I’ve got a Core and a QNAP NAS for storage, and I’ve got a problem similar to that described in 2019 here ND555 hammering SMB/NAS. In my case, whenever my Core is plugged in, my QNAP NAS reports Naim SMB login errors and blocks the Core IP address, so my NAS is unusable as a store.
Naim says they have never heard of this before, and since I see only that somewhat similar 2019 thread, I’m wondering if anyone out there who is using a Core with a QNAP NAS is having a similar difficulty.
It happens only with the Core, and consistently so. The same behaviour occurs when I plug my Core into my friend’s network with the same model NAS, so it’s not my network. I’m trying to figure out if the cause is with the NAS or with the Core.
I took a packet capture from the NAS, and QNAP says the Core is sending a “Negotiate Protocol Request” to the NAS, but thereafter failing to respond. I’m trying to get Naim to look into that, but they say they’ve never heard of this problem before. If anyone else is having this difficulty, it would be helpful to know.
I’ve set everything that I can think of on the NAS to allow the Core IP through, including no login permissions required on the shared folder, turning off the NAS QuFirewall, and unchecking the IP protection for SMB on the NAS. I cannot get the NAS to stop blocking the Core - QNAP is in the process of figuring that one out.
The OP can answer for himself, of course, but for me it makes sense to run two NAS devices. Apart from the fact that a NAS might also be used for any number of non-music purposes, a second one provides a great deal of resilience.
If your primary NAS (as music store and server) has an automatic backup to another NAS, the backup device can equally be used to serve up those music files if you run a UPnP server on it. So if one NAS fails, the other can immediately take over and allow you to continue to listen to your music. No delay while you replace faulty hardware, restore from backup, etc. etc.
As for why the NAS when I have a Core, I have nearly 6000 albums in WAV and my Core’s internal 1 GB HDD holds only so much (1260 albums makes it more than half full in WAV - FLAC is much more efficient in that aspect. I concur with ChrisSU about the utility of the NAS, plus the notion that my Core backs up to the NAS, where all that plus my shared folders are on fail-redundant drives.
As for why the Core when I have a NAS, I find that the Core’s CD ripping process yields a superior rip, in some cases sounding better than the CD which I am told is due to Naim’s reclocking and meticulous error correction. You can see it retry some tracks several times before it admits to recording a bit error. There are precious few bit errors noted in my collection.
It’s perhaps worth emphasising here that the function a UPnP server is not just to play music on the drive on which it runs. It regularly scans your network looking for available drives which allow it to access any music stored on it. You could, for example, have music in an iTunes library on a Mac, some more on a PC, and/or some on a NAS or two. The UPnP server will scan them all, and present them as a single music library (unless you configure it otherwise) from which you can browse and play.
For that reason I instead of going for a NAS, I simply upgraded my Core to a 4tb Samsung EVO SSD (that I connected to a laptop via an USB interface in order to transfer my collection to the 4tb drive. A backup copy of everything sits in the cloud anyway) … 4tb drives can easily be found nowadays at relatively affordable prices. I paid €190 for it …
As it stands with my system, my Core and my NAS cannot co-exist on the same network, even if the Core is not asking to use the NAS for Share or Backup. I’m thinking this must be related to the UPnP function of the Core trying autonomously to find content on the network, and QNAP’s finding that the Core is failing to continue the communication following its Negotiate Protocol Request. Is anyone here familiar with that depth of the UPnP protocol?
Thanks sound-hound for your detailed list. It’s good to know that you don’t have an issue between your Core and your QNAP NAS. I’m a long way past starting on this problem, having thoroughly engaged with both QNAP and Naim support for some time at this point, but your questions include one that I haven’t tried yet - a different router. Let me try that before I inundate you with answers.
One thing you might be able to confirm for me. Am I correct in thinking that the network setting for WORKGROUP in the Core app under Configure Shares matters only if my share folders require a login? I have my share folders set up so as not to need a password, but I’m not clear on what Naim expects in that regard. FYI, no matter what, including blanks, I put in those fields for workgroup and username/password - the problem is the same (as I would expect for share folders without a password).
As a reminder - the problem here is that my NAS relentlessly creates SMB login errors from the Core whenever it’s plugged in - even after I hard-reset the Core and before I change anything in the app. This makes me suspect the UPnP function on the Core pinging the NAS looking for content. As you’ll know from reading my original post, QNAP looked at the NAS traffic Packet Capture I took and they claim that the Core fails to continue communicating after it sends a Negotiate Protocol Request. I was hoping someone here knows how that handshake is supposed to work. As it stands now, whenever I plug in my Core to use the library on its internal SSD, I have to turn off my NAS login fail notifications. The Core will start indexing the share folder on the NAS for a few minutes until the NAS blocks the IP - which I am unable to prevent for some reason.
Hi, I only do local streaming from the Core to my dac, so I don’t have your particular issue.
Do you have any other devices that could be found and scanned by the Core with success?
As per ChrisSU’s post above I would like my Core to be able
to find and scan my laptop for music files. I’m awaiting help with this from another party.
Long post w/o addressing any details, NAS model et al.
If you have as you suggest “…set everything that I can think of on the NAS to allow the Core IP through” any changes made should, best practice, be recorded by e.g. a photo record to easily restore original settings. This may become necessary!
With regard to workgroup haven’t touched it.
Impression given is that you blame the Core - not perfect but unlikely to be the cause here.
Appreciate a possible frustration but regardless of being “a long way past starting on this problem”, no one can offer any positive advice until there is a clear understanding of what has been done, rather than what tests have been run!
Fully understood, and thanks Sound-hound. I was mainly interested in learning if anyone out there had similar issues. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time on this terrific site until I get an answer from QNAP as to why the NAS cannot allow the Core to access the NAS regardless of the mysterious login difficulty.