Discovery, addressing, and enough authentication to open the share have already succeeded. Check the active /userdata storage, available space, and the live write path—not Network discovery.

Version Scope

The workflow applies to official RG CubeXX/H700 images for all three releases, but Samba startup and authentication changed.

Firefly `20241204`

Firefly uses an earlier boot init model. Do not tell Firefly users that a disabled-by-default Services → SAMBA toggle must be enabled.

Firefly's tagged normal [share] permits guest access. Its secure configuration denies guests and is selected when KNULLI Enforce security is enabled.

Gladiator II `20250813`

Gladiator II makes SAMBA a user-controlled service that is disabled by default:

Start → System Settings → Services → SAMBA

Its tagged normal share permits guests. With Enforce security enabled, the service uses the secure configuration.

Scarab `20260511`

Scarab keeps the disabled-by-default SAMBA service model. Its tagged normal Samba configuration uses security = user, disables guest mapping, sets guest ok = no, and restricts the share to root.

Use username root and the current KNULLI root password on Scarab.

Documentation/source discrepancy

Current KNULLI prose describes credentials as conditional on Enforce security. That matches normal guest behavior in Firefly and Gladiator II, but Scarab's release-tagged normal smb.conf independently requires root even when the broader security toggle is off.

Do not flatten this difference:

Firefly/Gladiator II normal mode: guest access is allowed by tagged source.
Scarab normal mode: root authentication is required by tagged source.

If Enforce security is active, KNULLI requires a reboot and then displays the generated current root password in the Security screen. Otherwise, current KNULLI documentation lists linux as the default root password. Prefer the current password displayed by KNULLI whenever one is generated.

Likely Causes

Use the observed branch before assigning a cause:

Discovery-only failure: direct UNC works, but KNULLI is absent under Network.
Hostname-resolution failure: the IP path works, but the hostname path fails.
No active network or stale IP: direct IP access fails and KNULLI's current address has not been confirmed.
SAMBA service disabled: relevant to Gladiator II and Scarab, where the service is disabled by default.
Release-specific authentication: Windows expects credentials, or Scarab rejects guest access.
Stale saved credential: a matching obsolete KNULLI hostname/IP entry exists in Windows Credential Manager.
Windows guest/signing policy: especially relevant to guest-mode Firefly or Gladiator II on builds that block guest access; Windows 11 24H2 requires SMB signing by default.
Active storage or capacity problem: the share opens but the bounded file test fails.

Router isolation, VPN interference, endpoint-security policy, and vendor-specific network behavior remain unconfirmed without matching evidence. Do not prescribe broad changes for them.

Fix

Step 1: Confirm KNULLI's network details

On KNULLI, open Start → Network settings. Confirm it is connected to the same trusted local network as the Windows PC, then record the current IP address and hostname. If the connection itself is unstable, fix KNULLI Wi-Fi connection or disconnection problems.

The default hostname is KNULLI, but it can be changed and should be unique on the LAN.

Step 2: Check SAMBA on the correct release

On Gladiator II or Scarab, open:

Start → System Settings → Services → SAMBA

Enable SAMBA, then retry Windows. Firefly uses the earlier startup model, so do not impose this later prerequisite on Firefly.

Step 3: Test the exact hostname path

Enter this in File Explorer's address bar:

\\KNULLI\share

If the hostname changed, use:

\\actual-hostname\share

If it opens, continue to Verification. If it fails, test the direct IP path.

Step 4: Test the direct IP path

Enter:

\\IP-address\share

Replace IP-address with the current address displayed by KNULLI. Do not reuse an old address from a previous connection.

IP works, hostname fails: keep troubleshooting bounded to hostname resolution/discovery.
IP requests credentials: apply the release-specific authentication rule.
IP fails directly: recheck network state, current IP, SAMBA on Gladiator II/Scarab, exact share name, and the exact Windows error.

Step 5: Apply the correct authentication rule

Firefly

The tagged normal configuration allows guest access. If Enforce security is enabled, reboot as KNULLI instructs, then connect as root using the current generated password shown under Start → System Settings → Security.

Gladiator II

First ensure SAMBA is enabled. The tagged normal configuration allows guests. With Enforce security enabled, reboot and use root plus the generated password shown in the Security screen.

Scarab

Use username root and the current root password. If KNULLI displays a generated password after enabling Enforce security, use that. Otherwise, KNULLI's network-transfer documentation lists linux as the default.

This Scarab rule is stricter than the current generic prose.

Step 6: Remove one stale credential only when it exists

If the password changed and Windows repeatedly submits an old credential:

Open Credential Manager.
Find an entry matching the exact KNULLI hostname or IP.
Confirm that specific entry is obsolete.
Delete only that entry.
Reconnect with the correct current credentials.

Do not clear all Windows credentials.

Step 7: Treat discovery as a separate Windows problem

Use this step only when direct SMB works but KNULLI is missing under Network, or when Network-pane visibility is specifically required.

On a trusted home LAN, set the Windows connection to Private. Under Advanced sharing settings, enable Network discovery and, where Microsoft's troubleshooting flow calls for it, File and printer sharing.

Keep Windows Defender Firewall enabled. Inbound SMB-In rules are server-side rules and are not a universal fix for a Windows PC acting as the SMB client.

Step 8: Do not weaken Windows SMB security

Guest behavior varies by Windows edition and build; do not reduce it to “Windows 10 works and Windows 11 fails.” Windows 11 24H2 requires SMB signing by default, which is especially relevant to Firefly or Gladiator II guest mode.

Prefer one of these supported directions:

enable KNULLI Enforce security, reboot, and use authenticated SMB;
use Scarab's existing root-authenticated share;
use KNULLI's documented SCP/SFTP route when authenticated SMB is unavailable or still blocked.

Do not enable SMB1, add legacy NetBIOS ports, enable insecure guest logons, disable signing, edit the registry or local policy to weaken security, or disable the firewall.

Microsoft documents SMBClient Security event ID 31017 for rejected insecure guest authentication. If relevant, inspect Event Viewer → Applications and Services Logs → Microsoft → Windows → SMBClient → Security. Use the event as evidence; do not change security policy merely to remove it.

Verification

First confirm basic access:

Open \\IP-address\share or \\actual-hostname\share.
Confirm the root of share displays the expected contents of the storage KNULLI currently uses as /userdata.
Open one known, non-sensitive existing file, or copy it to the PC, to confirm read access.

Then perform one bounded write test:

At the root of share, create a new text file with a unique name such as retrofixlab-smb-test-YYYYMMDD-HHMM.txt.
Type a few harmless characters and save it.
Close the file.
Reopen that same file from share and confirm the text is present.
Delete only that exact disposable test file.

This proves that the current session could write and read that path at that moment. It does not prove Windows Network discovery, future reliability, total storage health, access to both SD cards, or every directory under /userdata.

If the transfer succeeds but copied content remains absent, update and diagnose the KNULLI game list.

If the share opens but the file cannot be created, check which storage is active as /userdata and whether it has free space. To confirm the card choice, verify the active second-SD/userdata selection. Do not change discovery settings, format the card, reflash KNULLI, or delete unrelated files.

Version Differences at a Glance

Release	SAMBA startup	Normal tagged authentication	Export
Firefly `20241204`	Earlier boot init model	Guest allowed	`share` → `/userdata`, writable
Gladiator II `20250813`	Disabled-by-default service under System Settings → Services → SAMBA	Guest allowed	`share` → `/userdata`, writable
Scarab `20260511`	Disabled-by-default service under the same documented path	`root` required; guests disabled	`share` → `/userdata`, writable

Current KNULLI prose ties credentials mainly to additional security, but the Scarab tagged normal configuration is the release-specific exception.

If It Still Fails

KNULLI is missing only from Windows Network

Test \\IP-address\share directly.
On a trusted Private network, enable Windows Network discovery.
Keep using the direct UNC path if it works; Network-pane visibility is not required for SMB access.

Hostname fails but IP works

Confirm the exact current hostname under Start → Network settings.
Remember that KNULLI is only the default.
Use the IP path temporarily.
Do not reinstall Samba or change the share name.

The evidence supports a hostname/discovery branch but not one universal DNS, NetBIOS, or WSD cause without logs.

Both direct paths fail

Confirm KNULLI is connected and use its current IP.
On Gladiator II/Scarab, confirm SAMBA is enabled.
Use the exact share name share.
Preserve the exact Windows error.
Apply the release-specific authentication rule.
Check SMBClient events when the evidence points to guest authentication.

Do not jump to SMB1, router reset, firewall shutdown, registry edits, formatting, or reflashing.

Credentials are still rejected

Confirm the installed KNULLI release.
On Scarab, use root; guest access is disabled by tagged source.
With Enforce security active, use the current generated password shown after reboot.
Remove only a matching stale KNULLI credential from Credential Manager.
On Windows 11 24H2, prefer authenticated access rather than weakening signing or guest policy.
Use KNULLI's documented SCP/SFTP option if Windows policy still blocks SMB.

The share opens but writing fails

Confirm which card is mounted as /userdata.
Check available space on that active storage.
Repeat the bounded test with one uniquely named tiny file at the root of share.
Do not delete or replace other files.

The export is configured writable, but live success still depends on mounted storage state and capacity.

Use SCP/SFTP as a safe alternative

KNULLI officially supports SCP/SFTP. Starting with Gladiator II, enable Start → System Settings → Services → SSH. Connect to the hostname or IP on port 22 as root with the current root password. KNULLI recommends WinSCP for Windows.

Firefly's SSH state or menu can differ, so do not impose the later Services path without checking that release's interface. Keep persistent file changes under /userdata; do not edit /etc/samba/smb.conf as a fix.

FAQ

Why is KNULLI absent under Network even though the share opens?

The Network pane depends on discovery. Direct UNC access can work independently.

What is the KNULLI SMB share name?

The documented and tagged export is share, mapped to the active /userdata.

Does `\\KNULLI\share` always use the correct hostname?

No. KNULLI is the default hostname. Read the current value from Start → Network settings.

Why does Windows ask for credentials on Scarab?

Scarab's tagged normal Samba configuration disables guest access and limits the share to root. This is stricter than the current generic documentation wording.

Should I enable SMB1?

No. The reviewed evidence does not establish that KNULLI requires Windows SMB1.

Should I disable SMB signing on Windows 11 24H2?

No. Use authenticated KNULLI SMB or SCP/SFTP instead of weakening signing or enabling insecure guest access.

Does opening `share` prove I can write to it?

No. Use the bounded disposable-file test to verify write and read access for that path and session.

Can SMB show both SD cards on an RG CubeXX?

No. KNULLI exposes the storage currently mounted as /userdata, not both cards simultaneously.