Best Network Settings for Western Digital MyCloudPR4100 32TB as Network Server for Music

[Steve Bruzonsky]

 

 

My Current network settings are:

static IP address as 192.168.1.214

IPv4 network mode DHCP

IPv6 network mode Off

Link Aggreggation Active Backup

Link Speed Auto

Jumbo Frame Off (1500)

FTP Access ON

AFP Service OFF

NFS Service ON

SNMP OFF

SSH Off

Dynamic DNS Off

Network Database ON without remote access

 

I have ROON set to access music at IP address 192.168.1.214  Note I have only been using one ethernet out from the MyCloudPR4100 to my network switch. Everything is hard wired through the house via ethernet CAT6a cables.

 

In reading the MyCLoudPR4100 manual, says link aggregation using both ethernet ports out to router may improve reliability in which case also set link speed. Also says do not use jumbo frame because my other devices aren’t jumbo frame.

 

I reset Link aggregation to OFF because I am not using 2 ethernet cables from storage device to router. When I did this, I lost the connection, and on the front of the device I found that I had two new IP addresses, and the old IP address of 192.168.1.214 was gone. I entered one of the new IP addresses in my computer web browser and went back and reset Link Aggregation to Active Backup. Then all went back to as it was, with one IP address of 192.168.1.214, and ROON again found all music.

 

On occasion when clicking on a new album in ROON I will for 5 – 15 seconds lose the server and then ROON reqcquires the server and I can startup music again. This leads me to think my network configuration settings in my MyCloud device are not optimal?

 

My question is obviously whether any of the above network settings should be changed and whether 2 ethernet cables should be connected to my network switch in the master bedroom where all this is located.

 

I know enough to have everything work pretty good but I ain't no network expert and I don't quite understand the terms and explanations in the manual.

 

Thanks for any education and suggestions on this.

 

 

 

[plissken]

Link aggregation: There are a few flavors of this. When I do Link Aggregation (LAG) I do it with LACP 802.3ad standard that requires a configuration on a managed switch.

 

What the MyCloud device is doing with their 'Link Aggregation' is most likely creating a LAG on their side but shutting down one of the ports. Then if the active connection losses connectivity the in-active port comes up.

 

On MTU: Your network switch can 100% be set to support Jumbo Frame. Where you get into issues is that one vendor may use a Frame size of 8096, another 9100, another 9198 and that will break stuff all over the place. I've had these interoperability issues before and some of these vendors only supported their Jumbo Frame size or a MTU of 1500. So while we left Jumbo Frame on the network switches we had to revert these server and storage devices back to 1500. The customer was all about getting the cheapest servers and network attached storage they could get with zero regard for the technical complexities.

 

You are doing extremely low bandwidth and latency insensitive data. Easiest type of data to support.

 

Go to http://speedtest.ftp.otenet.gr/

 

Download the 1GB or 5GB file. Place on your NAS and copy to your PC. See if it's a smooth transfer of if it stops/stutters etc. If it's smooth then your delay issue is further up river with Applications and Service's most likely being the culprit.

 

Turn off any power saving on the NAS.

 

List all equipment involved: Network Switch(s), Router(s), end points, computers, software running on the NAS etc...

[R1200CL]

Steve

 

Wouldn’t it be better have your DHCP server set the fixed IP addresses ?

Use settings as shown in page 85 in manual. (Manual say page 76). 
 

Unless you’re transferring large files, and need that transfer to speed up, I can’t see the use of Link Aggregation any useful in your case. 

Where is Roon located ?

[plissken]

7 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

Steve

 

Wouldn’t it be better have your DHCP server set the fixed IP addresses ?

Use settings as shown in page 85 in manual. (Manual say page 76). 
 

Unless you’re transferring large files, and need that transfer to speed up, I can’t see the use of Link Aggregation any useful in your case. 

Where is Roon located ?

 

My read is that the IPv4 address is a static mac assignment from his DHCP server.  The MyCloud comes up and issues a discover with it's MAC address in the packet and his DHCP server responds with the offer of the .214 address as reserved.

[Steve Bruzonsky]

On 6/20/2021 at 7:13 AM, plissken said:

Link aggregation: There are a few flavors of this. When I do Link Aggregation (LAG) I do it with LACP 802.3ad standard that requires a configuration on a managed switch.

 

What the MyCloud device is doing with their 'Link Aggregation' is most likely creating a LAG on their side but shutting down one of the ports. Then if the active connection losses connectivity the in-active port comes up.

 

On MTU: Your network switch can 100% be set to support Jumbo Frame. Where you get into issues is that one vendor may use a Frame size of 8096, another 9100, another 9198 and that will break stuff all over the place. I've had these interoperability issues before and some of these vendors only supported their Jumbo Frame size or a MTU of 1500. So while we left Jumbo Frame on the network switches we had to revert these server and storage devices back to 1500. The customer was all about getting the cheapest servers and network attached storage they could get with zero regard for the technical complexities.

 

You are doing extremely low bandwidth and latency insensitive data. Easiest type of data to support.

 

Go to http://speedtest.ftp.otenet.gr/

 

Download the 1GB or 5GB file. Place on your NAS and copy to your PC. See if it's a smooth transfer of if it stops/stutters etc. If it's smooth then your delay issue is further up river with Applications and Service's most likely being the culprit.

 

Turn off any power saving on the NAS.

 

List all equipment involved: Network Switch(s), Router(s), end points, computers, software running on the NAS etc...

I downloaded the 1GB file and placed it onto my NAS. Copied it to my PC and a smooth evenly quick transfer. I also turned off power saving on the NAS prior to this. While I did this I have been playing a multi-channel ripped SACD via ROON as well!

 

Everything is hardwired CAT 6A. 

Luxul ABR-5000 router and network switches.

Western Digital MyCloudPR4100 32TB network server.

Exasound Delta server (ROON Core).

Exasound s88 7.1ch DAC (ROON Ready).

ROON Core & ROON Ready DAC all hardwired ethernet connected.

I use a Windows 10 laptop (new LG Gram) also iPad Pro also iPhone 12 Pro as ROON remote control.

 

 

 

[Steve Bruzonsky]

On 6/20/2021 at 7:18 AM, R1200CL said:

Steve

 

Wouldn’t it be better have your DHCP server set the fixed IP addresses ?

Use settings as shown in page 85 in manual. (Manual say page 76). 
 

Unless you’re transferring large files, and need that transfer to speed up, I can’t see the use of Link Aggregation any useful in your case. 

Where is Roon located ?

 

Actually my integrator setup all the hardwiring CAT6a and the new networking gear and managed the IP addresses and set the MyCloudPR4100 to 192.168.1.214  However, I don't think he went into the MyCloudPR4100 to doublecheck the existing settings.

I have a call into him on this. I pretty much was already using the settings at page 76 of the manual and just doublechecked this.

 

ROON Core is Exasound Delta. ROON Ready endpoint is Exasound s88 7.1 channel DAC.

 

Everything plays smooth and great. Only issue is when I go to a new album, sometimes I lose the connection and it takes 5-10 seconds to reestablish.

 

Aside from using Luxul network switches, I am also using an Uptone Audio Etherregen, as it sounds a bit "cleaner" for sonics for the Exasound s88 DAC. Whether I simply use the Luxul switch or the Etherregen for this the on occasion losing the connection at the start of a new album is the same. 

 

[Steve Bruzonsky]

On 6/20/2021 at 7:27 AM, plissken said:

 

My read is that the IPv4 address is a static mac assignment from his DHCP server.  The MyCloud comes up and issues a discover with it's MAC address in the packet and his DHCP server responds with the offer of the .214 address as reserved.

 

Apparently your read is correct.

[Steve Bruzonsky]

On 6/20/2021 at 7:18 AM, R1200CL said:

Steve

 

Wouldn’t it be better have your DHCP server set the fixed IP addresses ?

Use settings as shown in page 85 in manual. (Manual say page 76). 
 

Unless you’re transferring large files, and need that transfer to speed up, I can’t see the use of Link Aggregation any useful in your case. 

 

 

As the DHCP server has been set for the fixed IP addresses, and as the manual page 76 settings show Link Aggregation set to "Active Backup", and I've had this set to "Active Backup" all along - since you can't see using Link Aggregation as useful in my case, then how come when I changed this to off, MyCloudPR4100 changed to 2 new IP addresses and lost the IP address my integrator set at the DHCP server of 192.168.1.214?

[Steve Bruzonsky]

By the way, thanks for all of your help. Much appreciated.

 

Although I expect my integrator will get around to this, I am a bit anal and like to get some rudimentary understanding of this stuff.

[plissken]

9 hours ago, Steve Bruzonsky said:

MyCloudPR4100 changed to 2 new IP addresses and lost the IP address my integrator set at the DHCP server of 192.168.1.214?

 

Could be the hashing algorithm WD uses for their link aggregation feature. Could be one MAC address was presented one way and the other way another MAC address.

[Steve Bruzonsky]

14 hours ago, plissken said:

 

Could be the hashing algorithm WD uses for their link aggregation feature. Could be one MAC address was presented one way and the other way another MAC address.

 

When this occurred, I set the network settings of the PR4100 back to Link Aggregation Active Backup and my IP address of 192.168.1.214 came back!

[plissken]

6 hours ago, Steve Bruzonsky said:

 

When this occurred, I set the network settings of the PR4100 back to Link Aggregation Active Backup and my IP address of 192.168.1.214 came back!

 

Sounds about right. Hopefully your fix is just a tweak in Roon.