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Setting up a ReadyNAS 214
Hi, I have a new ReadyNAS 214 which I intend to use on a Mac network to stream iTunes and contain personal data. I am totally confused by the AFP, SMB, etc settings and wonder which I should set. In my finder I see three ReadyNAS. One ReadyNAS, one SMB, and one AFP. Should all be showing like that? It also says in the manual that I should reserve a DHCP if I wish to use Link Aggregation how do I do that?
Equipment is an iMac with OS10.11, MacBook Pro with both OS10.11 and Windows 10 via Bootcamp and an Apple TV4.i reach the Internet via a Humax Cable Modem supplied by my internet provider. Advice please.
Equipment is an iMac with OS10.11, MacBook Pro with both OS10.11 and Windows 10 via Bootcamp and an Apple TV4.i reach the Internet via a Humax Cable Modem supplied by my internet provider. Advice please.
Just pick LACP with layer-2 hashing. FWIW, that is what the R8500 is using. That gives the most predictable results (not always the best performance, just the most repeatable performance).
Here's the way it works: The hashing is used by the NAS to decide which NIC card will send each data flow. It's basically like a coin-flip. So each data flow from the NAS to device X will always use only one NIC. Also, since this is an xmit decision, the router also is making this decision, and it could choose a different NIC for the return traffic.
Layer 2 uses the mac addresses of the NAS and the receiving device (which are hard-wired into the ethernet chips, and always are the same). Layer 3 adds in the IP addresses (which will vary if you use DHCP). Layer 3+4 adds in the TCP/UDP ports being used. That normally is only used if you are also using bonding in the receiving device.
There are a couple of implications.
One is that every data flow through the bond is limited to 1 gigabit. That's because every flow uses just one NIC in the bond. That is by design - the assumption is that the clients aren't using a bonded connection, and you don't want to overrun their 1 gigabit connection.
Second, if you sending from the NAS to 2 devices there is a 50-50 chance that the NAS will use the same NIC for their xmit traffic. If you look at both directions, there's a 75% chance that either the xmit or the receive traffic will share a NIC. So the bond is often underutilitized if you only have a couple of devices.
Since the different hashes give different answers to the "coin flip" you can sometimes get a better NIC allocation with a different hash. That can improve throughput with specific devices (when you only have a couple).
But as far as streaming performance goes, it really doesn't matter much. Streaming doesn't use as much bandwidth as most people think. Even full 1080p BluRay has a max of 54 mbits (8 megabytes per second). Even without bonding, that's only about 5% of the link capacity. And most HD streams aren't full BluRay - they are in the 1-2 megabytes per second range. So the hash isn't something you need to over-think.
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Herbert323 wrote:
Hi, I have a new ReadyNAS 214 which I intend to use on a Mac network to stream iTunes and contain personal data.Note that the linux itunes server doesn't support "home sharing" - which limits your ability to stream to ipad/iphone and apple TV. That's really on Apple, they've kept "home sharing" closed.
The workarounds are to use something else (for instance Plex) or to host the media library on the RN214, but run itunes on one of your Macs. I don't think plex is available on your apple TV, so running itunes on the Mac might be your only real option.
Herbert323 wrote:
I am totally confused by the AFP, SMB, etc settings and wonder which I should set. In my finder I see three ReadyNAS. One ReadyNAS, one SMB, and one AFP. Should all be showing like that?All three should be showing up in finder.
I don't own a Mac, but my understanding is that Apple is moving away from AFP ( http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/06/11/apple-shifts-from-afp-file-sharing-to-smb2-in-os-x-109-mavericks ). So I'd suggest disabling AFP, and just using SMB. Mac users will hopefully chime in.
Herbert323 wrote:
It also says in the manual that I should reserve a DHCP if I wish to use Link Aggregation how do I do that?Reserving a DHCP IP address for the NAS is a good idea, and it is done in your router. You'd need to tell us what model (or simply google for the manual or an on-line guide yourself). What that does is ensure your NAS gets the same IP address all the time. For some advanced features (particularly enabling FTP or other services over the internet) it is necessary.
As far as link aggregation goes, I wouldn't bother with it right now. It only increases throughput if you have multiple devices accessing the NAS at the same time (and not always then). So just connect a single ethernet cable for now, and if you are unhappy with the performance post back.
Thanks for the quick answer. Actually Plex is now supported on the Apple TV4. They even have an app for it.
my router is a Humax from my internet provider but I have a Netgear R8500 connected as well.
Herbert
Herbert323 wrote:
Thanks for the quick answer. Actually Plex is now supported on the Apple TV4. They even have an app for it.
my router is a Humax from my internet provider but I have a Netgear R8500 connected as well.
Herbert
With the R8500, go to the advanced tab, and look in Setup->Lan Setup. You enter the mac address of the NAS and the IP address you want to assign it there.
You can see the mac address (and the current IP address) on Administration->attached devices. You can select and copy the mac address (easier than typing it in). I suggest assigning the current IP address of the NAS.
Your R8500 also supports LACP link aggregation, so you can easily set that up when you get to it. There are 2 LAN ports on the router that you need to use. I I tested it with my RN202, and it works fine. Though normally you won't notice any speed increase.
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