Network Port Setting

I. What is a Network Port?

You can think of your NAS's IP address as the address of a building, while ports are the room numbers on each door inside that building.

After data reaches your NAS's IP address over the network, it needs to pass through specific ports to be received and processed by the correct service or application (such as file management, video players).

• IP Address: Locates the device.
• Network Port: Locates specific services on the device.
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Functions of Ports

• Service Differentiation: A NAS runs multiple services simultaneously (e.g., file sharing, websites, surveillance). Ports ensure these services do not interfere with each other, with data flowing through their respective "doors."
• Remote Access: When accessing your home NAS over the public internet, requests from the external network need to be "mapped" to the corresponding service ports inside the NAS.
• Network Security: Opening only necessary ports and closing unused ones is a critical measure to protect your NAS from network attacks.

Port Classification

Port numbers range from 0 to 65535 and are typically divided into three categories:

• Well-Known Ports: 0–1023. Assigned to core system services, such as HTTP (80), HTTPS (443), FTP (21), SSH (22).
• Registered Ports: 1024–49151. Assigned to user-installed applications or services, such as Plex (32400), Transmission (51413). Most self-developed services on your NAS use ports in this range.
• Dynamic/Private Ports: 49152–65535. Generally not permanently assigned to services and are primarily used for temporary client communication.

II. How to Set up:

1. Click "Settings" on the homepage, select "Network", and enter the network management interface. Click "Open Port" under the firewall to customize external ports

2. After setting the port, click "Submit" to apply.

III. Safety Precautions and Troubleshooting

When managing the ORICO NAS network ports, security should be the top priority.

Incorrect port configurations may lead to unauthorized access or risks of data breaches.

Additionally, understanding troubleshooting methods for common issues can help you quickly restore services and ensure stable and continuous NAS operation.

This section will introduce important security measures for port management and solutions to common issues:

Issue 1: Unable to access the NAS after modifying ports

This is one of the most common issues, usually caused by the following reasons:

Analysis: Possible incorrect port number entry, firewall blocking the new port, or browser caching old redirection information.

Solution: First, check whether the correct access format is used (http://NAS-IP:new-port). Clear the browser cache or try using a different browser. If access is still unavailable, attempt to log in to the NAS via direct local access with a monitor to verify the port settings. Ensure that the firewall configuration allows connections to the new port.

Issue 2: Port conflict preventing service startup

Analysis: Port conflicts occur when two or more services attempt to use the same port.

Solution: Check whether other services in the NAS system are using the port you intend to set. Review the list of all used ports via the "Network Services" or similar interface, and select an unused port for your service. Restart the relevant service or the entire NAS system to apply the changes.

Issue 3: Inability to access services externally via port forwarding

Analysis: This may be caused by incorrect router configurations, ISP port blocking, or changes in dynamic IP addresses.

Solution: First, confirm that the service is accessible via the NAS’s local IP address and port within the internal network. Check the port forwarding rules on the router to ensure the external port is correctly mapped to the NAS’s internal IP and port. Verify whether your internet connection has a public IP address or if a dynamic DNS service is in use. Some internet service providers may block commonly used ports (e.g., 80, 443), so try using other ports.

Issue 4: No performance improvement after port aggregation

Analysis: Load balancing modes offer limited performance improvement for single-threaded connections, or the aggregation configuration may be incorrect.

Solution: Understand that port aggregation primarily increases total bandwidth for multiple concurrent connections rather than the speed of a single connection. During testing, use multiple simultaneous transfer sessions. Confirm that all aggregated ports show as active and that the network switch supports the corresponding aggregation mode.

Issue 5: Device unable to access the network due to port issues

Analysis: Incorrect port settings may result in complete inability to access the NAS.

Solution: If the NAS cannot be accessed over the network, log in to the system by connecting directly to a monitor. Navigate to "Configuration > Network > Basic Configuration > Port" to check and correct the port settings. In extreme cases, consider resetting the network settings to their default state, but note that this will result in the loss of all custom network configurations.