I don't see where to setup storage space using openwrt. I have a Linksys wrt1900ACS router. Surprise the firmware doesn't come loaded with this feature since storage is a part of the LInksys oem firmware.
Here are the wikis for Storage and Network Attached Storage. OpenWrt is meant to be a minimal install initially so users can then build to their own needs.
When you say "storage" are you talking about for the OS's use, or that you would like to set up file sharing from the router? I understand that many use samba along with external storage to accomplish that goal.
As to your question, there are a couple reasons file sharing isn't included by default. One is that older / inexpensive devices don't have the flash storage space for the executables required to support much more than basic routing and a GUI. There are even a large class of devices that are too small for even a GUI. OpenWRT tries to be consistent across devices in "as-flashed" configuration and features and has a simple package-installation process to allow addition of other functionality.
Another reason is that many users, for various reasons, don't run "feature X" on their OpenWRT box. It may be resources, security, or just no need for that feature. These features "waste" flash space for users that don't need them, and that space can't be recovered as the firmware is, at its core, read-only. ("Delete" from the flashed firmware just hides the files on the ROM, which is, well, read-only.)
I'm talking about file sharing on the router. Once I fix INTERNET connection, what is the package name for Samba or do I use some other package. Since this package is custom for my router, it should include file sharing (Linksys supports it already).
Try https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/services/nas/samba_configuration
You may need the kernel modules and packages required to support external storage, such as a USB stick as well. See, for example, https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/storage/usb-drives
I understand your frustration that OpenWRT doesn't natively support the full feature set of your OEM firmware, compounded by the problems you're having with Comcast. However OpenWRT is not a feature-for-feature replacement for each specific OEM firmware for every device. It provides common, basic features with the the ability to install features that each user may desire.
I've installed Samba it appears and a gui too. I'm using an NTFS usb3 stick I plan to access from the router. I'm reading NTFS is not recommended. I'm not clear on mounting the drive, share a folder and accessing the folder using Samba. Looks like I will need a fool proof instruction on getting this working.
The GUI shows the following fields:
Name Path Allowed_User Read_Only Browseable Allow_guests Create_mask Directory_mask .
I was thinking just a Name and Path should do it but the more I read... the more install/setup is required...
I ssh in, issue df command I get /dev/ubi0_1, which is my usb3 device. Following is a paste.
Filesystem 1K-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/root 2304 2304 0 100% /rom
tmpfs 255964 844 255120 0% /tmp
/dev/ubi0_1 24540 2892 20360 12% /overlay
overlayfs:/overlay 24540 2892 20360 12% /
ubi1:syscfg 30276 548 28144 2% /tmp/syscfg
tmpfs 512 0 512 0% /dev
Your usb device will be listed as /dev/sd*. If you just want to get up and running for now you can make a mount point (ssh - mkdir /your/mount_point) and check Allow Guests in Luci>Services>Network Shares>Shard Directories. I've always had problems mounting NTFS through Mount Points in Luci, so I use the ntfs-3g auto-mount in Luci>Startup.
If you're sharing the mounted device, as long as the underlying filesystem can reflect the necessary metadata (file ownership, permissions, dates, ...) to Samba through the OS, then its format should be transparent to the clients. NTFS isn't typically considered a "good" filesystem for Linux hosts, with ext4 being a more common choice.